America's Got Talent WINNER Dustin Tavella - ALL Performances!

Thank you, bro. Is that cool? It says America's Got Talent. All right, let's get it mic'd up, please. Hey, I would love for you to be a part of what I'm about to do out there. I got you, man, whatever you need. Okay, here we go. What's up, guys? What's your name? My name is Dustin Tavella. And where are you from, Dustin? I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Who are you here with tonight? I'm here with my beautiful wife, my beautiful son, Xander. Thank you. And what are you gonna do for us tonight? I'm gonna do a little bit of magic. Magic? Yes, sir. And why AGT? Because this is the greatest stage ever, man. Thank you. Tom, if you could actually come out here for a second. So before I came out here on stage, I emailed Terry some pictures from the most magical day of my life. Now, he hasn't looked at the pictures yet, but Terry, I just want you to confirm that you did in fact get that email from me. Let's see. Okay. Yes, I did. All right, perfect. So, um, I believe there are two kinds of magic. The first is the kind that you guys see performed on stages like this, but there's a second kind. And it's the most real and it's the most powerful magic that exists. It's the magic that happens when one individual makes a decision to positively impact another human life forever. And so my goal tonight is to combine these two kinds of magic, starting with Heidi. Heidi, in front of you, you have some flashcards. You can see they're just pictures of all different kids toys. Yep. Can you flip that pile over and give it a little bit of a mix? Beautiful. You're professional. For the last year, I've been learning. Beautiful. That's perfect. What I'm gonna have you do is I'm gonna have you cut to a random card and hold that against your chest so you don't see what you cut to yet. Cool. Sophia, in front of you is a calendar from February of 2020. Can you pick up that marker? And I want you to mark any day that you want. Howie? Yeah? I want you to give me a random last name, the first last name that pops into your mind. Smith. Smith? Can you write down Smith on that piece of paper in front of you? Okay. And Simon, I'm gonna have you write down a time. Make it pretty random. The other judges can see what you write, but it's important that I don't. Okay. While he's doing that, Terry, what would you say is like one word, one inspiring word that you kind of carry with you that sums up your heart and your passion? Power. Power? Power. I love that. Power. Um, can you just keep that in mind? So, um, as you guys saw, I have my wife and my son here. Our son Xander is our world. We actually adopted him when he was about two months old. Thank you. He was, he was in a, he was in a pretty rocky situation and, uh, the day that his birth mom asked if we would raise her little boy changed my life forever. But, uh, there's a long legal process when it comes to adoption, and so the most magical day of my life was the day that we stood before the judge, and for the first time he pronounced our son Xander Dre Tavella, an official and permanent part of our family. Afterwards, the, the judge was super cool, and, uh, he gave Xander this little guy. Heidi, in the beginning, you, you spread through those cards, you mixed them up, and you cut to just one. For the first time, can you look at the card that you cut to and show everyone else? What? No. So, uh, I sent you those pictures in the beginning, yeah? Can you go ahead and open that email? I think we're gonna bring them up on the screen. If you look at that first picture, um, you'll see that's just us in the courtroom with the judge after he just approved us to be Xander's parents. Um, my son, like most kids, loves playing in cardboard boxes more than playing with the actual toy, and so the next picture is a box that we had waiting for him when we got home. Terry, can you read out loud what's written on that box? It says, on February 21st, 2020, Judge Smith made Dustin and Carrie mommy and daddy. February 21st, Judge Smith. So, look, when we walked in the door and we took this picture, taking out a very special moment in time, this was Xander's first moment home as an official member of our family. If you notice, there's a clock in the background that, that captured the time of this exact moment. Simon, for the first time, can you show everybody what time you wrote down? 704? Terry, can you zoom in and tell me what time is it in that picture? Oh, my goodness. It is 704. Thank you, guys. There's actually, there's actually one more thing. Everything you guys have seen so far has been that first kind of magic, but I want to end with the magic I was talking about, where somebody makes a decision to change someone's life forever, no matter what it costs them. My wife and I, we're not the heroes of this story. The real hero of this story and the person that I want to honor is the woman who made the hardest decision that any mother could ever have to make. Decision to change the course of a little boy's future, no matter what it costs her. Terry, can you tell me what inspiring word did you pick? Power. Terry, if you scroll down to that last picture, you'll see Xander's birth mom, Zoe, holding a sign that says power. What? This is all-encompassing of emotion, inspiration, magic. You checked every box. Thanks, man. Yes. Speechless. This is unbelievable. I loved it. Thank you so much. Mesmerizing. And I think you deserve to be here more than anyone. Thank you so much. Appreciate