After four weeks of performances, judges’ scores, and fan voting, the Star Search winner was decided tonight live on Netflix, as viewers determined who took home the $500,000 grand prize. The outcome of the finale was decided entirely by viewers at home — a first for Star Search — utilizing Netflix’s new real-time voting feature.

How was the Star Search winner decided?

The Star Search finale began with four head-to-head challenges between the eight champions from Episodes 7 and 8. Viewers scored each performer on a five-star scale — one vote per performer, for a total of eight votes. 

From there, the four top-scoring champions moved on to a final multiple-choice vote between Harry Merlin Piper, Duo Vespertilio, Spud Howard, and TJ Salta. Then, viewers made one last selection to determine the winner.

Who won Star Search?

TJ Salta has been crowned the Star Search winner, taking home the $500,000 grand prize. A varsity athlete turned Las Vegas magician, Salta has wowed the Star Search stage since Episode 1, blending street-style charisma with close-up sleight of hand and real-time mind reading. 

“I was shocked, and I was grateful,” Salta tells Tudum about his initial reaction to winning Star Search. “Just being here from day one and doing five rounds live — without a lot of time in between — it felt like it paid off immediately.”

For his final performance, he borrowed judge Sarah Michelle Gellar’s ring for a jaw-dropping illusion, making the jewelry vanish before it reappeared moments later — delivered from above by Salta’s hawk, Messiah.

“I want to ride this wave and give people the magic they want,” he continues. “I'm ready to give the world a magic experience. That's my dream. I'm using this win as a first step in that.”

Meet the other finalists

Performance pair Duo Vespertilio fuses gothic theatrics with high-risk trapeze work, delivering aerial performances built around a serialized narrative. 

Led by a world-record holder, Movement 55 is a professional dance collective built on elite technique and shared purpose. 

A gospel-trained singer from Houston — with roots in soul and R&B — Steven “Spud” Howard began singing at the age of 4.

Dominating Star Search since week one, H3rizon is a Filipina Australian R&B-pop group built on airtight harmonies, self-directed choreography, and more than a decade of real friendship.

Eleven-year-old singer Madison Lauren is a Filipina powerhouse from San Francisco who blends soulful emotion with jaw-dropping high notes. 

Hailing from Spain, magician Harry Merlin Piper blends comedy and ventriloquism with big-illusion spectacle. 

After a life-changing car accident left her leg paralyzed, New York native Janine Harouni jokes that she’s doing the one thing that she never thought she could: stand-up. 

For more information on tonight’s finalists, check out Tudum’s guide to the performers. 

The 2026 reboot is hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe–nominated actor Anthony Anderson, with judges Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen. The new contestants add to the franchise’s rich lineage that includes the likes of Dave Chappelle, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake, among other global stars.