`AGT` judge Howie Mandel on champ Brandon Leake: In hard times, `the win has given ...
(WorldNews Entertainment)

`America`s Got Talent` champion Brandon Leake didn`t approach the NBC talent competition focused on winning, but he did have a plan developed over years of participating in poetry slams. `You just have to strategically place your poems. That way, you get to the end of the show and you have a chance to win with your best poem,` the first spoken-word poet on the show tells USA TODAY just after being named the winner in the Season 15 finale Wednesday. `So, the (first) time I felt like I had an honest shot at winning was the moment I saw the judges stand up and give me a round of applause after my final piece for my daughter. At the same time, I told myself, `Even if you don`t (win), of course...