Simon Cowell Calls ‘AGT’ Season 18 Winner ‘A Bit of a Surprise’ — But Says Son Eric Was ‘Thrilled’ (Exclusive)

Warning: This story contains spoilers from American talent season 18 finale.

Season 18 finale American talent surprised a lot of people – including judge Simon Cowell!

After an exciting round of eliminations, Adrian Stoica and his dog Hurricane were declared the winners AGT in the second half of the season finale on Wednesday night.

The trainer and his border collie proved to be crowd pleasers all the way from their audition — during which they performed a variety of impressive tricks to Meghan Trainor’s “Better When I’m Dancing” — to their finale to Queen’s “Crazy.” it’s called love.”

Adrian Stoica and Hurricane on ‘AGT’.

Trae Patton/NBC

Speaking to PEOPLE backstage after the show, Cowell, 63, admitted he was “a bit surprised” by the season’s outcome.

“You can’t please everyone — there were people who were disappointed, people who were surprised, but this is a public vote, and their act last night was incredible,” he said of Stoica and his pooch. “A bit of a surprise, but I’m happy. I’d be happy if anyone won last night, to be honest with you.”

Cowell explained that after so many years in the business, he’s “used to” being surprised by results. In fact, he said, one of his favorite things about this season’s champions is that they didn’t expect to win at all.

“The dog is so cute,” added the judge, who has three puppies himself. “And I think that was pretty amazing. It was like a happy ending.”

Adrian Stoica and Hurricane on ‘AGT’.

Chris Haston/NBC

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Additionally, it was a bonus for him that his 9-year-old son, Eric — who was in the crowd Wednesday night — was “thrilled” to see Stoica and the Hurricanes win. “We will have a good car right away [home]Cowell joked.

Eric wasn’t the only one excited about this season’s winner. Fellow judge Heidi Klum told PEOPLE she’s “super happy” for the “sweet” duo.

“I’m very excited for them. [Stoica’s] a really lovely man,” she said. “Hurricane is super sweet…I loved that he did everything without treats. Because we’ve seen a lot of dog actions, and what they do is always feed the dog little treats to get them to do the next thing or yell at them to do different things. And it was just wonderful how Hurricane could just remember the whole point without looking it up [her].”

“It was amazing — it was like an actor who really read the script and was able to do everything,” added Klum, 50. “It was really cute. I mean, how can it not be cute? It’s a beautiful dog act.”

Heidi Klum at “America’s Got Talent” Season 18 Live – Red Carpet at Dena Hotel on September 5, 2023.

John Salangsang/Variety via Getty

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In the meantime, AGT host Terry Crews said that “nothing” about the season 18 finale “went as expected.” However, the TV personality, 55, also revealed that he wasn’t actually that shocked that Stoica and Hurricane were crowned the winners.

“It’s like, ‘What?’ But at the same time, I’m not surprised because America loves dogs,” he told PEOPLE. “And Hurricane is one of the smartest, most amazing dogs since Lassie. Even Simon said there should be a TV show [about Hurricane]. Movie. It should be everything.”

Terry Crews on the red carpet for “America’s Got Talent” Season 18 Live Performance at Dena Hotel on August 29, 2023 in Pasadena, California.

Kevin Winter/Getty

As for Stoica, he said he just feels “lucky” to be spending this time with his faithful canine companion. Beyond AGTthe pair have performed all over the world together, and now that they have the title behind them, he called their journey together “magical”.

“I’m so happy,” the 45-year-old Italian-born trainer told PEOPLE backstage after the performance. “When you have quality time with your dog, it’s the best thing in the world.”

The duo found themselves in the finals against 10 other performers: magician Anna DeGuzman, synchronized dance group Murmuration, stand-up comedian Ahren Belisle, singer and musician Putri Ariani, head balance duo Ramadhani Brothers, singer Lavender Darcangelo, dance group Chibi Unity, The Mzansi Youth Choir, the 82nd Airborne Division Choir and the all-female Japanese dance group Avantgardey.

Adrian Stoica and Hurricane.

Trae Patton/NBC

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During the finals on Wednesday, the judges announced the top 5 acts such as Stoica and Hurricane, the Ramadhani brothers, Putri Ariani, Anna DeGuzman and Murmuration. In the end, the Ramadhani Brothers finished in fifth place, Ariani in fourth, Murmuration in third, and DeGuzman in second.

As the winners, Stoica and Hurricane walked away with the $1 million grand prize and a headlining act on the set American talent Presents the Superstars Live show at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

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Season 18 of American talent can be streamed in full on Hulu.

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Source: HIS Education