The best thing about reality shows is that they let us learn the stories of all kinds of incredible people.
Although there are plenty of shows on that we’re not interested in, there’s something about talent shows that’s easy to get behind. The promise that with the right amount of effort and natural talent, you could be discovered by millions of people and go on to a life of wealth and fame. Beyond that, many of the people who appear on these shows also have incredible life stories that we get to celebrate as well.
As it turns out, one of the most incredible stories we ever heard occurred on America’s Got Talent a few nights ago.
It all started when contestant Kechi Okwuchi walked out onto the stage.
Okwuchi is a Nigerian-born singer who was born in 1989. When she was 16 years old, she was on a flight between Abuja and Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Tragically, the flight crash-landed in Port Harcourt with 110 people onboard and burst into flames upon hitting the ground. The incident was later known as the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 disaster, and the crash killed nearly everyone onboard—all except for two people.
One of those people was Okwuchi.
Though she sustained extreme scars as a result of the incident, Okwuchi still went on to follow her dreams and live life to the fullest.
That couldn’t have been made clearer from her performance on America’s Got Talent just two days ago. After her accident, Okwuchi finished high school and college at the University of St. Thomas in Texas. She’s also currently studying to get a Master’s. In addition to all of her academic efforts, however, she’s also had a lifelong passion for music that always kept her spirits high.
Finally making it on the show to share her talents was amazing enough but her performance the other day was even more incredible.
The first time she was on the show, Okwuchi didn’t win the contest—but she came back on The Champions edition of the show to prove herself again.
At first, she catches up with the judges and lets everyone know what she’s been up to in life. Since she first appeared on the show, she’s been active in advocating for burn victims by working through Shriner’s Hospital. After some introductions, she gets ready to sing. The song she chooses is “You Are The Reason” by Callum Scott. It starts off sweet and slow and all the audience sways along with her voice.
It’s clear the judges are on her side right from the beginning—but things only get better from there.
As the music swells, it’s clear that Okwuchi’s voice is more beautiful and powerful than it’s ever been.
Once she hits the chorus, her voice truly soars and the crowd surges with enthusiasm! Her voice is beautiful throughout and she doesn’t hit a single false note the entire time. The crowd is in complete shock to see how much her talent has developed and how much soul she pours into her performance. When it’s finally over, the crowd gets on their feet and applauds.
Just a moment later, all the judges are on their feet as well!
When the song is over, it doesn’t take long for the judges to shower her with compliments.
All of them tell her that not only is she a champion when it comes to singing, she’s also a champion when it comes to her attitude and her outlook on life. Heidi Klum told Okwuchi that she was so excited to see her onstage and that she looked and sounded beautiful. Still, it was Simon who had the most shocking opinion. He told her that while he liked seeing her blossom and become less shy, ultimately he “didn’t like the performance that much.”
In mere moments, the entire crowd is booing and shouting at him!
But it was just a trick—moments later, he tells her that he loved it and smashes the Golden Buzzer!
When he does, the whole crowd erupts into applause once again and gets on their feet. Okwuchi can’t believe it and all Simon can do is smile and laugh! Although we’v e seen some incredible stories and incredible talents on the show throughout the years, few have been as touching or as heart-warming as this one was. To survive what Okwuchi went through is remarkable enough in itself. Still, to go from that to competing so powerfully on the national stage like this is something different altogether! When it’s over, Simon has to hug her onstage.
Congratulations to Kechi and we look forward to seeing her in the quarterfinals!
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