Who impressed Howard, Heidi, Mel B and Howie tonight? (Photo property of NBC, SycoTV & FremantleMedia North America)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Last week, America’s Got Talent returned for its 10th anniversary season!
Countless auditioned but only a lucky few were able to get three or four “Yeses” from Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel. Also making its return this season was the Golden Buzzer! This year, the Golden Buzzer will act just like their Britain’s Got Talent younger brother and send an act straight to the Live Shows.
The first judge to use the Golden Buzzer this season was Howie as he awarded inspirational comedian Drew Lynch a spot in the Live Shows.
Did anyone receive a Golden Buzzer from Howard, Mel B or Heidi? Read on to find out…
As the Judges headed to their seats, it was time for DM Nation to take the stage. The all female dance troupe kicked off the night with some exciting choreography that entertained the crowd. Taking a page out of Janet Jackson’s playbook, the girls’ unbelievable stunts wowed the crowd. While Howie praised the girls for not delivering a dance recital, Mel B thought that they were “Off the Chain!” and they received the first unanimous “Yes” of the evening.
33-year-old mentalist Wayne Hoffman wanted to show off his talent and by doing something dangerous: putting firecrackers in his mouth! He brought two duds and one live dynamite onto the arena. He also asked Howie to join him and asked him to verify his solid metal blindfold and mix up the firecrackers. Everyone in the room were on pins and needles as he instructed the crew to light two dynamites in his mouth and one in a container. Luckily, the two dynamites were duds and the real one was in the container. All of the judges were shocked with his act and he received three “Yeses” from Howie, Howard and Heidi.
Atlanta singing duo Jeffrey Lewis and Zuri have been performing together in 10 years had one thing on their mind: food! The CraigLewis Band paid homage to the Godfather of Soul by tackling his signature song: “It’s A Man’s World” and they took the audience to church! Howie gave them a standing ovation and stated that they deserved a $1,000,000 buffet. Howard liked their audition and stated that they owned the stage. They received the second unanimous “Yes” of the night!
Got Talent fans received a surprise audition courtesy of Stevie Starr aka the Human Regurgitator! Stevie first auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in 2010 and has been seen on multiple Got Talent franchises since. Now, he has made his America’s Got Talent debut. I was wondering how the judges were going to react to his act. He perfectly swallowed and regurgitated four coins and a light bulb, but grossed out Nick Cannon when he swallowed sugar and regurgitated onto Nick’s place. He received the first standing ovation of the night and Heidi declared him-her favorite act so far! The judges advanced him to the next round!
As the dance acts warmed up back stage with a dance off, Ronnie the Dancer taught Nick to do the splits before he faced the judges. The 52-year-old Vancouver martial arts instructor showed off the moves but received four “Xs” from the judges. Nick defended Ronnie with the judges and they delivered one spectacular performance before Ronnie exited the stage.
14-year-old Contemporary dancer Benjamin Yonattan overcame blindness by showing off his love of dance. His movements were crisp and by the time, he hit the crescendo of his piece, I was already on my feet! As the judges gave him a standing ovation, Mel B was so glad that he graced the stage and called his dancing “beautiful.” Heidi added that Benjamin deserved to be here and inspired Howard. No matter what happens in this competition, I believe that Benjamin has a career in the dance industry and right mentors (I’m looking at you, Shaping Sound) he could inspire millions of people to dance!
87-year-old Shirley Claire was a showgirl during the Golden Era of Hollywood. After flirting with Nick Cannon, Shirley made her appearance on the AGT stage. I loved her humor, spunk and more importantly her singing voice. Shirley reminded me of a combination of Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and Dame Shirley Bassey! As Heidi gave Shirley a standing ovation, Howie loved her wit and wanted to see more from her. All four judges unanimously gave her a ticket to the next round!
As Heidi got into the groove, we were treated with more impeccable acts! Hoping to join everyone in the next round was Xakary the Magician! His goal: saw Heidi Klum in half! Luckily, he was successful with his act and returned Heidi to her normal self. Howard thought it was remarkable, while Howie made fun of Heidi’s panic attack. All four judges gave him a “Yes” to the next level of the competition.
Detroit native Alicia Michilli native gravitated towards music when she was younger. She hoped that AGT would propel her to the next level of her dream. She tackled the late Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” and from the first note, I fell in love with her voice! Her runs were powerful and she commanded the stage. Like Barbara Padilla and Emily West before her, I believe that Alicia Michilli had a “Star Is Born” moment.
The weird and uncanny acts always had a champion in Howie Mandel. While his three fellow judges were hitting their buzzers left-and-right, he was true to form when Youngblood auditioned. He inserted milk into his nose and squirted out of his eye. While Heidi called Youngblood’s audition a “hot mess” and both Howard and Mel B felt queasy, Howie praised his talent and was one of the only judges to vote “Yes” (the other one was…Mel B).
It was a family affair at the AGT auditions as Howie brought out his granddaughter to the stage. As Howie and his granddaughter waved to the audience, Derek Hughes shared that he wanted to supply for his growing family. The 30-year magic veteran combined comedy with magic that at times seemed manic, but he received a standing ovation from all four judges and went into the next round.
The final act of the night belonged to a dancing duo called Freckled Sky. Together with their choreographer, Val, the duo transported the audience to a fantastic world that brought together dance, superb visual effects and water that astonished the viewers and the King of All Media. Howard was so moved by the performance that he gave them…the Golden Buzzer! Way to go, Freckled Sky! See you at the Radio City Music Hall live shows.
Tune in next week to find out if Heidi or Mel B hit their Golden Buzzer!
