America's Got Talent season 3 explained

Showrunner:Jason Raff[1]
Module1:
Host:Jerry Springer
Judges:
Winner:Neal E. Boyd
Runner Up:
  • Eli Mattson
Num Episodes:20
Network:NBC

The third season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from June 17 to October 1, 2008. After the conclusion of the second season, changes to the program included the creation of additional audition episodes in the broadcast schedule, the involvement of quarter-finals in the competition, and doubling the number of participants that advanced from the boot camp stage. Between August 7–26, the show had a planned break to avoid clashing with the network's live coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The third season was won by opera singer Neal E. Boyd, with singer and pianist Eli Mattson finishing in second place, and violinists Nuttin' But Stringz placing third. During its broadcast, the season averaged roughly over 10.75 million viewers.

Season overview

Following the previous season, auditions took place in five major cities: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta. Additional rounds of auditions were made online via Myspace and Facebook. Changes to the schedule of live episodes were due to the 2008 Summer Olympics, since the event received live coverage on NBC. The program was on hiatus between August 7–26, in order to avoid it clashing with the network's schedule of the sporting event.

The third season had a number of additional changes put into place with the program's format, following the second season, two of which brought it along a similar arrangement used for Britain's Got Talent. Editing of filmed auditions for their respective episodes were conducted in a similar manner to the British edition, with footage in each episode consisting of a montage chosen from each major city whose venue featured audition sessions. For example, a collection of auditions (both minor and notable from Dallas), preceded those from another major city following a commercial break. Participants in live rounds were determined by two separate votes, while the public decided the first four to advance, and the judges chose the fifth participant to join them (from those who placed 5th and 6th respectively in the public vote). The remaining changes included an expanded number of participants for the "Las Vegas Callback" stage of auditions, along with cosmetic updates to the program. Alongside a new title card, the judges' table and the red "Xs" were re-styled to match the design of those used in Britain's Got Talent.

Results episodes for this season were arranged on a sporadic schedule alongside live episodes, rather than a pre-ordained arrangement after the last two seasons. Quarter-finals had their results announced on the same day. Semi-finals and the knockout final among the top ten were done the day after the performance episode had been broadcast. The grand-finale's results were aired a week after the performance episode.

Forty of the participants who auditioned for this season secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with ten quarterfinalists performing in each show. About twenty from these rounds advanced and were split between the two semi-finals, with around ten semi-finalists securing a place in the final, and five finalists securing a place in the season's grand-finale. These are the results of each participant's overall performance during the season:

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ParticipantGenreActQuarter-finalResult
Beyond Belief Dance CompanyDanceDance Group2
Bruce BlockMagicMagician3
Bryan CheathamSingingSinger4
Dallas Desperados DancersDance / AcrobaticsCheerleading Group4
Daniel JensSinging / MusicSinger & Guitarist 2
DC CowboysDanceDance Group1
Derrick BarryVarietyBritney Spears Impersonator1
Donald Braswell II SingingSinger4
Dorae SaundersVarietyTina Turner Impersonator4
Eli MattsonSinging / MusicSinger & Pianist4
EliteAcrobatics Martial Artist1
Extreme Dance FXDanceClogging Group1
FlambeauxDangerFire Breather4
George the GiantDangerSideshow Performer2
IndiggoSingingVocal Duo4
Jessica PriceSinging / MusicSinger & Guitarist 1
Jonathan AronsMusicTrombonist2
Jonathan BurkinVarietyBaton Twirler3
Joseph HallSingingElvis Impersonator 3
Kaitlyn MaherSingingSinger4
KazualSingingVocal Group2
Matthew PiazziComedyImpressionist3
Michael Strelo-SmithSingingSinger3
Neal E. BoydSingingOpera Singer1
Nuttin' But StringzMusicViolin Duo4
Paul SalosSingingFrank Sinatra Impersonator2
Queen EmilySingingSinger2
Ronny BSinging / DanceSinger & Dancer1
Sarah LenoreSinging / MusicSinger & Guitarist3
Shequida HallSingingOpera Singer3
ShimshiMagicMagician1
Sick StepDanceDance Group3
Slippery KittensDance Dance Group2
Taubl FamilyMusicOrchestra 3
The CadenceMusicPercussion Group1
The James GangSingingVocal Group 1
The Tapping DadsDanceTap Dance Group4
The Texas State StruttersDanceDance Group3
The Wright KidsMusicBluegrass Band 2
ZOOperstars!DanceDance Group2

