Shin will be back trying to impress the judges this week (Picture: NBC)

Shin Lim has revealed that his America’s Got Talent prize fund just about covered a move from Boston to Los Angeles – after not getting the $1million prize fund the show teases.

The magician, who is returning to try his luck once again on the show as part of AGT: Champions this week, would’ve only got a cut of that life-changing amount thanks to the fine print of the series.

It doesn’t seem to bother him that much though, as he continues to tour the US with his act, dazzling fans with his sleight of hand, and it determined to make it count.

Shin is bringing his magic back to AGT (Picture: Getty)

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, he said: ‘I moved to LA, so a lot of it…turns out LA is pretty expensive! So I’m renting a place out here.




‘Then I’m just creating my solo show, so that’s also costing quite a bit, so I’m just fully investing it in different things here and there.’

‘I grew up in Boston so I’ve been and East coast guy most of my life,’ he continued. ‘There’s way more people contacting me now and stuff like that. My life’s my life, but just the way of life is different.’

America’s Got Talent promises a $1million cash prize for the winners of the competition – with Shin beating out his competitors to take the season 13 win last year.

Shin was crowned the thirteenth winner of America’s Got Talent last year (Picture: NBC)

However at the end of every episode of the NBC talent show, a disclaimer is aired that reveals that it’s not entirely the case.

The statement read: ‘The prize, which totals $1,000,000 (£763,885), is payable in a financial annuity over forty years, or the contestant may choose to receive the present cash value of such annuity.’

This meant that Shin was given two options: take a $25,000 payout once a year every year (which is taxable), or be given an entire lump sum, also taxable, and wouldn’t be the entire million.

It is not known which option Shin decided to go for.

Despite becoming a firm favourite on the show last year, Shin admits that he is unconvinced that his win wasn’t a stroke of good luck – and so is returning to AGT to compete against ‘the best of the best’.

‘I think it’s not so much really to prove to other people, it’s more to prove to myself that I deserved to win, that it wasn’t like a fluke,’ he told us.

‘That’s more why I went on Champions, it’s to prove to myself “Hey, it wasn’t luck that you won AGT, you actually deserve to be there”.’

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However, he admits that the pressure is on as acts from all over the world of Got Talent unite – including Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, who he admitted he saw as ‘Gods’ after watching them while growing up.



America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays on NBC in the US, and on Netflix on Wednesdays in the UK.

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