America’s Got Talent’snewest champions,The Mayyas, will forever feel indebted to judgeSofia Vergara— and she now has a piece of them around her neck wherever she goes.
“They were thanking me,” the 50-year-old explained after the show. “They gave me this necklace, that is the tree from Lebanon. I mean, it was like, oh my God, [I’m] so happy. The symbol in their flag is the tree.”
“I come from Barranquilla, Colombia where we have a big Lebanese community. Shakira is from Barranquilla and she is half Lebanese,” she continued. “We are very used to the culture, we eat Lebanese food. We lived with a big, big community, so this was very special for me.”
Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Terry Crews with The Mayyas.Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images
The group’s founder, Nadim Cherfan, also spoke to PEOPLE about the sentimental gift — and feeling forever indebted to theModern Familyactress, especially as he and his 37 dancers prepare to headline a residency at Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas with $1 million in their pockets.
“It means the world to us,” Cherfan said of seeing Vergara wear the necklace on the red carpet after the show. “To see this tree that resembles every Lebanese person who will stand in the face of anything and just survive. So this is big for us. Very big.”
“It just happened spontaneously,” dancer Melissa Saliba added of the gift to Vergara. “One of the dancers took her necklace off, this one with the Cedar, with the flag. This is our flag and we gave it to Sofía.”
Sofia Vergara with The Mayyas.Trae Patton/NBC
Though they were crowned the champions of season 17, The Mayyas admitted their confidence wasn’t always there. After dealing with many hurdles throughout their journey, finally nabbing theAGTtitle makes everything that much sweeter.
“This feels amazing,” Cherfan said. “This is our dream. Our childhood dream. We never imagined we would be able to pull this off even ‘til today right before they announced the winner. The doubt was there. I mean we’re competing in the biggest competition in the world against huge talents. So we are proud of ourselves. I’m proud of this growth.”
One thing that remained true for the dancers and Vergara, who will be starring in Netflix’s upcoming seriesGriselda, is their special bond.
“It’s literally like a family,” Saliba said of the dynamic between the group and the actress. “How [else] can you imagine a family? Like every emotion, every situation happening in a whole house. I think she was out of words because she gave me more facial expressions.”
“I told her, ‘Thank you, Sofía, for everything,'” added Cherfan. “She said, ‘No, thankyou.'”
Trae Patton/NBC
Now that the show’s wrapped and they’re headed to Sin City, The Mayyas can relax and celebrate.
“We’re going to eat pizza,” Cherfan said of their celebratory plans. “We just want to sit next to each other and just relax, now. Vegas should be nervous!”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Prior to announcing the results at Wednesday’s finale, excitement was at an all-time high.
TheBlack Eyed PeasandAGTalums Light Balance opened the show with an electric number, before the judges and hostTerry Crewsraved about the final performances of the season 17 finalists.
The Mayyas.Casey Durkin/NBC/Getty
The top 11 acts —The Mayyas, magicianNicolas Ribs, singerSara James, artificial intelligence (AI) groupMetaphysic, saxophonistAvery Dixon, country groupChapel Hart, pole dancerKristy Sellars, magicianYu Hojin, comedianMike E. Winfield, country singerDrake Milligan, and singing ventriloquistCelia Muñoz— then got a chance to take the stage again with several celebrity guests.
Later in the evening, the Top 5 acts were announced, with Milligan, Sellars, Metaphysic, The Mayyas, and Chapel Hart taking the spots. From there, Chapel Hart finished in fifth place, Metaphysic finished in fourth, Milligan finished in third, and Sellars finished in second.
Season 17 ofAmerica’s Got Talentcan be streamed in full on NBC.com or Hulu.
source: people.com
