Reality TV World - Mansfield, MA, USA -
Terry Fator, a 42-year-old singing ventriloquist from Dallas, TX, was revealed to be America's Got Talent's second-season champion during last night's live finale broadcast of the NBC reality talent competition
"Thank you America, thank you so much America," Fator said after a final celebratory performance that followed America's Got Talent host
Jerry Springer's announcement that home viewers had voted Fator the show's second-season winner.
As America's Got Talent 2's winner, Fator -- who defeated
Cas Haley, a 26-year-old reggae singer from Arlington, TX, to win the competition -- received a $1,000,000 prize and the show's "Best New Act In America" title. However unfortunately for Fator, unlike the winners of most other reality shows, he won't actually be receiving his full cash prize anytime soon.
Instead, similar to what NBC (which appears to have established a lock on the "America's Cheapest Reality TV Broadcast Network" title) did with For Love Or Money's $1,000,000 prize and Treasure Hunters' $3,000,000 prize, Fator's $1,000,000 prize will be paid over via a lottery prize-like 40-year period. Fator can (and probably will) opt to pass on the $25,0000 annual payments and instead receive a lump sum, however should he do so, the present cash value of the prize will be no more than several hundred thousand dollars.
