'America's Got Talent' 2014 Winner: Who Is Mat Franco? Watch The Magician On The Season 9 Finale [VIDEOS]
Mat Franco just pulled off his greatest magic trick ever, winning “America’s Got Talent” on Wednesday night. Though dozens of magicians have competed on the NBC talent competition through its nine seasons, none of them have ever won -- until Franco. The 25-year old magician and comedian from Rhode Island won Season 9 of “America’s Got Talent,” earning the million dollar prize and the headlining slot at the “America’s Got Talent” Vegas show. So, who is Mat Franco?
Franco grew up in Rhode Island watching magicians on television, according to his website. Using money he saved from performing at local shows, Franco travelled to Las Vegas at the age of 12 to learn from some of the world’s best magicians. He later returned to Las Vegas as a paid performer at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. Franco has been popular on the college circuit, performing at schools across the country and winning Male Performer of the Year from Campus Activities Magazine.
Franco impressed viewers with his Season 9 audition earlier this summer, telling a story about his journey to “America’s Got Talent” with a shuffled deck of cards -- seemingly pulling whichever card he wanted out of the deck at will. The trick earned him a ticket to Las Vegas.
Watch Franco’s audition for “America’s Got Talent below:
In the 2014 "America's Got Talent" season finale, Franco brought out judge Howard Stern and special guest Rosie O’Donnell for his final trick. Having both celebrities hide cards in their clothes, Franco managed to move cards from O’Donnell’s body to Stern’s without ever touching the two comedians.
Watch Franco’s winning trick on the finale of “America’s Got Talent” Season 9:
Mat Franco beat out singers Quintavious Johnson, Miguel Dakota, and Emily West, acrobatic troupe AcroArmy, and band Sons of Serendip in the final six to take the top spot in the finale. Franco will go home with the million dollar prize and will be headlining the upcoming “America’s Got Talent” Vegas show.
Watch Franco win Season 9 of “America’s Got Talent” over runner-up Emily West:
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