Former America’s Got Talent Star Drake Milligan Returns For New Spin-Off Show
Drake Milligan was a standout star on Season 17 of America’s Got Talent in 2022. The country artist charmed viewers with performances of his original songs.
Milligan often drew comparisons to Elvis Presley, which weren’t unfounded. The young singer actually played Presley in the 2017 CMT series Sun Records.
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Thanks to his supportive fans, Milligan came in third place on his season of AGT. His popularity has continued to climb ever since.
What Is The New AGT Show, America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League?
Milligan’s fans recently got the chance to watch him perform on a new AGT spin-off series. Called America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, the show premiered on January 1.
According to the show’s official website, its premise is such:
“Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Terry Crews welcome back Judge Mel B for an all-new twist on ‘AGT’! The judges face off for the first time ever as they draft dream teams of returning fan-favorite contestants – but in the end, only one judge and one act will come out on top.“
Howie Mandel chose Milligan for his team. This upset the other judges, who all wanted him for their own teams.
Drake Milligan Took A Chance With His Song Choice, And Simon Cowell Wasn’t Impressed
When it came time for Milligan to compete on America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, he wanted to take a risk. He talked with his mentor Mandel about performing a song called “Don’t Leave Me Loving You.”
Milligan recorded the track for his upcoming album, Jukebox Songs. But unlike all of the other songs he’s performed on AGT in the past, Milligan didn’t write “Don’t Leave Me Loving You.”
Mandel and Milligan knew they were taking “a chance” with the song, but decided to take the “opportunity to do something different.”
Milligan’s charming performance earned a standing ovation from most of the judges. But Simon Cowell was less than impressed.
While Cowell says he loves Milligan “as an artist and a person,” he thought the song was a bad choice. “I didn’t feel that there was a connection with you and that song, weirdly,” he said.
When Cowell learned that Milligan didn’t write the song, the perceived lack of connection made more sense. He told Mandel it was “bad mentoring” on his part to encourage Milligan to perform the song.
Was Drake Milligan Eliminated From America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League?
The other judges thought Milligan made a good decision. Heidi Klum said, “I liked the song to be honest with you.”
Mandel agreed, saying, “You’re amazing, I think you made a good choice.”
But as Milligan strolled off the stage, Mandel started to have second thoughts. The other judges asked why he didn’t use his buzzer to keep Milligan on the show. Mandel admitted he “thought he didn’t need it” because he “thought the audience responded” well to the song.
Unfortunately, Milligan was eliminated from the competition. But we applaud him for taking a risk with his performance! Check it out below.