Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Howard Stern, Mel B and Nick Cannon in “America’s Got Talent”

When Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell sat down for lunch in London, they probably weren't expecting that the conversation would lead to Cowell fleshing out an idea for a talent-based reality series that would still be on air almost a decade after its debut. The series was supposed to launch in Britain first, but a conflict between the anticipated host and British network gave NBC the honor of premiering the concept first.

Now in its 10th season, "America's Got Talent" returns with the first live show of the season Tuesday, Aug. 11, on NBC, with the results show to follow the next night.

From the beginning, "America's Got Talent" has strived to showcase a much wider variety of acts than Cowell's other popular competition series, "American Idol," allowing contestants to show off any skill they wish to be judged on. Given the fact that "AGT" is not limited to vocal musical acts, it is perhaps surprising that six of the nine champions so far have incorporated singing into their performances.

It seems, though, that viewers are embracing the more varied talent as time goes on. While the first six seasons all fell to the vocally gifted, seasons 7 through 9 have seen more unorthodox acts capturing the popular vote. Season 7 saw both the first non-solo and non-singing act to win, as the Olate family brought a number of well-trained pooches to the stage to perform impressive tricks, including jumping rope and doing back flips.

The eighth season of "AGT" was won by Kenichi Ebina's "dance-ish" act, which combined martial arts, dance and video elements to create a storytelling performance. During these shows, Ebina frequently interacted with characters, all of whom are performed by himself, on a video screen. Just last year, in season 9, a magician captured the top spot for the first time after Mat Franco wowed judges and viewers alike with various illusions and tricks.

"America's Got Talent" has definitely helped many performers find a new audience for their acts. Season 2 winner Terry Fator, for instance, is perhaps the show's greatest success story. Fator enjoyed ventriloquism as a child and spent about a year singing lead vocals for the band Freedom Jam. He left the music industry soon after, taking his comedy ventriloquism act on a string of small, nearly-deserted stages at fairs.

After performing for 20 years in virtual obscurity, Fator hit a breaking point after a single fan sat down to watch his show at a 1,000-seat venue. That was when Fator took his agent's advice and incorporated his singing impersonations into his act. After reworking his routines and putting in a tremendous amount of time rehearsing without moving his lips, Fator was rewarded with an immediate positive reaction from his audiences.

Howard Stern judges in “America’s Got Talent”

When he first appeared on "AGT," the judges were dismissive of a ventriloquist -- until Fator's female puppet named Emma launched into a spot-on rendition of Etta James' "At Last." The eye-rolling and chuckling immediately transformed into expressions of disbelief as two of the judges threw themselves out of their seats and all three unanimously sent Fator to the next round.

Fator's "AGT" win propelled him to a new level of success and, in 2008, he signed a $100 million contract to headline at a Las Vegas casino for five years. Today, he's still one of the biggest acts on the Vegas Strip, headlining a show at The Mirage Hotel and Casino.

Last season's winner, magician Mat Franco, is also enjoying the fallout from his success on "AGT" and is now in the process of launching a Vegas show of his own, part of his "Magic Reinvented Nightly" shows, at The Linq Theater.

Season 10 brings back the same crew from the previous two seasons, with Howie Mandel ("Deal or No Deal"), Mel B ("Spice World," 1997), Heidi Klum ("Project Runway") and Howard Stern ("Howard Stern on Demand") all returning as judges and Nick Cannon ("All That") returning as host. This season also marks the last season on the judges' panel for Stern, who announced in June that he'd be leaving "AGT."

There's been a lot of speculation surrounding Stern's departure, with many media outlets saying that the well-known radio host might actually be trying to negotiate a better contract. While Stern has been very vocal on his SiriusXM show about ongoing contract negotiations with his NBC employer, he insists they've been generous and accommodating, but he isn't going to budge on leaving the show this time.

Yet another in a long line of Simon Cowell's reality successes, "America's Got Talent" is still bringing unconventional performers and their heartwarming stories to the small screen. This week marks the first of season 10's live shows, handing the voting power over to the public. Tune in and make sure your favorite act makes it through when a new episode of "America's Got Talent" airs Tuesday, Aug. 11, on NBC, with the results show to follow the next night.