“America’s Got Talent” season 19 continued Tuesday, June 25 with another two-hour episode of first-round auditions. Once again, this season’s hopefuls are judged by executive producer Simon Cowell on one end of the dais and Howie Mandel on the other. Seated in the middle are Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara, with Terry Crews on stage as the lively host.
In the audition phase of “AGT,” an act needs at least three of the four judges to give them a “yes” vote to advance to the next round. If two or more judges buzz the act, they are immediately eliminated. For the first time ever, each judge has not one, but two chances to hit the “golden buzzer” and send an act straight through to the live performances. Terry had one chance of his own, totaling nine acts overall that will earn the special path to the final phase of the competition.
In “Auditions 1” on May 28, Terry used his golden buzzer on comedian Learnmore Jonasi from Zimbabwe and Heidi used her first of two on 55 year old singer Richard Goodall.
In “Auditions 2” on June 4, we got a glimpse into the decision for each judge to get two Golden Buzzer uses when he first sent singer Liv Warfield through and then later couldn’t help but decide to send drone artists Sky Elements through as well.
In “Auditions 3” on June 11, Sofia put her support behind Argentinian dance group Legion following a thrilling routine involving flaming boots.
Below, read our minute-by-minute “America’s Got Talent” recap of Season 19, Episode 4 to find out what happened Tuesday, June 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite acts on NBC’s long-running reality TV show and who you think will ultimately join the AGT list of champions.
8:02 p.m. – The first group to perform for the judges this week was the seven members of Hypers Kids Africa with their dance and acrobatic tricks routine. Howie called it “energetic and raw,” suggesting that they’ll have a “viral moment.” Heidi thought it was “incredible” that they accomplished so many different things in one performance. Sofia agreed with Heidi that it was a “perfect audition.” Simon concluded that they gave unexpected moments throughout the routine that kept the audience “feeling joy.” All four judges were “really really serious” about saying “yes” to seeing them again.
8:10 p.m. – Father and son rap duo Flewnt and Inkabee from Australia was up next with a performance of their original song “We That Good.” By the end of the song, Simon was standing and giving a bow movement in their direction. He later said that they delivered a “moment” that was “mesmerizing.” Howie called Inkabee a superstar, Heidi said she wishes she was “half as cool” as him, and Sofia added that he was “born to do this.” Going down the line, all four judges voted “yes” for the duo to advance.
8:21 p.m. – Simon was excited that the first world champion trick shot artist Venom Trick Shots had found their way to the stage to display a talent they’d never seen before. During the performance, Simon and Sofia commented to each other that it was moving “too slow” and taking “too long,” causing Simon to eventually hit his red X buzzer. After Sofia hit her buzzer as well, both of them were impressed by his last trick. Sofia acknowledged that while it’s “super difficult,” she thought there was “something wrong with the presentation.” Heidi said she was engaged because she’s never seen it before and Howie added that he just doesn’t know if it “plays on stage.” When all was said and done, Heidi went with the crowd and said “yes,” but Howie, Sofia and Simon all said “no.”
8:32 p.m. – With the promise of doing something no one else can do, scientist Emotional BrainWaves said he can “connect every device with my mind.” Very early into the audition, Howie and Heidi hit their red X buzzers and then the audience started booing him off the stage. At the end of the day, all he did was what Simon called “a little bit small” in flying a drone around the stage with a headpiece as a controller. After the judges said “no” to him, Daniel Simu from The Netherlands came to the stage with his home-built robot. As the pair started to dance on stage, even while Simon and Sofia seemed thoroughly entertained, Heidi hit her red X buzzer. She explained that the act reminded her of building things at home and that she thinks he’s only “at the beginning stages” of having an act, but Howie, Sofia and Simon all loved the choreography and found it “hilarious.” Their three “yes” votes were enough for Daniel to advance.
