What Is The Golden Buzzer On America’s Got Talent?

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America’s Got Talent,” a well-known reality competition series, stands tall alongside other popular shows such as “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars.” This unique program, first aired in 2006, presents a diverse array of contestants displaying talents spanning from singing and dancing to magic, ventriloquism, and much more. Each participant aims to captivate the judges with their skills, aiming to progress through rounds and reach the finals. A significant element within this format is the Golden Buzzer, a symbolic feature that has become synonymous with the show.

The Golden Buzzer is a large, golden button that can be dramatically pressed to immediately advance an act to the fan-voted quarterfinals, bypassing all judged rounds. This button was introduced in Season 9 and has been a consistent feature of the show since then, with its rules occasionally changing. For Season 20, each judge (alongside host Terry Crews) gets to use two Golden Buzzers during the audition stages, allowing a total of 10 acts to bypass regular competition and move closer to potential victory.

The Golden Buzzer catapults an act to the quarter final stage

A Golden Buzzer act is one of the most attention-grabbing moments on “America’s Got Talent,” halting the competition show with a shower of golden confetti and granting the chosen performer an immediate bypass to the rest of the audition rounds. Pushing the Golden Buzzer demonstrates the initiator’s firm belief that the act deserves to leapfrog over all other judged rounds and proceed directly to the quarter-finals. The moment is often marked by heartfelt conversation, dramatic expressions, and an outpouring of tears, but it can also be a tense one.

On occasion, the act of pressing the Golden Buzzer has sparked disagreements among the judges. Some feel the performance that just advanced isn’t deserving, while others find it worthy of immediate advancement. Yet, there are instances where all judges agree. This moment is always exciting and significant. However, some viewers believe the Golden Buzzer has been overused and needs a fresh approach or drastic change. But so far, there’s no indication that the Golden Buzzer will disappear from “America’s Got Talent” anytime soon.

Several Golden Buzzer earners have been crowned the winner

Introduced in Season 9 of “America’s Got Talent”, the Golden Buzzer has given numerous acts a chance to skip over significant challenges during the competition. Since its introduction, seven performers who received the Golden Buzzer have ultimately won the entire contest. The person who initially triggered the Golden Buzzer often experiences joy as if the victory were their own, sharing in the success of the winner.

Several remarkable winners of “America’s Got Talent,” who were fortunate enough to receive the coveted Golden Buzzer, include Grace VanderWaal, a 12-year-old ukulele-playing singer-songwriter (who became famous for her song in Windex’s “The Story of Lucy” commercial) from Season 11. The ventriloquist Darci Lynne, also age 12 at the time, won in Season 12. Most recently, Brandon Leake, a spoken word poet, triumphed in Season 15. It remains to be seen how many more Golden Buzzer recipients will dominate the competition before this popular feature may eventually retire from “America’s Got Talent.”

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2025-07-19 18:30