that. Thank you. All I can tell you is, Dustin, for anyone who says they don't believe in magic, hello. There is, I mean, come on. Thank you. Everything about this was perfection and magical. And my mind is slightly blown right now. That's awesome, thank you. However, we have to vote. I'm going to just start it because I loved it. Yes. It was super special. It's a definite yes. Thank you, guys. I can't wait to see more of you. Yes. Thank you, guys. I think you know what's coming, particularly the fact that you have magic powers. You have four yeses. Thank you so much, guys. Thank you guys so much. I love you, bud. What's up, guys? How are you? I seem to be OK. That's good. You don't got to be scared of anything. OK. So I got to admit, as cheesy as it might sound, my life has felt like a deck of playing cards, a deck that I thought was going to stay in this perfect order. But life gets a little more messy than this. As you guys just saw, I'm now the father of two adopted toddlers. Thank you. If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that some really incredible magic can actually come from some of life's really messy moments. How I made this book that we're going to read in just a minute. I made it to show us that no matter how messy things appear, sometimes the cards may just be falling exactly where they're supposed to. So let's make a mess. You're going to mix these cards like toddlers would. All right. Just go crazy. Have fun. Mix them until you're happy. Yeah. Come on. I'm happy. You're happy. I'm happy. How is happy? I'll just take the lid. OK. And then you can just dump those out on the table in front of you. OK. And just dump them out. Perfect. And I'll take that as well. All right. And we're just going to spread these out across the table so that we can all see the mess that you made. I made a mess. You made a mess. So look, what if what seemed really random, right, actually was things landing exactly the way they were supposed to? Check this out, Howie. Can you read the first page of this book? Can you read? OK. You want me to read it now? In the AGT quarterfinals, Howie mixed a deck of cards like a toddler. In the end, exactly 21 cards were face up. 21 cards. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 cards face up. Now, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up. That could just be coincidence, right? I mean, 21. Well, that's magic. Look, let's hear, let's read the next page. Go for it. Of all the face up cards, 10 were black. Let's count. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Did I miss one? Oh, nine, 10, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10. I can't count. I'm a magician, it doesn't mean I'm good at math. That's that feels a little more impossible, though, right? It's been impossible from the minute I got up here. Let's let's keep reading. Go for it, Howie. That's my face. I always do that. I know. And it's a beautiful face. Eight of those black cards were clubs. Eight clubs. Here we go. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight clubs. Come on. Look, Howie, you mixed these cards, right? You threw them onto the table. I did. And I told you that they just might have landed exactly the way that they were supposed to. Let's read this last page. And oddly enough, all of the red cards were hearts. Let's check. Two of hearts, ten of hearts, six of hearts. Heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart. Oh, oh, wait a minute, ten of hearts. Seriously? You know what? Nothing covers up a mistake like cute kids. Gary, bring out the cute kids. Guys, can you wave to everybody? Can you wave? So Xander and Silas have been wanting to show you guys these matching shirts they've been wearing. Can you guys show them your shirts? Hold them out, show them. What does it say? It says under the seats. Everyone in the audience, can you just reach and grab what's under your seats? Hold it nice and high. No, no. All of the red cards were hearts, except for the ten of diamonds. Thank you so much, family. I'm going to see you in a minute. Now, look, I told you guys from the beginning that magic could be found in some messy moments. And as a father who happens to be a magician, getting to stand here on this stage with my wife, at the same time having these beautiful brothers reunited, that is what makes today a day that I will never forget. It's truly magical. And Howie, this mess that you made continues to reflect this exact moment. As we talk about how special today is, do you know today's date? Yeah, it's the 10th of August, 2021. Remember, if even one of these cards would have landed differently, it would have changed everything. Sorry about your face. Eight clubs, ten black cards, 21 cards face up. August 10th of 2021. 8, 10, 21. There's always magic to be found in your mess. Thank you guys so much. Thank you, Howie, for being part of this amazing moment. You guys are incredible. I'm Dustin Tavella. Dustin Tavella. First of all, your kids have the coolest dad. Hands down. I mean, with this job. And, you know, I mean, we have this all the time with magicians, right? They do something and we go, wow, how do they do that? Obviously, with you, it's the same thing. How did he do that? I mean, Howie was shaking it is no possible way that he could have laid them out like that. But with you, I don't know. Maybe it's because of your story that you let us in on with your family. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I don't know. There's something more special about you and about your act. Thank you so much. Well done. I mean, the world. I wish there were more of you. Thank you, Sofia. Wish there were more of you. Well, I think I feel like you have your own special kind of magic and it's beautiful. You're to me, you're like a storyteller. It's magic with story. So it makes it like very different. And I think like you're at the right place. You're supposed to be here on this amazing thing. Thank you. Thank you so much. Simon. I mean, look, even with a useless assistant, you did something amazing. And Sofia was spot on. This is what makes you unique. You tell stories every time you do your magic. And that's why people are going to remember you. Talk about you and why you've given yourself a real shot of ending up in the finals of this show. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Good luck tonight, Dustin. What's up, guys? How you guys doing? So good to be back. So, look, when my wife, Karen, and I first started dating, I was going through some pretty tough times. But Kari always made it a point to remind me why she fell in love with me. And she would send cards and she would leave notes just to let me know that she believed in me no matter what. Judges, I want you to think of someone in your life who makes you feel seen. It could be a spouse, a friend, a mentor, a child. You guys all have someone in mind? Got someone? Cool. Simon, of all those markers in front of you, what color do you feel best represents the person that you're thinking of? What color is that? Purple. Purple? Can you please pass that purple marker over to Sophia? Yeah. Thank you, sir. Sophia, in front of you are postcards from places around the world that are on our bucket list. I want you to select the one that you think may connect best with the person you have in your mind. Do I write something on it? No, that's going to be for Heidi. But see, you're the magician. You already know what's coming. But you can pick the postcard. All right, you're good. Which one did you pick? Venice. Venice? Awesome. Can you please pass Venice over to Heidi as well? Okay. Thank you. You guys are amazing. So, Heidi, when you think about this person in your life, what's a word that comes to mind? I write it on you? Yeah, yeah. What's the word? Curious. Curious? Yeah, write that real big on the back with Simon's marker. Yeah, perfect. Beautiful. And I'm actually going to take that from you. And last up, Howie. Of all these envelopes, which one do you feel best represents the person you're thinking of? I'm colorblind. Are you? Yeah. This is a terrible idea. This one? Okay. Why not? All right. That's a great surprise. Howie Mandel, everybody. So, before I put this postcard into this envelope, Terry Crews, can you please join me on stage? Give it up for Terry Crews. What's going on, Terry? Hey. So, Terry, I'm going to have you tear off a corner of this postcard, okay? But don't just make it like a straight tear. Make it somewhat unique. Okay. We're going to use that corner in just a moment as something like a receipt. Oh, he's getting it. Yeah. Perfect. Yep. And I'm going to take this. Okay. And just hold on to that corner for now. Now, judges, look. You guys collectively made something super unique that represents the people who have impacted each of your lives. Unfortunately, sometimes we can become so consumed with life that we can start to take for granted the people who've impacted us the most. And we can start to function as if they're not even there. Terry, can you please do something? Can you name one of the judges for me? Heidi. Heidi? Can we do something we've never done before? Can we bring down Heidi's ex? Oh. Oh, I thought your ex-husband. Like, which ex-husband? Maybe you have two. Okay. Two exes? So look, having people like this in our lives is super valuable because these people, they see, they see who we are and they give us grace when we need it. And this is exactly what Carrie has been to me. She loves me, she forgives, and she makes me better. And when we have someone like this in our lives, when it's real, their words and their impact, they become a part of us. And because they become a part of us, they're always there with us. Even when we've seemingly forgot about them. Now look, this is only impressive if this really is the postcard that you guys just made a moment ago. The postcard that Sophia chose. No. With Heidi's word on the back, written in Simon's marker. And Terry, can you come up here? Because this becomes absolutely impossible if that corner that you're holding really is the missing piece of this postcard. Terry, can you please make sure that is an exact match? That's exact. Now look, Carrie's words really have become a part of who I am. And even though she and the boys can't be here tonight, she still left me one of those notes to let me know that she believes in me. It says, hey babe, I love you and believe in you, but please just know that even if Simon doesn't pick the purple marker, and even if Sophia doesn't choose Venice, and even if Heidi doesn't say curious, and even if Howie doesn't pick the green envelope. It was green. It was green, yeah. We will always have each other, and so we've already won. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Dustin Tavella. Thank you guys so much. Thank you guys. Thank you. Dustin Tavella. Thank you guys. I think you know this is so important that you made it here. People are loving you. And I think you performed today even better than ever, even though you're more nervous than ever. Thank you. Simon. You know, Dustin, look, you know, we have no idea what's gonna happen on these live shows. I mean, genuinely. And I think what is so special about, I said this to you before, apart from, you know, the magic that you do, you are a born storyteller. And that's what makes you unique. And you make us feel happy and emotional as well. And that's what's so special about you. Dustin, I think you're gonna be in the final. What do I think? I love you. I think that is amazing. You are very emotional and magical. My favorite dessert is orange yogurt. You are the orange yogurt of entertainers. Alright, good luck tonight, Dustin. What's up, guys? How you doing, everybody? You guys good? So, so, so good to be back. So, um, as I was thinking about what I wanted to do for tonight, I actually realized that tomorrow is my parents' 37th anniversary. So I thought I'd show them a little love. Yeah, you guys can give it up. They're amazing. Yeah, second applause. I, um, I love celebrating my parents' anniversary because when I was young, my parents' marriage actually fell apart. Our, our family was a mess. And the first time that I experienced magic, it wasn't a card trick and it wasn't a coin trick. It was a person. Someone stepped into my parents' lives, helped them get sober and back on their feet. They helped put my family back together simply because they cared. Thanks, guys. Judges, I had everybody in the audience write down a way that they could impact just one life. See, tonight, for the finals of America's Got Talent, as much as I'd love to just stand here and try and impress you guys with more magic, what I really hope to do is to remind you, all of you, that you are the magic. Could you guys, could you guys all take your piece of papers, crumble them into a ball and hold them above your head? On the count of three, I'm going to have you guys throw all of those paper balls to the judges' table. So judges, watch out. Here we go. One, two, three. Go ahead and throw them. So they're, they're still coming. It's amazing. They're over, they're over 2,000 people in this theater tonight, which means if everyone commits to what they wrote down, maybe that's 2,000 lives that could be changed. And if everyone watching from home does the same thing, maybe that's millions more. Howie, Heidi, Sophia, Simon, I want each of you guys to grab just one paper ball, any one that you want. Just select one. It could be any one. Yeah, it doesn't have to be one right in front of you either. Simon's deciding between two. Oh, Heidi changed her mind. Heidi Klum. You guys all got one? Yeah? Can we welcome Terry Crews out here? Terry, can you come out here and join us? Give it up for Terry Crews. Terry, I'm going to have you hold on to this pin. Be careful, it is sharp. And we're going to use a paper from just one of the judges. Which judge's paper ball do you want to use? Simon's. Simon's? Changed your mind or are you good? Nope, I'm good. I'm going to take that from you. You guys ended on one. I know you had two, you were kind of back and forth. So I'm going to keep this as fair as I can. Have actually Terry do something for me. I'm going to have you, can you just tell everybody what this says? It says, give my cool clothes to another kid that needs them. That's amazing. Yeah. Can you, I gave you that pin. Would you mind popping that balloon? Right now? Yeah, go ahead and pop it. Woo. Did you see that paper just came out? Yeah. So look, that paper has been in this balloon the whole time. Out of thousands of paper balls, you guys selected this one. Terry, can you please unfold that paper and show everybody what it says? It says, wow. It says, give some of my clothes to another kid who needs them. Give it up one more time for Terry Crews. So, actually, who wrote this, by the way? Can you stand up? Who wrote this? Over here? Dude, first of all, this is amazing. You're never too young to make a difference, man. Hold on to that generous spirit. It'll go further than you even know. Give it up for this guy. Thank you. Second, another thing. I love that what you wrote started with the word give. Because giving is the foundation of change. Giving your time, giving your resources, giving yourself. See, when someone stepped into my parents' lives, because they were willing to give, it changed the course of their future, which in turn changed the course of mine. And that impact has now even reached to our two boys. And because of that person, I get to stand on this stage and do what I love. It's like that one little thing just keeps going. Something so seemingly small can become so much more than what we might have ever expected. It's the power of giving. Can everyone grab one of those pieces of paper? Hold them to the camera. This is my reminder to you guys that a small act of kindness can go a really long way. Judges, audience, America, thank you for everything you have given me. I'm so incredibly grateful. I love you guys. God bless you. I'm Dustin Tavella. Thank you guys so much. Thank you. Dustin Tavella! Simon! Dustin, you really are amazing. You know what? I said this about you before. You are just an amazing storyteller. And I am so happy that you entered the show. I'm so happy America's put you on this stage. I love everything about you. And I'm not a magician, but let me make a prediction. There will be two people standing on stage tomorrow night. And I believe, at the end, that you will be one of them. Sofia! Well, I think that you have found your lane and you have stuck to