8:43 p.m. – Hoping to get one of her songs “out to as many people as possible,” Stephanie Rainey was up next with her original track “Please Don’t Go” that she wrote after her young nephew passed away. Sofia called it a “beautiful, heartfelt song” that was “simple and perfect.” Howie said she gave them a “relatable and emotional moment” with Heidi adding that she “sounded amazing.” Simon told her that she wrote the “best [song] by a mile” compared to the others they’ve heard this year. Without question, all four judges said “yes” to see Stephanie perform again down the road.
8:55 p.m. – The judges were confused at first when DaksDominoes announced their talent was, yes, dominoes and that they’ve set two world records. In a smart editing play, the producers sent everyone in the theater home and let the two guys build their trick overnight so that it’d be ready to put into play the next day. As they prepared to start the audition the next morning and with everyone being delicate around the setup, there was a slight scare when some plastic cups toppled over, but didn’t set the whole sequence off. After giving Howie the honor of tapping the first domino in the sequence, the trick went off successfully through the end. Howie challenged the guys to aim at breaking another record if they perform again and Sofia said that they have a “special” act. Heidi said she wasn’t “super excited” and sees it as a “fun thing to try and do at home,” not something anyone would go see in Vegas. Simon clapped back at Heidi, saying that the talent isn’t always about being Vegas-ready, but about showing things they haven’t seen before. Heidi turned her “no” around based on audience reaction and joined the others for a four “yes” vote to go to the next round.
9:16 p.m. – 10 year old guitarist Maya Neelakantan from India was up next for her first time ever on a stage and in front of a live audience. Sofia kicked off the commentary calling out her “energy and confidence” as important parts of a her act, Howie thought she’d have a “viral moment” and Heidi called her “absolutely incredible” because of how “gutsy” she is. Simon agreed with the rest of the panel, impressed that she’s mastered “one of the most difficult instruments in the world.” He also thought it was unexpected that she turned into a “rock goddess.” Every judge gave Maya a “yes” and asked to see her again in the next round.
9:26 p.m. – The former world champions CPA Girona were next on stage with a group roller skating routine to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire.” Howie was thoroughly unimpressed with the group and got boos from the audience when he admitted that they don’t “reach the level” of what he’s seen from other groups like them he’s seen online. Heidi and Sofia thought it was “beautiful” overall, but Simon was split between a good start and a bad end to their performance. With a “no” from both Howie and Simon, they did not advance.
9:30 p.m. – The next act was Jo De Rijck from Belgium who performed with his “emotional supporting pet” chicken that is also a mentalist. In the act, the chicken was able to correctly identify Simon’s fear of “giant spiders” out of four possible options. The chicken then also correctly identified Sofia’s fear of “dark oceans” from the remaining three cards and Howie’s fear of “drowning” from within an egg that it had dropped in his hands earlier in the act. Heidi and Sofia were both taken with the chicken in the act and Simon said that it was “original” magic that he finds impressive. Howie agreed, leading a vote of “yes” down the line for them to advance.
9:40 p.m. – The judges got to see the family musical group L6 from The Philippines next with their rendition of “All By Myself” before Simon cut them off mid-song. He wanted them to know that they should “lose the track” in order to become a “great a cappella group” instead. After the second pass through the song, the group received an emotional standing ovation. Simon said he could “tell instantly” that they’re a “great singing group” because they took it on without the track and made something “more memorable.” Sofia supported Simon’s decision to cut the track and Heidi liked that “everyone was so important” within their group. Howie said that they’re “great at harmonizing” and became “brilliant” once the music was taken away. Easily, the group got four “yes” votes to advance.
9:52 p.m. – The last act of the night was Brent Street, an Australian contemporary dance troupe that tricked the judges by only having one dancer start the performance before erupting into their larger group mid-performance. Heidi exclaimed that they were “so exciting” in a “very, very, very exciting dance” that they’ve never seen before. Sofia said she likes watching dancers and they were a “spectacular” group and “for sure the coolest thing.” Simon added that the routine was a “well thought out and creative” performance. In an echo of the group’s performance, Howie hid below the dais when he told them that “everything you did was amazing” and “it was a surprise” before he popped up to hit the Golden Buzzer.
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