America’s Got Talent 2023: Dog act, Adrian Stoica & Hurricane SURPRISE WIN
America’s Got Talent Season 18 wrapped up on Wednesday (Sept 27) after announcing the results of Tuesday night’s performance show. 11 talented acts vied for a residency spot at the Luxor Hotel in Vegas as well as a $1 million annuity prize. Due to the recent of late format, each act only performs a total of 3 times in the span of a season. Consequently, early favorites (especially golden buzzers) seemed to have an advantage, but ultimately it was an underdog act that took the championship home. (Read our Recap)
America’s top 5 consisted of the Ramadhani Brothers, Putri Ariani, Murmuration, Anna Deguzman, and Adrian Stoica & Hurricane, in that respective order (from 5th to 1st). But it was a dog act that won over the hearts of America and ended up winning over Anna Deguzman, the first female close-up magician to make the AGT finals. America truly does love dog acts, and Adrian Stoica & Hurricane is the second dog act to win AGT (Olate Dogs is the first).
This victory was a bit shocking as the favorites to win were Putri Ariani and Murmuration who were both viral sensations that seemed to be super popular. And the Ramadhani Brothers gave arguably the best performance of the season in the finals. Adrian Stoica & Hurricane were sneakily steady and consistent throughout the season. Also, AGT is especially tough to gauge votes as so many acts are international and rack up social media views and likes from outside the voting audience of America.
Hurricane belongs in a movie, said Simon Cowell
On Tuesday night, the duo performed a love themed performance in which the pair went about winning over Sofia Vergara. Adrian dedicated the performance to his other dog Rory ,who recently passed away. Hurricane helped Adrian get dressed and ready for his “date” with judge Sofia. She eventually joined them on stage and Hurricane got in the director seat. She ultimately opens a box revealing a heart shaped balloon. The acting piece of this dog act is what makes it special. It isn’t just a dog going through an obstacle course; it’s much more thought out than that.
Howie Mandel said, “we’ve rarely seen a dog show up and show us a man act,” noting how the roles are reversed from what we usually see. Heidi Klum said, “Hurricane is adorable, the smartest dog I’ve ever seen.” Sofia says she would join them anytime, saying about Hurricane, “she is fantastic.” Simon Cowell loved it, and says, “it was like the dog was acting and performing.” He thinks Hurricane belongs in a movie.
On Wednesday night’s result show, the duo performed a comedy bit alongside celebrity chef and Iron Chef Cat Cora. This bit felt like a TV show in the style of a sitcom as Hurricane was a great sous chef to Cat, but not so much for Adrian, as she continuously messed up his dish. It was a bit strange to see a celebrity chef on AGT, but I found the bit to be funny enough and to be a good final showing for Adrian & Hurricane even if it wasn’t for votes.
Adrian competed on Italia’s Got Talent and Romania’s Got Talent
Adrian Stoica, 45, is a dog trainer and performer from Italy who has devoted his life to the art of canine instruction. With a remarkable track record of six Disc Dog World Championship titles, his passion for dogs and Frisbee tricks knows no bounds. Adrian and his best friend, Hurricane, have been performing all over the world for approximately eight years. Together they have fascinated audiences with their astonishing routines, all the while showcasing their deep bond and impressive skills. In 2017, Adrian made it to the “Italia’s Got Talent” semi-finals and in 2018 and 2022 he participated in Romania’s “Got Talent.” He wanted to share his passion for dogs with the world and bring their unique performance to the world’s biggest stage on “AGT.”
Congratulations to Adrian Stoica & Hurricane for winning Season 18! AGT continues to vary the type of act that wins which is exciting. People may complain about singers going far as they can compete elsewhere, but a singer hasn’t won since Season 14.
