EDMONTON -- 'America’s Got Talent' contestant Ryan Niemiller is performing in Edmonton Wednesday night.

Niemiller placed third in the popular reality television series that just finished its 14th season.

“I still haven’t been able to fully sit down and kind of grasp all of what’s happened so far," Niemiller told CTV News Edmonton.

Niemiller was born with a congenital birth defect affecting both of his arms, and is the self-proclaimed Cripple Threat of Comedy. His shows are focused on his perspective of the world as a handicapped person.

“I did know that it would be something that could potentially resonate with people, because in entertainment especially people with disabilities are very underrepresented,” said Niemiller.

He says 'America’s Got Talent' is different from other reality competition shows, because it really offers contestants the chance to connect with the audience on a personal level.

“It’s not just ‘be funny’ and then send you on your way.”

He’s been performing as a comic for more than a decade, but Niemiller says 'America’s Got Talent' gave him a chance and it paid off.

“I’ve been doing this a long time doing dive bars with no people there and they keep the TVs on because the game’s still on, and you go through all that so when you finally get that chance like AGT you can just knock it out of the park.”

Niemiller jokes that he’s a “13-year overnight sensation."

“People were starting to come to see me on purpose instead of me just being a happy accident when they came to a show,” said Niemiller.

“I’ve had kids scream at me like I’m Justin Bieber because they’re so excited to see their favourite from television.”

Niemiller says he growing up he was the class clown, and often used his humour as a defense mechanism against bullying.

“People like to laugh, even the most hardened bully or jerk. They have something that makes them laugh and if you can find what that is, you can connect with people that way,” said Niemiller.

He credits his 13 years of hard work as a comic for his success during his time on the popular reality series, and after the show ended.

“I’ve been doing an hour every night for years. I knew that once I got this shot and that clubs would start bringing me in I was ready to go with it.”

Niemiller says clubs that wouldn’t return his emails before the show are now asking him to come and perform.

“It’s nice to know that all that hard work eventually paid off.”

Niemiller is performing at The Comic Strip at 7 p.m.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Graham Neil.