'AGT' Season 17: Show's new format gets thumbs down, fans complain 'they always ruin a good thing'

'I hate the new @AGT format. It all seems so rushed #agt,' complained a fan
'America's Got Talent' judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, Simon Cowell, and host Terry Crews (NBC)
'America's Got Talent' judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, Simon Cowell, and host Terry Crews (NBC)

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: The decision to do away with more qualifier rounds, and instead to jump directly to the semi-finals and finale post auditions on 'America's Got Talent' Season 17 isn't sitting well with the NBC show's fans. The talent-hunt show's longtime fans were taken aback when it was announced that only two finalists would be chosen from amongst the 54 shortlisted performers to compete in the finale.

Fans found it hard to wrap their heads around how just based on two performances a winner could be picked by the audience. The audition round was followed by a semi-finals round, where the shortlisted acts competed against each other for audience votes to secure a spot in the finale. This led to several talented performers like The Player Choir, Don McMillan, and several other acts being shown the door, despite being really talented. Fans were also further irked by the hour-long results episode which featured a wait until the final hour to know the results. The pre-eliminations in the results episode weren't received well by the fans either. Several fans took to Twitter to slam the new format of 'AGT' Season 17.

RELATED ARTICLES

'AGT' Season 17 Semi-Finals: Drake Milligan and Avery Dixon advance to top 2, fans feel 'disappointed'

Magician Dustin Tavella returns to 'AGT', unhappy fans call his guest act 'sooooo boring'

Comedian Don McMillan on 'America's Got Talent' Season 17 (NBC)
Comedian Don McMillan on 'America's Got Talent' Season 17 (NBC)

A fan tweeted, "I hate this setup, but 2 acts go to the finals each week, it's new acts every week, so they're giving a million dollars to an act that's only going to be seen twice. These ppl are talented but are they a million dollars worth talented if you only see them perform 2 times #AGT." ".@SimonCowell #AGT Simon the voting is wrong you can’t put two people that are completely different and ask us to pick a winner you have to change this it’s not fair to the people that are competing," wrote a fan. Another fan declared, "New #AGT format sucks #agtliveshows."



 



 



 

Country singer Drake Milligan on 'America's Got Talent' (NBC)
Country singer Drake Milligan on 'America's Got Talent' (NBC)

Another fan shared, "I have a strong feeling this weird new format is going to result in a final that is all music acts. And mostly singers. And I can’t say I’m thrilled with that notion. #AGT." "I hate the new @AGT format. It all seems so rushed. #agt," expressed a fan. "This new results show format is absolutely awful. 52 minutes of fluff filler with less than 8 minutes of actual results. Not good at all. #AGT #agtliveshows #AmericasGotTalent," seconded a fan. "This format is terrible! They're implying people made it through when they may not have. Crews should be announcing "the act not going through" because they are not necessarily still in it. This is awful. Do you know how easy it is to confuse Americans? #AGT," observed a fan. "This season is disappointing already. The elimination format is ridiculous. They always ruin a good thing. #AGT," commented a fan.



 



 



 



 



 

'America's Got Talent' Season 17 airs on Tuesdays at 8 pm on NBC, followed by the results which will air on Wednesday nights between 8 pm to 9 pm ET/PT. For viewers who wish to tune in to the show without cable, they can do so using any of the following streaming services: Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, AT&T TV or YouTube TV.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Paramount+’s corporate thriller 'Ascent' adds two actors as one plays a powerful executive and another takes on a charismatic business titan.
2026-10-29T19:24:23.000Z
‘9-1-1: Nashville’ is bringing help to its call center, but the new arrival comes with dark secrets.
2026-10-29T18:57:53.000Z
Philomena Cunk quizzes Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Bay as she takes on the history of movies.
2026-10-29T18:04:58.000Z
‘The Diplomat’ has unfinished business after Season 4, and Netflix has news about what comes next.
2026-10-29T14:27:49.000Z
'Ghosts' returns with a two-part Halloween special featuring Bela’s unconventional party, and Hetty’s family reunion at Woodstone Manor.
2026-10-29T13:39:47.000Z
Mallory’s time travel, the Constance and Fiona twin reveal, and Ben’s powers shape the coven’s last stand
2026-10-29T12:05:12.000Z
Tonight's episode of 'Jeopardy' saw Shannon Leigh Godwin competing against Spencer Murphy and Stefanie Landeweer
2026-10-29T09:41:51.000Z
The new Alfonso Cuaron series follows a documentary filmmaker who investigates a mysterious 20th-century cult
2026-10-29T08:57:38.000Z
Michael Weatherly reveals why he left ‘NCIS’ in 2016, as Tony DiNozzo returns in Season 24 as the agency’s new director
2026-10-29T08:11:15.000Z
'Chicago P.D.' Season 14 Episode 4 focuses on a robbery in the 11th district, where Voight collaborates with a new officer played by Naiqui Macabroad
2026-10-29T06:27:31.000Z