Jill O'Rourke
Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
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| September 16, 2022 SIGN IN TO SAVE POST
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBCReading Time: 2 minutes
Earlier this week, dance group The Mayyas was announced as the winner of America’s Got Talent Season 17. To mark the victory, they gifted judge Sofia Vergara with something very special to thank her for supporting them.
The Mayyas Gave ‘AGT’ Judge Sofia Vergara a Necklace
During auditions this season, Vergara hit the Golden Buzzer for The Mayyas, a group of women from Lebanon who perform captivating dance routines choreographed by founder Nadim Cherfan. America voted them into the Finals, where they took home the $1 million prize.
“They were thanking me,” Vergara told People about The Mayyas’ win. “They gave me this necklace, that is the tree from Lebanon. I mean, it was like, oh my God, [I’m] so happy. The symbol in their flag is the tree.”
The judge went on to share that there is “a big Lebanese community” in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. She added, “We are very used to the culture, we eat Lebanese food. We lived with a big, big community, so this was very special for me.”
Cherfan said it “means the world to us” for Vergara to wear the necklace. Dancer Melissa Saliba explained that one of the other dancers spontaneously decided to take off her necklace and give it to Vergara.
SEE ALSO: ‘AGT’ ACT MAYYAS DANCE CREW ARE NO STRANGERS TO THE ‘GOT TALENT’ STAGE
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This Is Vergara’s First Golden Buzzer Victory
The Mayyas are Vergara’s first Golden Buzzer act to win the competition. The actress has been a judge on the show for three seasons now. In Season 15, she hit the Golden Buzzer for 10-year-old singer Roberta Battaglia, who finished in fourth place.
In Season 16, Vergara hit her Golden Buzzer for singer Jimmie Herrod, who made it to the Finals but wasn’t voted into the Top 5. He went on to perform in the AGT live show in Las Vegas.
Vergara had another victory this season when her choice for a wildcard act, ventriloquist Celia Muñoz, was voted into the Finals by viewers at home. The judge has certainly had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year.
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