Do the acts that appear on America’s Got Talent have to pay for their backup dancers, pyrotechnic effects, staging/props, etc.?
I can’t prove anything but I would be really surprised if they do.
I’m thinking it might make a difference whether those effects are an integral part of the act or just supplementary to it. For example, a magician will typically have his own very specialized – and likely very personal and “secret” – props. Alternatively, a dancer I saw last week (?) had a bunch of backup dancers who I’m pretty sure were not normally part of his act (and who, in my opinion, added nothing to the performance, even though they seemed to be better dancers than the contestant).
I’ve gotten the impression that some of the plainer acts have been enhanced with various effects or personnel that aren’t part of what they usually do. If were such a contestant, I might readily agree to have those additions, but I sure can’t see paying for them.