{"id":252678,"date":"2025-09-25T03:47:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T03:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/252678\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T03:47:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T03:47:16","slug":"chicagos-leo-catholic-high-school-choir-falls-short-does-not-win-americas-got-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/252678\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago\u2019s Leo Catholic High School choir falls short, does not win \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

After capturing the hearts of the \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d judges and gaining millions of new fans across the country, the whirlwind journey of the Leo Catholic High School choir has come to an end.<\/p>\n

Though they were among the top four finalists, the all-boys choir fell short of the votes needed to win the $1 million grand prize. As they waited to hear their fate, the crowd cheered loudly for them, screaming \u201cLeo! Leo! Leo!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so grateful for this opportunity,\u201d said choir director LaDonna Hill. \u201cWe want to say thank you to AGT. Thank you to every educator, every parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judge Simon Cowell had a message for the young men before they departed the stage: \u201cYou are going to inspire so many people, and I really mean that. I\u2019m so proud of what you\u2019ve achieved. You have an amazing talent. You have an amazing mentor, and it has been on honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choir\u2019s journey to the finals has put Auburn Gresham, the neighborhood where the school has been located for nearly a century, on the national map.<\/p>\n

The winner of season 20 of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d determined by audience vote, was Jessica Sanchez. When she was 10 years old, Sanchez blew judges away with her singing on the very first season of the show. Now 30, she dominated this year\u2019s competition while pregnant with her first child.<\/p>\n

The news came more than 24 hours after the 10 remaining acts performed in Tuesday night\u2019s finals episode. The choir performed \u201cHall of Fame\u201d by The Script in their final bid for the grand prize.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

At the live results show, the choir shined through a bonus performance with Aloe Blacc on his 2013 single \u201cThe Man.\u201d Later, they joined fellow \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d and Black country singer Steve Ray Ladson on his original song, \u201cBoots Like Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choir\u2019s devastating loss comes after several weeks of impressing the judges, including Simon Cowell. \u201cI think this act might be the act that has progressed the most,\u201d he told the boys after their semifinals performance last week. \u201cI just really, really, really, really like you,\u201d Cowell added.<\/p>\n

Led by now-retired and beloved choir director LaDonna Hill<\/a>, the boys\u2019 reality TV saga began in March when they flew during spring break to California to audition for the panel of judges, which included Cowell, Sof\u00eda Vergara, Mel B and Howie Mandel.<\/p>\n

But they had to keep the opportunity a secret until a much-later broadcast of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent.\u201d The audition, which aired on NBC on June 10, impressed the judges, who unanimously sent the boys to the next round. Their high-energy, choreography-filled performance of \u201cBorn For This\u201d by The Score brought the audience to its feet.<\/p>\n

Six months later, the boys have improved their stage presence, learning new choreography and singing skills with the help of the show\u2019s production team.<\/p>\n

At the quarterfinals, the choir covered Imagine Dragons\u2019 \u201cBeliever.\u201d Last week, in their semifinals push, the choir put their spin on \u201cCenturies\u201d by Chicago pop-punk band Fall Out Boy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of the Leo Catholic High School Choir with director LaDonna Hill.<\/p>\n

Hill retired from Leo Catholic earlier this year after 25 years. But, she has stuck around to support the all-boys choir through the entire experience.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been \u201clike a second mom\u201d to the boys, the young men said.<\/p>\n

Many of them had no formal music education before joining the choir, but Hill welcomed each boy with open arms. There are no auditions for the Leo choir \u2014 any interested student may join.<\/p>\n

They did it while juggling back-and-forth trips to California from Chicago and virtual schooling, too. Hill, choir manager Yolanda Sandifer-Horton and Principal Dr. Shaka Rawls accompanied the boys in California each time.<\/p>\n

Supporters all across Chicago tuned in to the boys\u2019 televised performances. Watch parties were a staple.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Leo<\/p>\n

Leo Catholic High School Choir\u2019s final performance on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d was a cover of \u201cHall of Fame\u201d by The Script.<\/p>\n

One Chicago celebrity sent the choir a special message on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know y\u2019all are from Chicago,\u201d said rapper Common in a video posted to the high school\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>. \u201cWe got something in us that\u2019s special, and I know y\u2019all are looking to take it to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chicago Bears also left the boys a message of congratulations in an Instagram post Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cChicago\u2019s behind you,\u201d said Bears safety Kevin Byard III in a video posted<\/a> to the football team\u2019s page. \u201cAnd the Bears are rooting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steven Jackson, a 17-year-old Leo senior, said the national exposure has been a \u201cbig platform to essentially change a narrative that not only Black and brown people get, but also [that] the entire city of Chicago gets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more to us than just what people may have heard or seen in the news,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n