If every dog has his day, today belongs entirely to the hurricane.
Hurricane, a border collie, and his human Adrian Stoica are the winners of the latest, 18th season of America’s Got Talent, their dog show that is winning the hearts of the American public.
Magician Anna DeGuzman took second place in the 2023 competition, it was announced on Wednesday (September 27), and dance group Murmuration took third place.
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Indonesian singer Putri Ariani and acrobat duo Ramadhani Brothers round out the top five.
Putri, this year’s top-ranked singer, made a remarkable impression on the judges, particularly Simon Cowell, who presented the teenager with his Golden Buzzer. “Nobody can take away the fact that you’re a great, great singer. And actors. And person,” Cowell told Ariani.
The judges were also thrilled by Stoica and Hurricane’s double offense, apparently just as much as the armchair voters.
“I was on my feet, then I sat down, then I was on my feet. It just shows you how hard it is,” Howie Mandel gushed earlier this season after performing to Smash Mouth’s “I’m a Believer.” “We didn’t know if we should stand, we didn’t know if we should sit. He’s a dog, he gets more clues than us. This is my favorite dog act ever on AGT.”
Sofia Vergara thought the dog-and-man show was “perfect” and Heidi Klum remarked, “It blows my mind how you do this routine with him.”
Cowell added earlier in the season: “I think in terms of transitioning from audition to live show, this is the best act we’ve seen tonight. This was live and this was a tricky routine. She was incredible.”
Stoica and his canine pal scoop the $1 million prize and a coveted Las Vegas residency.
The two-hour finale on NBC included special appearances from 30 Seconds to Mars, Jason Derulo, Jon Batiste, Leona Lewis (duetting with Putri) and Season 17 winners The Mayyas.