it. And I think that's very intelligent of you. I think America is in love with what you've done. This mixing of your real life with your magic and interacting with all of us, it's been great. So, good luck tomorrow. Holly! Well, I think you just gave yourself a shot at winning this whole thing. I think that what you do, with emotion and humanity and relatability, you make the impossible possible. Thanks, man. That means so much. Thank you. Alright! Good luck tonight, Dustin! My friends, thank you so much. It is truly surreal to be part of this incredibly finale tonight. Dustin, no matter what happens, I know that this journey is going to be life-changing for you and your family. But tonight, we got a chance to give back with a little bit of magic. Thank you, man. It's an honor to be on stage with you, first of all. So, we just thought, in light of my performance last night, we wanted to put some action to our words. And, Howie, we're going to start with you. I want you to think of a word or a phrase that means something to you, something important, something that you live by. Don't say it out loud, but repeat it over and over again in your head. In the meantime, we're going to find someone from in the audience to help us, but not just anybody. My friends, we have star of Modern Family. Please welcome Rico Rodriguez! What's up, buddy? Thanks for surprising Sophia. I think she was surprised. I think so, too. Just a little bit. Hey, look, we actually have a surprise for you, too. Can you stand right here? You're going to love this. It's just what you've always wanted. Hundreds of teddy bears! That's exactly what I wanted! If you wouldn't mind, Rico, go ahead and reach into that pile. Grab a teddy bear for me. Any kind? Sure, any color. We're going to start with just one. And maybe dig a little deeper. Go around back if you want. Grab a different one, maybe a different color this time. Any color is possible. Totally up to you. Go for it, man. Maybe one more? Wow, you're really getting into it. One more, if you like. Oh, look at this. That does look fun. Yes! Do you feel good or do you want to change any? I'm good. I'm good. Walk with me. What the heck are you doing behind me? Point to any judge you want. Well, Sophia. Sophia! Point to one side. This side or this side. Go! Left. My left or yours? Point. My left. This one. I just want to clarify, I did not influence you. That was your choice, yeah? Yes. The reason I ask is because she's going to get home tonight, right? And she's going to wonder what would have happened if she chose these. With that said, you have an opportunity. Lock it in or change your mind. What do you want? Which one? Totally up to you. Lock it in or change your mind. Lock it in. Very good. Which one's next for you? This one. Take it. And the last one, who do you want me to give it to? Heidi. You got it. Heidi, I'll give this to you. I'll set it down. Start it with your life, okay? Excellent. Now look, you'll notice that each of these bears have a tag on their ear. Can you just confirm with me that all of these tags are blank? Yes. Blank. I'll take this one. You can do this too. Completely blank. Boom. And I'll throw these back in the pile. We're going to check these as well. Take any one that you want and you'll see that these are blank as well. Blank. Go ahead and grab maybe one of the brown ones. Oh, yeah. Grab another white one. You guys see this? You get the point. A bunch of blank tags. Do you remember in the beginning I asked Howie to think of a word? We don't know what this word is yet. No. Howie, for the first time, can you please tell us what word you're thinking of? You said a phrase. I thought be kind. Oh, yeah. Well, yeah. Two words. That's okay, right? Yeah. A word? Sure. Anything you want is possible. Be kind. All right. Cool. Be kind. Howie Mandel, everybody. You choose any word or phrase, whatever you want. And out of all these bears, you've selected as a team this one. Heidi? Yes. Can you take a look at the tag on that very bear? Show us what it says. You are kidding me. It says be kind. Got it. Look, look. We could have just got lucky on that, though. Maybe. It's possible. It's not too probable, but let's make this extra impossible. Can we do something? Are we ready? Let's do it. Everybody in the audience, look under your seats. If you find a bear, take a look at the tag. If the tag says be kind, stand up. Hold them high. Matt, do I get a chair? Oh. And hey, if you guys remember one thing, remember to always be kind. Rico, thank you so much. You are unbelievable, my friend. Thank you. Good job, buddy. Matt Franco, Dustin Tavello, and Rico Rodriguez. Congratulations to both of you. You've already shown that you are both stars. But who have you at home chosen as the winner? It's time. And I can reveal that this is the closest the top two have ever been in the show's history. America has voted. The winner of the $1 million and the star of the headline show in Las Vegas is Dustin Tavello! America voted for you, Dustin. How do you feel? So much. Thank you guys so much. This is absolutely amazing. I never thought that I would be here. This is so crazy. Thank you, guys. Everybody who voted, my family, my wife, my beautiful boys, my parents, everyone. I love you guys so much. Thank you, Aiden, for doing so excellent all year. America, give it up one more time for Dustin Tavello. America, AGT will be back next year. Auditions are already underway. Get busy, change your life. From Hollywood, I am Terry Crews. Good night, America!