Former Warrnambool woman through to America's Got Talent final

The 36-year-old mother of three couldn't contain her emotions as she was announced as one of 11 acts to make the final on Thursday.

"Thanks so much - my kids thought I was really cool - until right now," she joked to the crowd.

Judge Howie Mandel said Sellars' act showed "so much originality".

Ms Sellars' father Frank McCarthy, who lives in Warrnambool, and her daughter Rylie, 11, were in the crowd watching.

"To say that I'm the proudest a father could ever be is an understatement," Mr McCarthy told The Standard.

"It's the culmination of a lifetime of work. What she does is so unique and they've embraced her performances."

Mr McCarthy said he had been blown away by the level of talent on show.

He was celebrating the news in the US with a beer.

"The talent in this series has been absolutely exceptional and for her to be up there with the best of them is incredible," Mr McCarthy said.

"We're all in tears - we're just over the moon."

Ms Sellars will compete in the grand final on Tuesday next week.

Mr McCarthy said his daughter was elated to have secured a spot in the final.

He said she had already received a number of inquiries from people interested in her performance.

Judge Simon Cowell spoke to her after her performance, telling her they should work together.

He even suggested her performances would make a great live show in Las Vegas.

The former Warrnambool pole dancer wowed judges with her semi-final performance.

Judge Heidi Klum said she was incredibly impressed.

"Wow, I loved it and as you can see, everyone else loved it," she said.

Klum asked Sellars whether she had a huge LED screen in her backyard to practice.

"No, I use a really low budget projector," Sellars replied.

Sofia Vergara described the performance as "fascinating" and said she believed it eclipsed her original audition.

Mr Cowell described the performance as "unbelievable", while Howie Mandel joked it was the first time he could take his whole family to see a pole dancer.

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