Kevin Skinner

Kevin Skinner, Oddballs and train wrecks have helped make NBC’s America’s Got Talent TV’s top-rated show for four straight summers. Though viewers can expect more of the same as Season 5 begins tonight (8 ET/PT), Talent judge Piers Morgan says the entertainment caliber will be the series’ best yet.

“I know these things get hyped, but we’ve already sent home several acts that would have made the finals in past years,” he says. “There’s more talent and more variety, and the talent is so good.”

This season’s pool of singers is especially strong, influenced, Morgan says, by Susan Boyle, the matronly Scot who became a YouTube sensation (100 million hits and counting) and recording star after appearing on the British version of Talent.

“She empowered people who wouldn’t have normally auditioned,” Morgan says.

CALENDAR: Check out what summer TV has to offer

Given the Talent’s $1 million grand prize and its variety format, the series has never lacked for starry-eyed hopefuls. In 12 cities, including Denver, Chicago, Orlando, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, executive producer Jason Raff saw contestants using turkey basters as musical instruments, male belly dancers, a kid who manipulates his eyebrows to music and a guy whose eyes remain open when he sneezes.

“After five years, it still amazes me what people will do,” says Raff, whose crew uncovered country singer Kevin Skinner, the Kentucky chicken wrangler who won the top prize last year.

Howie Mandel, who replaced David Hasselhoff as a judge, says he got a kick out of many of the tryouts.

“I love great talent, but I love bad talent, too,” he says. “I’ve been onstage for 32 years. I think I can identify the ‘it’ factor, the wow factor.”

Yet at times, there were surreal moments. “There’s a thin delineation between an act and real life,” Mandel says. “There was a girl chewing on a light bulb, her smile darkened by blood. It didn’t look real at first. I thought this must be an act. But then she was on her way to the hospital.”

Thousands of auditions prompted “a lot of ‘Oh my Lord’ moments,” says host Nick Cannon.

“It seemed a lot more dangerous this year,” he says. “There was tons of bleeding. Someone put a drill down their throat. Someone was chopping wood. People who do things and have the audacity to think this is worth $1 million.”

Deciding which acts to advance for midsummer live shows — the job of Morgan, Mandel and returning judge Sharon Osbourne— caused some friction that in itself may be entertaining.

“I had two missions: One, to find the next great talent. The other, seeing how far I could push Piers in taste,” Mandel says.

Says Morgan: “Howie likes all these weird, random acts, and he conspired with Sharon to make sure they got through. But I got him. There are moments where he goes down in flames.”

Viewers will select 12 acts for Talent’slive performance show Aug. 10, based on YouTube online auditions posted by June 23.