When Richard Goodall finished singing his cover of the Journey hit "Don’t Stop Believin'" on "America’s Got Talent," he could hardly believe what was happening.
Goodall received the Golden Buzzer on the season premiere, and told Fox News Digital, "Nowhere, even remotely, could I ever have imagined what happened, happened."
When he finished, with a standing ovation from the audience and judges alike, he recalled the feeling of speaking with Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum.
"It's very surreal for you to be that person on stage, to be talking to the people that you've watched for years, you know?" he said. "I mean, you're actually here. You are living what you're seeing on television. So, it's very surreal."
He said he barely remembers what he said with Vergara and Mandel, because he was completely blown away by Klum pushing the Golden Buzzer.
"To be honest with you, when I was singing, Heidi looked over and was talking to Howie, which now I know what she was saying. But when I was on stage, you don't – you don't hear what's on the microphones, you know? So, I thought she didn't like me," Goodall said.
"And I thought, well, she didn't ‘X’ me… and it looked like I may get three yeses… I was like, well, you know, I'll maybe get three yeses… maybe I'll get to go through."
"The thing is, is when she pushed that buzzer, there was a huge a loud boom…. And when I looked up and you see my mouth open up… I didn't have really anything going on my mind. I was just like, I made it through, I made it through," he added.
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"The interview thing [with the judges] was the hard part for me. When the music started playing, I was in my zone…. And then when I finished that last big note, I backed up and patted my chest, and I, I could not have sang another song. I literally left it all on the stage."
When a contestant on "America’s Got Talent" earns the Golden Buzzer, it means they move directly to the live shows, past all the other audition rounds. Each judge can only use it once a season.
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The "AGT" honor has brought Goodall loads of attention in his hometown, which he appreciates even he if is getting "swarmed."
"I can't go into the Dollar General anymore. I definitely can't walk into Walmart," he said.
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He added, "They're experiencing just the same way as I'm experiencing it. So it's awesome. It's really awesome."
The 55-year-old Goodall has worked as a janitor for 23 years at a school in Terra Haute, Indiana, and has impressed the kids over the years with his singing ability.
Unfortunately, Goodall couldn’t celebrate with the students this year because his episode aired just a week after school let out for the summer. Still, he was being cheered on over social media.
He said one student’s mom shared a TikTok of her daughter’s tearful reaction, saying he "deserves the Golden Buzzer." Goodall added he plans to meet with her soon and give her a gift for her support.
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Videos of Goodall singing are part of what brought him to the attention of "AGT" in the first place, and he had been contacted about appearing on the show a few years ago, but it didn’t quite come together.
He continued to gain more attention and even had a video reposted by Mandel on TikTok last year. A producer for the show reached out and a few months later, Goodall was hopping on a plane to Los Angeles to audition for the show.
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But with all the attention from students, strangers and more, Goodall remains humble.
"I'm just me," he said. "I'm not doing anything differently any other day that I've done it and just getting this attention and recognition and it's not overwhelming to me. I'm enjoying it, but I think people… people are looking for something good in the world right now."
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He continued: "And, when they see me and they see me taking my shot…. I'm just going out there singing. I've been doing [it] for 23 years. I‘ve sang to the kids every single year, I'm not doing anything different than I have ever done. So my brain is still trying to process, you know, really what is going on?"
As for the grand prize of $1 million and a chance to headline in Las Vegas, Goodall isn’t focused on either prospect just yet.
"The way I'm looking at it is, if I do quit the school corporation, I've got a different platform now, and it's gone from a saucer to a plate. And depending upon how well I do, it, could go to a meat platter or a platter that you put watermelon on in the middle of summer. But I don't have any expectations for that. I'm happy with the saucer. If you hand me the plate, I will do my best to make everybody proud."
Part of what he’s hoping to highlight with his new platform are "the small things" he does every day to teach the students that pass through the halls about life.
"Being a janitor or a custodian, you have a certain platform," Goodall said. "Meaning that, the kids love you. You love them. They know that you do quite possibly the humblest job in the whole school. And, as a custodian, janitor, I would teach them the small things… ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘No, sir.’ ‘Please.’ ‘Thank you.’
"And those are the small things. And I'm not a teacher. I mean, it just goes without saying, but you can teach people small things that would help in life and those things are immeasurable."
