Today, talent shows are everywhere. However, only one U.S. television show accepts all sorts of talent. In contrast, other shows tend to focus on singers. This is precisely what makes “America’s Got Talent” unique. Created by Simon Cowell, the show’s format is said to have “more than a billion global viewers since it began airing in 2006 in America and has aired in 194 territories worldwide.” Moreover, according to its official website, the “Got Talent” format “holds the Guinness World Records title as the Most Successful Reality Television Format in history, with 70 local versions produced across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas."

And while you might find “America’s Got Talent” pretty amusing, you may also be surprised to learn that some of the things about this show may be fake. Here’s what we found:

20 Fake: Some Contestants Have Dramatic Back Stories

As it turns out, it seems the show doesn’t readily check the contestant’s backstories. For instance, season seven contestant Timothy Poe once claimed that he was a war veteran how had learned to sing after he was hit with a grenade while in Afghanistan. Later on, it emerged that he faked the military photo he submitted to the show. Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mail, “The army disputes his claims of having been injured in an IED explosion in Iraq, and of having been hit by a grenade in Afghanistan.”

19 Real: None Of The Original Judges Were From America

Here’s a fun fact. In the past, the judges on “America’s Got Talent” were not from America. As Insider had noted, “Howie Mandel hails from Canada, Heidi Klum is from Germany, and Mel B. and Simon Cowell are from the UK.” So yes, you are looking at an international panel of judges who are more than excited to see the latest talents America has to offer.

18 Fake: The Audience Cheer Whenever They Want

According to a post by a user named “whipchick” on LiveJournal, the show uses “plants” to get the crowd going. The post read, “We [learned] that the audience was seeded with plants, paid to be there, knowing who wins, the locals who lined up for tickets instructed, 'If someone next to you jumps up or makes an X, you do it, too!' Knowing that the contest and the voting and the judging is rigged, I don't know why it surprises me so much that the audience is rigged, too.”

17 Real: Some Auditions Were Done Via Myspace Previously

Remember MySpace, one of the earliest social media platforms ever? Well, there was a time that you could also use it to audition for the show. Back in 2008, MySpace partnered up with FremantleMedia North America and NBC to allow for an online audition for the show. According to Mashable, “A page described as a virtual audition city on the social network has been launched to allow prospective talent to upload videos in the six-day submission window provided to offer themselves for consideration as participants in the weekly tournament.”

16 Fake: Contestants’ Lives Are Exaggerated

Sure, dramatic life stories can be pretty interesting, but not when they turn out to be fake. Unfortunately, this is reportedly the case for a lot of contestants on the show. An excerpt of the tell-all book, “Inside AGT: The Untold Stories of America’s Got Talent,” read, “In exchange for being seen by millions of viewers each week, everyone must agree that producers can trick, exploit and embarrass them—and even depict their personal stories in a manner that 'may be factual or fictional'—and they can't sue for any reason.”

15 Real: Only One Magician Has Won

Sure, magic acts seem to be popular on “America’s Got Talent,” but that doesn’t mean that magicians readily win. In fact, it seems that only one magician has won the show so far. That honor goes to Mat Franco who had won the grand prize during the show’s ninth season. Needless to say, he’s inspired other magic acts to try their luck too.

14 Fake: Contestants Can Perform Whatever They Want

On a video that season eight contestant Special Head posted on YouTube, he explained, “The producers decide when it's time to get kicked off the show. And because people love certain characters the show has to justify kicking them off. The levitation on the pyramid is what they had me do instead. That says a lot.”

While magicians are finding it hard to score a winning streak on the show, it seems that ventriloquists are doing much better. So far, “America’s Got Talent” has had three ventriloquist winners. Among them was 12-year-old Darci Lynne Farmer who won $1 million, as well as a contract for a Las Vegas Show.

12 Fake: Jokers Deliver Their Bit Spontaneously

The tell-all book further revealed, “Several comedic acts told the book that they were required to submit their jokes to the producers in advance to make sure they cleared network standards and didn’t clash with the show’s family friendly values.” Hence, contestants would have to come up with their jokes for the show ahead of time.

11 Real: One Singer Was Accused Of Lip Syncing

At one point, “America’s Got Talent” featured an angelic opera singer by the name of Jackie Evancho who performed her own rendition of “O mio babbino caro.” At that time, Evancho was only 10 years old and so, many thought she was simply lip-synching. However, that claim was later quashed after she performed a vocal exercise right on the spot.

