Top 10 reality TV competition moments of 2019, from Kodi Lee's win on AGT to Hannah Brown taking home DWTS' mirrorball trophy
As 2019 draws to a close, this year has had a lot of outstanding moments that have caught our eye when it comes to reality TV competitions in particular. New growing talent was discovered, competitions won, debut albums released by contestants and so much more.
With just a month left, here's a walk down memory lane at some of the most memorable moments from reality TV competition series that aired this year.
1. 'America's Got Talent': Kodi Lee's win
Earlier this year when 'America's Got Talent' Season 14 premiered, Kodi Lee auditioned for the first time with an emotional performance that had everyone in tears. The 22-year-old blind and autistic pianist and singer wowed us and the judges even more, so much so he won Gabrielle Union's Golden Buzzer, making him the first contestant to receive a Golden Buzzer this season. From day one, Kodi was a frontrunner and after weeks of competing against other top contestants, he was crowned the winner.
2. 'America's Got Talent': Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer for Tyler Butler-Figueroa
One of the most inspiring performances on 'America's Got Talent' Season 14 was by 11-year-old Tyler Butler-Figueroa, a cancer survivor. Tyler started to play the violin after kids at school bullied him because he lost his hair due to chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4. Performing his version of Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger', Tyler's audition performance had the judges and audience dancing along with him. He received a standing ovation from all four judges, and wanting to say something on behalf of him to his bullies, Simon pushed his Golden Buzzer for Tyler making it a memorable moment this year.
3. 'The World's Best': Dimash Kudaibergen quits
Dimash Kudaibergen is not a new name. Even before he appeared on CBS's 'The World's Best' Season 1, the famed singer from Kazakhstan had a wide fan following from around the world. Known as the six-octave man, Dimash was predicted to win the competition right from the start. But during the Championship Round, Dimash decided to quit because he was up against two kids and he wanted both of them to advance. Though the judges tried to convince him to stay back, Dimash quit.
4. 'The World's Best': Lydian Nadhaswaram's win
Lydian Nadhaswaram is a 13-year-old Indian pianist who hails from Chennai in India. Right from the start of his audition when he performed 'Flight of the Bumblebee' by Rimsky-Korsakov to his blindfolded performance of the 'Turkish March' by Mozart and his finale performance of 'The Moonlight Sonata', Lydian stunned everyone with his impeccable piano skills. The 13-year-old pianist deserved the title of 'The World's Best' making it one of the most memorable moments this year.
5. 'American Idol': Alejandro Aranda's audition
'American Idol' proved to be an emotional season this year, and it did stick by its claims, especially when it came to the auditions. One of the auditions that stood out was by Alejandro Aranda. He performed an original song titled 'Out Loud' and after the judges were left in awe of his impeccable voice and talent, Lionel Richie requested him to perform another song, and he sang another original titled 'Cholo Love'. He broke down when the judges praised his performances and gave him a golden ticket. Alejandro ended up coming second this season with Laine Hardy winning the title.
6. 'American Idol': Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon's parents
One of the most emotional performances on 'American Idol' was by Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon who won the hearts of fans from the day he auditioned on the series. During his audition, he mentioned how his family is yet to accept him after he came out gay. He also shared how times had been difficult not just for him but for his family also. He performed an original song titled 'Almost Heaven' questioning if gay people like him would be allowed in heaven. Thankfully, during the Top 20 performance, Jeremiah shared on social media that his family had accepted him back. It was a happy moment not only for him but all his fans.
7. 'Rhythm + Flow': Rap battle between Beanz and Flawless Real Talk
Both these New York based rappers brought their A game to the rap battle that left everyone in awe. While Beanz revealed that she didn’t have much experience in doing rap battles, Flawless Real Talk used his versatile bars to upstage her. Beanz went first, and we have to give credit to the amateur rapper for her performance packed with some memorable bars. The shade she threw at Flawless had Cardi B confident that the young rapper has a bright future in the rap battle world. Flawless went on to win the battle with his pointed jabs at Beanz, but it wasn't an easy decision for the judges considering both their power-packed performances.
8. 'Rhythm + Flow': Jhené Aiko and Flawless Real Talk's performance
'Rhythm + Flow' had many memorable moments, but one particular moment that stood out was Jhené Aiko and Flawless Real Talk’s sensuous performance. For the challenge, the duo chose 'Stay Ready' featuring Kendrick Lamar. Flawless also improvised and added a few of his own lyrics into the song and he nailed it. But what stood out was the duo's chemistry that had Cardi B covering up herself with her hair calling it strong. Fans also joked that their performance was sensuous, steamy and got them pregnant just listening to it!
9. 'Dancing With The Stars': Sean Spicer's elimination
Let's face it, fans and viewers of DWTS Season 28 rejoiced like never before when the contestant with two left feet was finally sent home. Sean Spicer's entrance into the competition was a controversial one right from the start. Fans urged voters who kept voting for Sean to stay in the competition to stop because he was not improving at all. Eventually, even the judges were fed up with him because despite him getting lowest scores, Sean was safe every week because of high votes.
10. 'Dancing With The Stars': Hannah Brown's win
After weeks of battling out against other couples with various routines and styles, former Bachelorette Hannah Brown and her pro dance partner Alan Bersten took home the mirrorball trophy. Though Hannah and Alan had their share of trials during the competition, they improved through all the criticism and won the competition by receiving the highest number of votes from fans. Hannah and Alan were the only couple who had never been in the bottom throughout the entire season and that didn't come as a surprise because they were fan favorites from the start.