“America’s Got Talent” has crowned its newest winner. Paperboy hat-donning Richard Goodall, the self-proclaimed “singing janitor” from Indiana who auditioned with an emotional rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” that went viral, took home the top prize during the “AGT” finale Tuesday night.
The powerhouse vocalist, who won Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer, beat out nine other finalists, including gravity-defying Tanzanian acrobats Hakuna Matata Acrobats, Zimbabwean stand-up comedian Learnmore Jonasi and Japanese dance group AIRFOOTWORKS. As the night came to a close, the competition was narrowed down to just Goodall and the dog performing duo from Israel, Roni Sagi and Rhythm.
Finally, the collaboration everyone had been waiting for happened when Goodall fan Neal Schon joined the singing custodian on stage with the band Journey. Of course, they had to sing the song that started it all, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
During his time on “AGT,” Goodall won over America’s vote with performances of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and, finally, Journey’s “Faithfully.”
The lead-up to the big reveal featured appearances by history-making Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and the Gold Over America Tour, Michael Bublé, Steve Aoki, Gabriel Iglesias and Andra Day.
Goodall’s win was welcome news for Klum, Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and host Terry Crews, who’ve been impressed by the Hoosier from the get.