Quarter-final summary

Buzzed Out | Judges' choice |

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Quarter-final 1 (August 26)

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult
Extreme Dance FX1
The James Gang2
Derrick Barry3
Elite4
Ronny B5
The Cadence6
Jessica Price7
Shimshi8
DC Cowboys9
Neal E. Boyd10

Quarter-final 2 (August 27)

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult
Beyond Belief Dance Company1
Paul Salos2
Kazual3
ZOOperstars4
The Wright Kids5
Jonathan Arons6
Daniel Jens7
Slippery Kittens8
George the Giant9
Queen Emily10

Quarter-final 3 (September 2)

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult
The Texas State Strutters1
Michael Strelo-Smith2
Bruce Block3
Shequida Hall4
Taubl Family5
Jonathan Burkin6
Sarah Lenore7
SickStep8
Matthew Piazzi9
Joseph Hall10

Quarter-final 4 (September 3)

Quarter-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult
Dallas Desperados Dancers1
Bryan Cheatham2 /
Flambeaux3
Kaitlyn Maher4
Dorae Saunders5
Donald Braswell II6
Indiggo7
The Tapping Dads8
Eli Mattson9
Nuttin' But Stringz10

Semi-final summary

Buzzed Out | Judges' choice |

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Semi-final 1 (September 9)

Semi-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult
(September 11)
The Cadence1
Queen Emily2
The Wright Kids3
The James Gang4
Daniel Jens5
ZOOperstars6
Neal E. Boyd7
Jessica Price8 /
Extreme Dance FX9
Paul Salos10

Semi-final 2 (September 10)

Semi-FinalistOrderBuzzes and Judges' VoteResult
(September 11)
SickStep1
Donald Braswell II2
Joseph Hall3
Taubl Family4
Sarah Lenore5
Nuttin' But Stringz6
Kaitlyn Maher7
The Tapping Dads8
Eli Mattson9
Jonathan Burkin10

Finals summary

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Buzzed Out (Top 10 Finals only)

Final - Top 10 (September 17)

Top 10 FinalistOrderBuzzesResult
(September 18)
Paul Salos1Eliminated
Kaitlyn Maher2Eliminated
Donald Braswell II3Advanced
Jessica Price4Eliminated
Joseph Hall5Eliminated
Neal E. Boyd6Advanced
The Wright Kids7Eliminated
Queen Emily8Advanced
Nuttin' But Stringz9Advanced
Eli Mattson10Advanced

Grand-finale (September 24)

Grand-finalistdata-sort-type="number" style="width:1em;" Orderdata-sort-type="number" style="width:10em;"Result
(October 1)
Nuttin' But Stringz13rd
Donald Braswell II2 4th
Neal E. Boyd31st
Eli Mattson42nd
Queen Emily55th

Ratings

ShowRatingRating/Share
(18-49)		Viewers
(millions)
17.83.8/10[2] 12.80
273.1/911.51
37.53.2/1011.98
47.63.3/912.40
57.83.1/912.53
67.83.3/10
77.93.6/1013.61
87.83.5/1012.42
92.7/88.57
103.1/910.96
112.7/810.13
126.5/1010.58
132.7/710.15
147.12.6/1011.60
152.5/811.49
162.3/89.64
173.1/912.05
182.3/79.83
196.62.7/710.23
207.73.3/812.55

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ‘America’s Got Talent’: Jason Raff Out as Showrunner After 19 Seasons Due to Budget Cuts. Hailu. Selome. October 28, 2024. October 31, 2024. Variety.
  2. News: Tuesday 6/17/08. 2008-06-18. 2008-06-18. usurped. https://web.archive.org/web/20080622151309/http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/63310451/m/672100721. 2008-06-22.

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