How Simon Cowell Lied To Save ‘America’s Got Talent’
America’s Got Talent is one of the most popular reality competitions around. However, that wasn’t always the case for the program. Thanks to Simon Cowell, a lie was able to save the show from the chopping block and turn it into the machine that it is today. So, what was Simon’s role in saving the show?
America’s Got Talent Is One Of The Most Popular Talent Competition Shows Around
These days, networks are full of all kinds of reality competition shows. Whether it’s people competing in the kitchen, competing on a show like Survivor, or something else, there is high demand for these types of shows. This is also true for competition shows where people compete by showcasing their talent.
America’s Got Talent is one of these shows. With its panel of celeb judges and winning formula, it has been one of the most popular shows around for a very long time.
One selling point that makes it unique is that, while singing is part of the competition for a lot of people, the show puts all sorts of talent on display, from magic and acrobatics to dancing and comedy routines. So, there is a huge variety when it comes to AGT.
AGT: Simon Cowell Lied To Save Show, What Happened?
Simon Cowell recently opened up about America’s Got Talent, and what it even took to get it to see the light of day in the first place. Typically, anything Simon is involved in has the tendency to turn into gold. However, according to Simon, that wasn’t the case initially with AGT, and he had to get creative to really sell it, including telling a fib along the way.
Recently speaking with PEOPLE about the show getting the green light in the beginning, Cowell said, “It was a very difficult show to sell actually, to be honest with you. Because we made a pilot and the pilot was dreadful, I mean really, really bad. So, it was dead.”
America’s Got Talent: How Simon Cleverly Finessed NBC
According to Simon Cowell, only about seven minutes of the pilot they shot were “just about watchable.” Even so, when NBC came knocking, Simon used those seven minutes to his advantage, and it completely changed the course of the show as fans know it.
Speaking about the situation, as well as his clever ploy to win the network over, Simon said, “They called me and they said, ‘What’s this new show like?’ And I went, ‘Oh, it’s brilliant.’ And they said, ‘Can we have a look at it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, come over to the house.'”
Simon Cowell continued, adding, “They came over and I just showed two minutes or three minutes of this show. And they loved it. They bought it. And that was it.”
Cowell went on to say that if that call had not happened, and if they did not come to his house that day, there would be no show. Before this turn of events, in Simon’s words, “It was over.”
Are you surprised that a show like AGT almost didn’t get off the ground? What do you think of this strategic move by Simon to secure the deal? Let us know in the comments below.
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ive been watching AGT since season 1. There are judges and hosts that are racist or only give good comments about their act that are the same color of them. Especially Mel Bie. she’ll give golden buzzer or a yes when they truly worse than other contestants.
Terry is the same way. Its bs. Its supposed to be about talent, not their skin color