10 Fake: Some Acts Are Seriously Dangerous

According to a Reddit entry, “He had 20 seconds to escape or else the car would draf [sic] him down the road. Half walk through his performance he lost dropped his key. (I forgot to mention he was blindfolded.) Of course, he starts feeling around for the key and at the last minute he finds it and he escapes. Just like what happened to Lord Nil. I think they made him drop his key for suspense.”

9 Real: The Grand Prize Is Paid Out Over 40 Years

Sure, the grand prize money on “America’s Got Talent” is a whopping $1 million. However, that doesn’t mean that grand prize winners can collect all their money immediately. As a report from Forbes pointed out, “If you read the fine print on the screen at the end of the finale last night, the million dollar prize is actually a 40-year long annuity.” That means that winners generally receive around $25,000 each year, although this estimate is still before taxes.

8 Fake: Contestants Pursue Auditions On Their Own

Another excerpt from “Inside AGT: The Untold Stories of America’s Got Talent” explained, “Most of the acts who typically advance to Vegas Week and beyond are personally recruited by AGT talent scouts and producers and never wait in line.” In addition, season two contestant Julienne Irwin recalled, “When I made it to the Top 20, I couldn’t believe I was the only one that really came from an open call audition. I was the only one that hadn’t been a professional performer.”

7 Real: Cowell Complimented Courtney Hadwin Behind The Scenes

Courtney Hadwin is a British teen who wowed everyone with her rendition of the song “Hard to Handle.” In fact, it left Cowell impressed. Hadwin recalled to Good Housekeeping, “I was really nervous to get in front of Simon, because Simon is Simon. When I watched him on America's Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent on YouTube it made me nervous. But Simon was very nice. He came back and shook my dad's hand [after the audition]. Then Simon said that of all of the shows, my audition was the best. I was really excited when he said that.”

6 Fake: The Audience Gets Excited With Specific Performers

According to one comment on Reddit, “They've been doing this for other shows, not just AGT. Sometimes the audience leaves too early and only half or 3/4 are present. They get the shots of the audience to fill in. They want to make the audience look excited. Sometimes the audience doesn't show that so they have to redo it. Most of the time the audience doesn't even know who the GB act was until after they filmed the audience!”

5 Real: Tyra Banks Was Accused Of Manipulating A Little Girl

Supermodel and TV host Tyra Banks joined “America’s Got Talent” after Nick Cannon left the show. In May 2017, a lawsuit was filed against the show’s production company. A copy of the lawsuit acquired by Deadline alleged that Banks “physically manipulated and verbally abused” a little girl named Mary. The lawsuit further stated, “MARY became nervous when she realizes that BANKS is planning to physically manipulate her. MARY did not stop BANK’s conduct because MARY was fearful.”

4 Fake: Courtney Hadwin Got A Golden Buzzer AFTER Performing

Another entry to Reddit claimed, “I ended up seeing Courtney Hadwin. I saw her get the golden buzzer, but I didn’t [sic] see her perform. The producers told us they were filming a golden buzzer scene. They then proceeded to coach us on what to due [sic] when howie hit the golden buzzer. The producer would hit the buzzer and everyone would jump up and scream. (they didnt [sic] add confetti until after.) Courtney then walked out on stage and didn’t say a word.”

3 Real: The Youngest Winner Was 11 Years Old

As you know, some of the incredible talents that appear on “America’s Got Talent” are incredibly young. Not only that, some of these young talents also go on to become the show’s grand prize winner. Take, for example, singer Bianca Ryan who won the first season. According to the website Reality Blurred, she was only 11 years old when she won.

2 Fake: Cowell Said He Didn’t Know The Tambourine Man

Fans of the show were clearly shocked when Cowell claimed that he didn’t recognize tambourine master Gonzo when he performed on the show. After all, Gonzo has already appeared in other “Got Talent” franchises, including “Asia’s Got Talent” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” After his performance on “America’s Got Talent,” Cowell simply remarked, “I just got nothing else to say, I mean, my mind is somewhere else, and I want to press delete, and I can't right now.”

1 Real: Judges' Votes Don’t Guarantee Much

Sure, you see the judges vote and you feel like that’s all the contestant needs to move on to the next round. But in reality, things are a bit more complicated. Take the case of season 10 contestant Zand. In an article written for Huffington Post, he recalled, “It is really up to the producers. I was told I would be notified in a couple of months. After much anticipation, I was sent a generalized email explaining that I would not be sent to the next round.”

Sources: Radar Online, Insider, Forbes, Huffington Post