The show premiered back in 2006, and since then it has grown in both scope and popularity. The premise of the show is essentially a bunch of contestants that audition—all of them exhibiting certain talents of an artistic or even physical sort—then compete against one another, thus vying for a spot in the final where they will compete for the possibility to be the star of a Las Vegas show … right there on the strip.

It’s a pretty big deal; especially for those trying to make it on the merits of their given talents.

But the show isn’t as simple behind the scenes as it looks on the surface. There are certain rules to follow and yes, your good friends at The Things have got them all for you here, so join us as we take a look.

20 Must Go Through Pre And Post Performance Interviews

You know what they say: if you want to be a celebrity, then you better get used to the press hounding you every so often (more often than not, however). If you've got an issue with being interviewed as you're trying to get that top spot on this show, go ahead and make your piece with having a mic in your face.

And the way you handle the interviews just looks better for you anyways.

19 Must Have A Great Personality

A great personality goes a long way in any facet of life, but there is a benefit to having a great personality when in the public eye. Of course, there are those without any personality of which to speak of and yet have great pop star careers (go figure), but on this show, it just adds to a contestant's appeal in general.

And these contestants should take any advantage they can get.

18 Diversification Is Necessary

At the same time and by the same token, in addition to personality, a certain diversification only goes a long way, and it'll help a contestant gain that all important edge in winning the competition.

At the same time, the more diverse a contestant is, the more often his or her performance will be played and replayed on social media, making said competitor an internet sensation, and these days, that's almost as good as winning.

17 Must Wait Hours For Their Turn

Like American Idol and a lot of other shows where auditioning was a key factor, this show too is pretty much the same thing, essentially having the same set-up, we mean. And the contestants have to put up with long waiting lines.

And when we say long ... we mean extraordinarily long. So patience is definitely a virtue most contestants should work on.

16 Performances Must Stop After All Buzzers Have Halted

There's a lot of pressure up on that stage, no doubt. Contestants definitely have a lot to put up with. One thing, in particular, is that they have to continue singing until all judges have been heard from and until all buzzers have halted.

This can be torturous. Imagine having heard from 2 out of 4 judges only? The seconds left are probably utter agony, but still, a contestant must wait.

15 Verification Of Identities

It's pretty much like a government agency over there at the AGT offices. By that we mean that background checks are done on all contestants. And when we say background checks, we mean that they'll probably be able to determine what you had for dinner on the night of Monday, September 7th, 1991 for all we know.

The checks are definitely thorough, so contestants should be okay with such a dig into their private lives.

14 They Must Audition To Audition

And yes ... just like on American Idol, they have to go through an audition process that isn't televised at all. These auditions are for producers mainly ... and yes some of the judges as well. Here the producers determine if the contestants will look good on camera or appeal to their demographic.

Not everyone would appeal, as is natural to understand, so it's necessary as well in order to weed out the ones that wouldn't exactly cut it.

13 They Must Be Okay With Ridicule

Anyone who knows Simon over here knows that he can be a bit rough around the edges, especially when his opinion on your talents and appearance are being voiced.

So, some leather skin is definitely in order here, as it would benefit any contestant in order to deal with his harsh comments and of course anyone else's. But that's true of life as well, isn't it?

12 They Must Continue To Perform After Winning

And like waiting for the buzzers, contestants also have to wait until their performance is over, even if they've won, which can be extremely difficult, as emotions at this point are quite high. The term, the show must go on comes to mind, quite appropriately here.

Many in the performance oriented realm of the arts know this rule quite well, and it's good for contestants to practice this if they want to move forward.

11 They Must Continue To Perform Even After The Judges Press Them On

To batter this point only a tad further (sorry about that ... we want to get you all the rules, as we promised), contestants need to ignore the outcries of the judges as well. It may be hard for some. It might be a tad overwhelming to see Howie Mandel cheering you on if your act happens to be comedy, and he just so happens to be your idol.

It can be tough to see him cheering you on. A slip or falter is quite common, but contestants must press on.

10 They Must Accept Worldwide Appearances And Promotion

And too, they must be okay with being promoted worldwide. As we mentioned earlier, the internet is a huge way to promote this show. Many out there share performances from the show and these videos almost always go viral. So it's a good idea for these men, women, boys, girls, what have you, to be totally accustomed to seeing themselves in promotions everywhere and everywhere.

And they have to be ready to travel, permitting they go far in the competition of course.

9 Cannot Be Involved With The Judges

This one is a tad out there maybe, but it must be said and it does appear in the rule book, so we've included it here for all of you. Essentially, no, contestants cannot be emotionally involved with any of the judges.

So as much of a crush as you have on good old Simon, we're sorry ... hands off and put that flirty way of yours aside, as you cannot go down that road ... if you want to win, of course.

8 Must Sign Wavers That Their Performances Will Be Broadcast Over & Over

Not only the internet will be showing their performances time and time again, but as they move forward in the competition, contestants must get used to seeing themselves in dailies and other production shots; not to mention, advertisements for the show.

Essentially, before this experience is over, contestants might grow tired of seeing themselves. So being okay with this goes a long way.

7 They Can Be Eliminated Behind The Scenes

And unfortunately ... being eliminated in front of the cameras isn't the only way to be kicked off the show. As it turns out, contestants can also be illuminated off-camera, behind the scenes.

This has apparently happened in the past, and can pretty much happen at any given time, and for a plethora of reasons, so contestants would do good to remember this particular rule.

6 Must Compete Against Large Groups, Even If Only A Single Act

Even if a person is a one-man or woman act, they still have to compete against groups as well. technically an act is an act, and whether comprised of one individual or more, so this one is pretty straightforward, but worth mentioning anyway, especially fro a novice fan.

A question like this would be likely to come up.

5 They Can’t Promote Their Own Brands

If they do happen to own or operate a brand, or even a company in which they practice their art off the AGT stage, they cannot promote that brand or business. It's definitely a conflict of interest and at the same time, they would have to pay the producers of the show loads and loads of money in advertising.

The companies that do pay for advertising pay out money in the high thousands if not millions, so this one too is pretty straightforward.

4 Public Votes Are Needed

The votes of the judges are so important, but we urge you not to think that public votes are useless. The public matters, after all, the public is who would be purchasing music, or what have you, so their opinion is pretty important.

Just like when a film is screened for public opinion .. any art can benefit from that.

3 But Judges Votes Are Necessary To Move On Past That 1^st Round

Having said that, the votes of the judges are definitely necessary for moving past that pesky 1st round, so it's in the best interest of all contestants to do their best to impress the men and women in those seats up front.

And this too makes sense, or else why would they need judges at all? And why would they be paying them as much as they do?

2 Majority Vote Speaks Volumes Of Course

As with anything, votes are categorized as wins or losses using the majority. That too is pretty straightforward but should be explained.

It's something that can be pretty obvious, but a breakdown of all rules seems rather necessary at times like these, giving viewers of the show a whole breakdown of what's expected of contestants on this show.

1 Can’t Influence Judges

But no matter what you do, you can't try to influence the judges in any way, shape or form. This seems odd to say, but we'd imagine that there are unfortunately many out there that would stop at nothing to tip those votes and positive vibes in their favor.

This too is why the judges keep their distance from contestants, or at least they should.

Sources: YouTube, Wikipedia.org, Variety, AmericasGotTalentAuditions.com