Simon Cowell Calls ‘AGT’ Season 18 Winner ‘A Bit of a Surprise’

A winner was crowned for Season 18 of America’s Got Talent last night, and judge Simon Cowell was pleasantly surprised. With 11 finalists vying for champion, acts were quickly dwindling down to just one. Adrian Stoica and his dog Hurricane were, well, the top dogs by the end of the night. The trainer and his border collie have performed various tricks throughout their time on the series. Their performance in the finale was to Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and it seemed to have won people over.

Creator and judge Simon Cowell told People that he was surprised by the results but praised the Stoica and Hurricane. “You can’t please everyone – there were people who were disappointed, people who were surprised, but it’s a public vote, and their act last night was amazing,” Cowell shared. “So, a bit of a surprise, but I’m happy. I would’ve been happy with anyone winning from last night if I’m being honest with you. The dog is pretty adorable. And I think that was pretty amazing. It was like a happy ending.”

Cowell also said that he’s grown “used to” being surprised by the results in the finale. One of his favorite things about the Season 18 winner is that they weren’t expecting to win. It does get a bit repetitive if you know who is going to win, and the winner is obvious from the start. However, when an underdog takes the cake, it might be even better. There were a lot of acts that could have taken home the gold, but fans could not get enough of the dog and, his trainer, and his pretty impressive skills.

While Simon Cowell might have been surprised by the winner, his 9-year-old son Eric was “thrilled” that Adrian Stoica and Hurricane won. Cowell even joked that they’re “going to have a good car ride back [home].” It’s likely not everyone is going to be happy with the winner since you can’t please everyone. But it’s clear that most of America wanted to see the trainer-dog duo win. And rightfully so. There were a lot of talented and skilled acts, with eye-opening performances and jaw-dropping reveals. Stoica and Hurricane were definitely deserved to take home the top prize. But now fans will be able to wonder what talents will come through the stage for Season 19, whenever that may be. As well as the new .