“America’s Got Talent” season 19 continued Tuesday, July 9 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.
In “Auditions 4” on June 25, Howie used his first Golden Buzzer to send Australian dance troupe Brent Street through to the live shows.
In “Auditions 5” on July 2, Heidi used her second Golden Buzzer on 9-year-old powerhouse singer Pranysqa Mishra.
Below, read our minute-by-minute “America’s Got Talent” recap of Season 19, Episode 5 to find out what happened Tuesday, July 9 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 night began with danger act Full Steel Combat and their medieval knights fight (in full armor) live on stage. Though the judges were ready for some “risk-takers,” it took mere seconds for all four of them to hit their red X buzzers in denial of the act. They were followed by the more impressive Super Silva Jr from Brasil that performed from the rafters of the theater stage. Sofia said that it was “so scary” and “so exciting” and that she enjoyed every second of it. Howie liked that he combined the “grace” of aerial acts with danger and Heidi called it “nerve-wracking” in a good way. Simon admitted that he’s “not a massive fan” of the type of act, but his “showmanship makes [him] different.” Despite Simon’s seeming hesitation, he joined the other three judges with a “yes” vote to advance.
8:12 p.m. – Singer Alex Sampson from Canada brought a bit of nerves and an original song called “Pretty Baby” to the stage for his audition. Sofia didn’t think he seemed nervous once he started singing and called his performance “really cool.” Heidi did hear the nerves, but she thought it made him “more real.” Howie loved his voice because it had a retro field that he doesn’t think exists right now and Simon agreed that it was a song that “could have been written in the 50s or 60s” and he “really, really, really liked” the audition. Easily, Alex passed through to the next round with unanimous “yes” votes.
8:24 p.m. – The 51-member dance crew Espiritu has members aged 9 to 25 and they’re hoping to prove to their parents that they can achieve something great with their talent. Heidi thought it was “pretty impressive” when they had all of the members on stage at once and remained aligned. Sofia liked that it “felt from the street” and “raw,” but Howie acknowledged that the “dance bar is really high” and he “expects more.” Simon took the crowd back on the judges’ side, calling it “brilliant” and comparing their audition to a “great commercial.” Heidi, Sofia and Simon all said “yes” to the group, enough to override Howie’s “no” and send them through.
8:35 p.m. – Some acts that didn’t make it through their audition with enough “yes” votes were comedic entertainer Ridiculous Nicholas, sound healer Ry the Healer, dancing cow Kalina Moolina, and singer/entertainer Missy Galore because enough judges didn’t think they were acts worthy of winning a million dollars.
8:46 p.m. – Finnish hobby horse performer Ada Filppa tried to turn the tides with a promise of showing the judges “something [they’ve] never seen before” and claiming to be “number one in the world.” Howie was aware of hobby horsing, but Heidi and Sofia were completely surprised at the revelation that Ada’s act was a known thing. Sofia referred to it as “nonsense,” but Howie urged everyone to take it seriously. Simon appreciated that Ada showed something they’ve never seen before, but he still said no to the act. Heidi and Sofia stuck to their “no” votes as well, so it was a 3-1 tally for Ada to be eliminated.
8:56 p.m. – 14 year old Reid Wilson from Alabama was in pursuit of his dream with his performance of “You Don’t Own Me.” Heidi called him “absolutely incredible” and liked that he showed stage presence and confidence. Sofia agreed and Simon noted how he was able to close his eyes and forget that he’s such a young kid singing like he does. Howie closed with his comment that he was “bowled over” with surprise at his voice at that age. Because Reid was able to surprise Howie, Howie thought it would mean something to help Reid’s dreams come true with the surprise of his second Golden Buzzer!
9:08 p.m. – Next up was Praveen Prajapat with a thousand year old Indian balancing practice that the judges had never seen before. Howie exclaimed that it’s acts like this that make the show special, Heidi said she likes that he brought “a little taste” of India to the show, and Sofia added that what he does is “so difficult” and called it “one of the most amazing acts.” Simon agreed that it’s “pretty amazing,” but was unclear what he could possibly do next. Even when Praveen promised to increase the wow factor, Simon maintained a “no” vote while the other three judges joined in a “yes” to ensure that Praveen would advance.
9:20 p.m. – Frustrated by the tough industry fighting for recognition, B. Thompson almost gave up before deciding to bring his musical talent to AGT instead. Sofia called his performance “so sexy” and told him that he “looks amazing” on their stage. Howie said he can “see this on a big stage” and called him “so natural.” Heidi wasn’t as “crazy about it” as the other judges, but she still “liked it.” Simon was “torn,” not knowing if he chose the right song, but still acknowledged that he’s “very talented.” He said to win he’ll have to come up with something that’s “more than that.” Howie and Sofia were easy “yes” votes and then Heidi came through with the needed third “yes” and Simon went in with a fourth one as well.
9:30 p.m. – Danger returned to the stage with the archery and martial arts of Tyler Burke, until it was revealed that the “danger” of his act was more akin to action movie auditioning. Simon thought “half the act worked and half the act didn’t.” When he insisted that he has to “get every part right,” the crowd cheered him on to give it “one more try,” but he failed again in his second chance. That caused Simon to say “no” while Sofia and Heidi both said “yes.” The decision to advance or not came down to Howie who gave him a third chance, but another failure meant it was a “no” from Howie as well.
9:41 p.m. – Former gymnast Helen the Foot Juggler learned the art form in China and hoped to get a residency in Vegas with her act. Heidi called it “incredible” because she was already envisioning “all the crazy things” she could juggle in subsequent rounds. Simon suggested she juggle “giant pizza” and Howie thought she has “incredible showmanship” on top of her talent. All four judges were ecstatic to send this unique act through to the next round.
9:51 p.m. – The final act of the night was the father and son duo Balloon Taro with an act that they typically only performed for kids. Multiple balloons popped over the course of the audition, causing Simon to hit his red X buzzer, but Taro persisted and managed to get through his entire planned performance of hopping up levels of ladders while in a giant balloon and then back down as his son hit away levels of his podium with a mallet. Sofia liked it because it was “funny” and “creative.” Heidi appreciated that they put the show together as a father and son and Howie added that it was “entertaining” and “funny.” The three judges didn’t agree with Simon buzzing them off, to which he replied the he hit it “a bit early” and asked that it be removed. Simon told them that he didn’t think it would work, but because they accomplished it he came around to seeing it as “amazing.” He was happy to join the other judges in “yes” votes down the line for them to advance.
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