Georgia’s ‘Trick Shot Queen’ gets ‘America’s Got Talent’ love

Badertscher mixes and matches sports, using a bat to hit a basketball, for instance, or propelling a Frisbee into a net via a lacrosse stick.

Her usual reaction when she finally hits her mark? An excited “Lets go!” or “Oh my God!”

An “America’s Got Talent” producer discovered her on social media and asked her if she’d be open to auditioning for the show in February. At first, she said no. She didn’t know how to translate her tricks into a live act.

“I told her, ‘You do realize trick shots are unpredictable,’” Badertscher told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the day after “AGT” aired. “She said I could do something I’m comfortable with. I suggested throwing footballs.”

She decided to pick a target larger than a basketball net, so the show built a target football players typically use during practice, with photos of judge Simon Cowell and host Terry Crews, a former NFL player.

During her appearance on the show, she recalled watching “AGT” as a child with her mom and was amazed to be showcased as a contestant. “I’m just a teacher and have never performed in front of a crowd before,” she said before she appeared on stage. “I’m definitely an underdog.”

Credit: Trae Patton/NBC

Credit: Trae Patton/NBC

She told the judges she encouraged her middle school students to go outside their comfort zone: “If I’m going to talk the talk, I’m going to walk the walk.”

Her goal on the show: Hit three targets within three minutes from three different locations.

She had to get three footballs in from the judges’ table and missed the first two.

“I was definitely nervous,” she said. “I had to lock in. The crowd was really loud. I feel like that hyped me up. I told myself that I’d been throwing footballs since I was five. Don’t let butterflies get to you. I also did my best not to look at the judges.”

Badertscher got the next three footballs in and moved to her second spot at least 30 yards away. She was able to get two out of three. With only a minute left on the clock, she ran up to the balcony and landed the final target on her first try from about 40 yards away as the audience counted down the seconds.

“The height made it tougher,” she said.

She said if she missed that shot, she wouldn’t have made it on TV. Instead, the judges were pumped.

“I’m a girl dad,” said judge Howie Mandel. “I’m so thrilled. You set a great example. That was incredibly inspirational.”

“That was so much fun,” said Sofia Vergara.

“It was actually really exciting,” Cowell said.

All four judges gave her yeses, but Badertschernoted she is not guaranteed to make it to the next round.

“I’ll be tossing around ideas with the producer,” she said. “We’ll come up with something that is not just interesting but something I’m comfortable with.”

Badertscher, who played softball in college, has taught physical education at P.B. Ritch Middle School since it opened in 2012.

She said she fell into this niche world when she noticed the prevalence of trick shot videos in the early days of the pandemic. She also noticed they were almost always done by men. So she decided to get in on the action.

Her videos began going viral and generate enough views that she now earns income from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

“This is kind of my second career,” she said.

She even participated in the 2025 Dude Perfect Trick Shot World Championship in February in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She came in fourth place and was invited back for the 2026 competition.

“I was extremely proud of myself for being the only female and making it that far,” she said. “I was also devastated being one win away from making it to the finals.”