Where is AGT season 2 winner Terry Fator now? Meet the ventriloquist ahead of his appearance on AGT: All Stars

America's Got Talent (AGT) will officially debut its latest spin-off, America's Got Talent: All-Stars season, on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 8 pm ET on NBC.

The show will have 60 former contestants who have delivered memorable performances participating once again to take home the coveted title. The contestants for this spin-off include magicians, musicians, dancers, ventriloquists, aerial acts, dangerous acts, novelty acts, and much more.

Ventriloquist Terry Fator, who won season 2 of AGT, will return to the All-Stars season in hopes of impressing judges Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, and Heidi Klum. He has been extremely popular since his debut and win. Since then, he has signed multiple contracts with spaces like the Las Vegas Hilton and The Mirage in Las Vegas to perform his acts. His residency in the latter theater lasted 11 years, ending in 2020.

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More about AGT season 2 winner Terry Fator and his journey on the show

The AGT contestant was born in Dallas, Texas, on June 10, 1965. Ahead of his audition, he revealed that his passion for ventriloquism started in fifth grade. While searching for a book in the library to help with his assignment, he chanced upon a book about ventriloquism titled Ventriloquism for Fun and Profit by Paul Winchell. He was then intrigued by the concept and started learning the same.

A few weeks later, Terry purchased a Willie Talk dummy from Sears and soon won a $25 prize for a performance at a church picnic. Throughout his childhood, Terry entertained friends and family members with his performances and various impersonations of singers and actors.

Before he went on stage for his audition, the ventriloquist revealed that he had been performing for many years but wasn't recognized. He wanted to achieve his big break by performing on AGT. He brought along his doll Emma Taylor, who impersonated Etta James' song At Last.

The then-judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff thought that his act was "absolutely brilliant" and that Terry contradicted all of their skepticism regarding the act of ventriloquism with his performance. The season 2 winner then advanced to the Vegas round of the competition.

For the Vegas round on AGT, Terry was put under the "variety" section and, through his puppets, impersonated Tony Bennett by singing I Left My Heart in San Francisco. His performance was strong enough for the judges to send him to the semi-finals, where he impersonated Kermit the Frog by singing What a Wonderful World through his puppet Winston the Turtle and received a ticket to the Top 10.

Terry advanced to the Top 8 and Final 4 on AGT by giving judges and viewers back home memorable acts and becoming one of the top contenders and fan favorites. For the finale episode, his puppet Johnny Vegas sang You've Got a Friend impersonating James Taylor in a duet with Kermit the Frog.

Terry was crowned the winner of season 2 and went home with $1 million. In December 2007, he signed a contract for $1.5 million with the Las Vegas Hilton to do three shows a month from January 2008 to May 2008. Subsequently, he also signed a $100 million contract to perform nightly at The Mirage in Las Vegas.

The AGT contestant has made several appearances in the reality talent competition since his win. He took to the stage earlier this year with season 12 winner Darci Lynne Farmer and season 17 finalist Celia Muñoz on the season finale of the previous installment.

Terry became the first ventriloquist to win the reality talent competition, alongside a cash prize of $1 million. Since then, two other ventriloquists - Paul Zerdin in season 10 and Darci Lynne Farmer in season 12 - have been crowned the winner. Viewers will have to watch and see if Terry manages to win the title a second time.

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Don't forget to tune in to AGT: All Stars on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 8 pm ET on NBC.