Trae Patton/NBCLas Vegas will be seeing a new name in lights.
After weeks of grueling rehearsals, cranky judges, whiny judges, overly excited judges and unfavorable comparisons to the amateur-turned-global-phenomenon that is Susan Boyle, one lucky act walked away from America's Got Talent tonight $1 million richer and headed for a top-billed gig in Sin City.
But not before Boyle made her presence felt once again, this time in person. In her first performance for U.S. television, the unassuming-looking Scot brought the house down with her version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses."
But, you know, this country is no slouch when it comes to cranking out our own flashes in the pan, either.
In fact, it's a grand ol' country for Kevin Skinner. The Kentucky-fried crooner may not have been gushed over as much as opera singer Bárbara Padilla or talked about as much as septuagenarian stand-up comic Grandma Lee, but he was the last talent standing in the end.
Skinner, a 35-year-old farmer and chicken catcher from Dublin, Ky., sang Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" on Monday's performance show—and starting now, he's gonna see plenty.
"I've always loved to perform," he said, blinking back tears. "I want to go out there and give 'em the best show I can."
Padilla and her golden pipes came in second.
The five acts who still had hope of collecting the grand prize by the second half of Wednesday's finale also included Recycled Percussion, Voices of Glory and the Texas Tenors.
Nick Cannon dispatched Grandma Lee, Hairo Torres, Lawrence Beamen, Drew Stevyns and Fab Five earlier in the evening.
Shakira, Leona Lewis, Rascal Flatts and the cast of Cirque du Soleil's latest production, Banana Shpeel, also performed.