Get Ready for the 'America's Got Talent' Finale! How to Vote for Contestants

Not every reality talent show involves the audience quite like America's Got Talent. Viewers at home get to vote and have a say in which contestants move forward.

Being able to vote certainly helps keep the fans interested in the show from week to week. But new fans are still a little unsure about how to vote for America's Got Talent and we have all the details you need.

Fans can vote for their favorite America's Got Talent performer every week from 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday to 7 a.m. EST on Wednesday. All you have to do is use the official America's Got Talent app or head to the website to vote. You have up to 10 votes per day per method. And hopefully your influence will help your favorite contestant get further along until finals.

Live shows for Season 18 began on Aug. 22, 2023, and Sept. 26 will mark part one of the Season 18 finale! The competition will be narrowed down to finalists, and it's up to viewers to vote on who will bring home the grand prize.

Not only can you have a say in what happens to the contestants, but the America's Got Talent judges' opinions have bearing on the competition too. The panel of celebrity judges does determine who makes it through the audition rounds, but once the live episodes begin and audience voting comes into play, viewers have a bigger influence on the show. Judges still provide feedback and pick some of the performers who advance.

After votes are calculated in the Wednesday episode that follows the live performances, the top four contestants move on based on audience votes. The two acts that have more of a mid-range of viewer votes are subject to a vote from the judges to determine who advances from those two with the top performers.

The judges can also still use their buzzers during the performances. If all of the buzzers are used, the performance ends early.

During each America's Got Talent penultimate episode of any given season, the top contestants perform for the last time. Then, in an episode the following night, which serves as the finale, audience votes are revealed to determine the overall winner. At this point, judges don't have a bearing over who wins. The winner gets $1 million and a Las Vegas residency.

And being able to say you won America's Got Talent isn't half bad either. Winners could go on to receive more opportunities as professional performers. Even runner-ups have bragging rights thanks to the show.

America's Got Talent finale for Season 18 is Sept. 26 on NBC. Don't forget to vote afterward!