On Wednesday night (September 11), Richard Goodall, affectionately known as “The Singing Janitor,” returned to the America’s Got Talent stage in an attempt to earn a spot in next week’s season finale.
Richard Goodall won over the hearts of America and became an overnight star with his America’s Got Talent performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” in May. The 55-year-old school janitor from Indiana never dreamed that his love of singing while at work would turn into an opportunity to perform on a national stage. And he definitely didn’t expect to become this season’s fan favorite.
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“It makes me feel good. Meaning, I never dreamed that me, and my job, and me singing to the kids would impact the world the way it has,” Goodall said in a recent interview.
Not only did Richard win over the audience with his audition, but he won the coveted Golden Buzzer from judge Heidi Klum. The buzzer allowed Goodall to move directly to the live quarterfinal rounds.
After his return to the stage for the live round in which he sang Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You,” Goodall once again won over America and earned enough votes to advance to this week’s semifinals.
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Richard Goodall was one of 12 acts to perform during Wednesday night’s semifinal round, hoping to earn a spot in next week’s finale.
Goodall took the stage to perform a rousing cover of Survivor’s 1982 hit “Eye Of The Tiger.” The audience and judges danced along with the engaging cover and rewarded Richard with a standing ovation. Each of the judges praised the singer and his song choice, with Heidi calling it an “epic performance.”
“It was the last song in the world I expected you to sing,” Simon Cowell said. “But it doesn’t matter because people love you. There’s something ironic about the fact that you’ve chosen a real underdog song, and you are like the underdog in a way – in a really positive way. And it was like you just got to the top of the steps, and I love that.”
Only six of the acts who competed this week will advance and join four LIVE Golden Buzzer-winning acts next week. Of the ten finalists, one will be crowned the Season 19 champion and take home bragging rights and a $1 million paycheck.
Cast your vote for Richard Goodall HERE and tune in to the America’s Got Talent live results show Thursday, September 12, to find out which acts will be vying for the title next week.
Watch Richard Goodall’s semifinal performance in the video below.