The latest winner of America's Got Talent (AGT) has stirred up some controversy after taking home the $1 million grand prize.
Drama surrounding a winner of any reality series on the scale of AGT is nothing new. Just this year, fans were up in arms over the results of Next Level Chef Season 3, where one contestant was favored to win amongst audiences yet did not come away victorious.
America's Got Talent Season 19 has been no different, as 55-year-old singer Richard Goodall defeated the canine-dancer duo Roni Sagi & Rhythm as well as the outdoor drone controllers Sky Elements.
Breaking Down the AGT Winner Controversy
Some fans voiced their disdain online after singer Richard Goodall was named the winner of America's Got Talent Season 19.
The controversy and drama surrounding Goodall's $1 million-winning run on AGT seems to stem from the Indiana native's chosen talent compared to the rest of the field.
A contingent of fans feel that, because he is a singer and does not write his own music, Goodall was undeserving of his win with many preferring the more unique talents of the runner-up dog-human dancing duo Roni Sagi & Rhythm.
This is not the first time this sort of complaint has surfaced in relation to the TV talent show.
Long have audiences questioned the presence of singers entirely in the series, with some going as far as to distill these sorts of performers down to 'elevated karaoke.'
Across the show's 19 seasons, eight of its winners have all been singers (including Goodall), and many critics have pointed to the relative mass appeal of singing being the reason they continue to place well in the series.
Adding pressure to that conversation is a perceived abundance of singing competition series like American Idol and The Voice (which recently had its own drama with one of its judges). Many believe AGT should be left for those with more distinct talents that could not be spotlighted on a series of that scale otherwise.
Goodall, who previously had worked as a middle schoool janitor in Terre Haute, Indiana, has continued to shock fans of the series with his faithful renditions of classic rock songs like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin.'"
While, since winning, Goodall has seen his fair share of detractors, with most of the vitriol being targetted at the series itself and not him personally, others have come to the defense of the AGT winner.
Goodall's supporters have pointed to the fact that he is, in their eyes, the definition of what makes a show like America's Got Talent special.
Over the last few years, the series has seen a growing abundance of popular influencers and social media stars taking their talent to the TV screen for their big break.
Goodall, however, does not fall into that category. As far as has been publicly made available, he is a true rags-to-riches story, being plucked from his life of relative anonymity and put onto one of the biggest stages on television.
According to his fans, the 55-year-old singer has enjoyed a Susan Doyle-esque run on the series, winning without the backing of an already established fanbase or follower count to help him get votes.
As far as Goodall is concerned, he followed the rules of the game, showcasing his talent and garnering votes up until the moment he won. The problem for fans should not be with Goodall himself, but the format of AGT entirely.
America's Got Talent Season 19 is now streaming on Peacock.
