America's Got Talent finalist Cami Bradley finished the eighth season in sixth place during Wednesday night's live finale broadcast on NBC.
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The singer and songwriter lost to fifth-place finisher Collins Key, a teen magician; fourth-place finisher Forte, an operatic tenor trio; third-place finisher Jimmy Rose, a country singer; runner-up Taylor Williamson, a stand-up comedian; and winner Kenichi Ebina, a robotic dancer who enhances his performances visually with a video game-like computer screen behind him.
Cami won over America along with the hearts of judges Howard Stern, Melanie "Mel B." Brown, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel with her enchanting voice and creative spins on famous songs.
In an exclusive interview with Reality TV World, Cami talked about her experience on America's Got Talent. To read the first half of her interview, click here. Below is the concluding portion.
Reality TV World: During Tuesday night's performance show, it was clear the judges were trying to persuade America not to vote for the singers. They seemed to want a different variety act to win, as they kept saying singers don't really do anything spectacular and their performances are easier for them than someone like, say, Kenichi. While they definitely loved you, what's your response to the judges' opinion? Do you think the singers did have it a little easier than the more unusual acts?
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Cami Bradley: It's so hard to really comment on that, because you know, personally, I put a lot of work and effort in and have had years of honing my voice and my musical talent. So I mean, I really think that we put just as much effort into what we do as anybody else does, but obviously it's a different craft.
So, someone like Kenichi, he's a genius, and he's putting hours and hours of time into what he does as well. And he has to be creative. But all of us are doing that, so I mean, I guess I respect their opinion, but I think that we put just as much time and effort into doing what we do as anyone else does.
Reality TV World: Do you think the judges unfortunately probably succeeded in convincing America to vote for the acts different from the singers? I wasn't sure if you thought it was a coincidence that the three singers landed in the bottom half of last night's results.
Cami Bradley: Oh, I didn't really think about that! I suppose it's very possible that, yeah, that affected how people voted [Tuesday] night.
Reality TV World: Some people are surprised singers still audition for America's Got Talent when there are so many reality singing competitions out there like The Voice, The X Factor and American Idol. Did you ever audition for one of those shows?
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Cami Bradley: No, and I'm kind of -- I mean, I do understand this is a variety show. But part of the variety is singers, so I think that we have a spot on the show. And it is really cool that the show gives other things an opportunity like comedians and acrobats and jugglers and stuff. But the point of variety is that there's variety! So I think that singers belong on the show just as much as anybody else does.
Reality TV World: Why did you choose to audition for America's Got Talent instead of the other shows?
Cami Bradley: I was actually approached to audition for the show.
Reality TV World: Oh okay. So some viewers are saying they feel America's Got Talent is a little less competitive -- fewer rounds of auditions, fewer songs to perform overall, etc -- for the singers than, say, The Voice or one of the other shows we've discussed. What are your thoughts on that?
Cami Bradley: I definitely agree with that in the beginning rounds. Because I think that the singers are a little more spread out as far as style and genre and all that stuff. But as you get further into the show, I think it's just as competitive.
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Reality TV World: If you were to participate in The Voice, The X Factor, or American Idol, which one do you think you'd excel in the most? Does one seem more up your alley?
Cami Bradley: I don't know, they all scare me! (Laughs) I don't know. I think this show didn't seem up my alley, so I don't know if any of those would be up my alley. (Laughs)
Reality TV World: Compared to your experience on America's Got Talent -- as I'm assuming you had complete say over everything you wanted to perform -- do you think you'd actually benefit from the mentoring aspect the other singing shows have to offer, especially since you are a new, upcoming artist?
Cami Bradley: Anybody should be benefiting from the mentoring aspect of one of those shows, and it's something that if you want to be growing and changing and moving forward as an artist, as a vocalist, then that would definitely be something that would help a lot in that process.
Reality TV World: Since Mel B. is a singer herself, did you two ever have a conversation? Did she ever give you any personal advice?
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Cami Bradley: No, I actually didn't. I didn't get a chance to have that conversation with her.
Reality TV World: I'm sure you thought about what you'd do with the show's prize money if you were to win it. Would you mind sharing that?
Cami Bradley: Well, to be very honest, I never planned on winning. So I never really thought about what I would do with the money or what I would do with the title of it. I have no idea! I would have been very surprised. (Laughs)
Above is the concluding portion of Cami's exclusive interview with Reality TV World. To read the first half, click here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski