The run
The season 9 results tables set out two dates for her. She came through quarter-final two, in the results show of 6 August 2014, on the judges' vote. She was eliminated in the first semi-final, on 27 August.
The judges' vote is the panel's save: it applies to the acts that finished below the automatic public-vote places. Justine took it at eleven, against a field of forty-eight quarter-finalists spread over four weeks. Being saved by the panel is not the same as being carried by it; the save only exists for acts the judges were unwilling to lose.
A note on how far she went
The research record behind this page describes her as reaching the season 9 finals. The season's own results tables do not: they list her as a semi-finalist, eliminated in semi-final one on 27 August 2014, with the final contested by Mat Franco, Emily West, AcroArmy, David and Leeman, Emil and Dariel, Mike Super, Christian Stoinev and Blue Journey.
Where the two accounts differ, this page follows the results tables, and flags the disagreement rather than burying it. Semi-finalist is what the record supports.
The season around her
Season 9 ran from 27 May to 17 September 2014 on NBC, with Nick Cannon hosting and Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel judging.
It was won by Mat Franco, a twenty-five-year-old magician, ahead of the singer Emily West and the acrobatic group AcroArmy. The final also included the teenage cellist duo Emil and Dariel, aged thirteen and sixteen. Justine was among the acts that did not survive the round before it. It was the first time in nine seasons that a magician had taken the title, which is the detail the 2014 season is now remembered for.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: her age of eleven, her act as a singer, the quarter-final advancement on the judges' vote on 6 August 2014, and the semi-final elimination on 27 August.
Not documented in the sources gathered here: her home town, which the season page does not give for any contestant, her family, her school, her song choices, and any later career. The research record notes that her name points on Wikipedia to the article on American Idol season 16 rather than to a page of her own, which is the only later credit the record indicates and which this page does not treat as established beyond that pointer.
What a season 9 semi-final was worth
Forty-eight acts reached the quarter-finals that year, twelve a week across four weeks. The semi-finals took twelve, and the final took eight. A singer who reaches the semi-finals has therefore come through a cut of roughly three quarters, in front of a network audience, at Radio City Music Hall.
At eleven that is the achievement, and it is worth stating at its true size rather than inflated to a final place it did not include. The record is precise about the two dates that matter and silent about nearly everything else, and this page keeps to the same boundary.
Watch: Mara Justine on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravi Adelekan | United Kingdom | Winning Alesha Dixon's Golden Buzzer on Britain's Got Talent, 2024 | Age 6 |
| Peter Rosalita | Philippines | America's Got Talent season 16 | Age 10 |
| Mara Justine | United States | Reaching the America's Got Talent season 9 semi-finals at 11 | Age 11 |
| Roberta Battaglia | Canada | A Golden Buzzer and a finals place on America's Got Talent season 15 | Age 11 |
| Calysta Bevier | United States | Winning Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer on America's Got Talent at 16 (2016) | Age 16 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Advanced from quarter-final two on the judges' vote on 6 August 2014, aged eleven
- Eliminated in semi-final one on 27 August 2014
- Season 9 was staged at Radio City Music Hall and won by the magician Mat Franco
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- Accounts differ on whether she reached the final; the results tables record a semi-final exit
- No home town, family, school or song titles in the sources used here
- Her Wikipedia name points to American Idol season 16 rather than to an article of her own
- No information published about her after 2014 in this record
Questions people ask about Mara Justine
How far did Mara Justine get on America's Got Talent?
The season 9 results tables record her as a semi-finalist, eliminated in semi-final one on 27 August 2014.
Did she reach the final?
The research record says she did; the season's results tables say she did not. This page follows the tables and notes the disagreement.
How old was Mara Justine?
Eleven during the 2014 season. No source in this record gives her date of birth.
How did she reach the semi-finals?
By winning the judges' vote in quarter-final two, in the results show of 6 August 2014.
Who won that season?
Mat Franco, a magician, with the singer Emily West as runner-up.
Where is she from?
No home town is given in the sources used here.
Is Mara Justine on Wikipedia?
Not with an article of her own. Her name points to the article on American Idol season 16, and she appears in the season 9 results tables.
Where is Mara Justine now?
No source in this record states this.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Mara’s story?
How did Mara Justine advance from the quarter-finals?
Where was America's Got Talent season 9 staged?
Who won season 9?
Sources
- America's Got Talent season 9 - results and elimination tables — Wikipedia, 2026-09-22
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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