America’s Got Talent 2021 Auditions 4 Recap and Live Blog (Video)

America’s Got Talent 2021: Danila Bim’s Hair Raising Acrobatics (Video)
America’s Got Talent: Shuffolution’s High Energy Dance Moves (Video)
America’s Got Talent 2021 Auditions 4 Spoilers – Meet the Acts (Photos)

The show opens with some Kia car product placement as Sofia and Heidi race to Pasadena in their cars, with Simon and Howie in tow (respectively!) Ha ha. Sofia and Heidi are crazy.

Shuffolution – Dance group 

The crew dances the Shuffle, which is a style that came out of the 80s rave scene in Melbourne Australia. It has since spread all over the world. NBC dropped this audition a few days ago. The group started online, but have only rehearsed for 3 months. It’s a very CAFFEINATED CREW. Lots of energy. THE FAKE CROWD IS UP ON THEIR FEET (not really, fake crowd is fake). “I loved it!” exclaimed Heidi. Howie appreciated their energy and creativity. Sofia loved their outfits, diversity, everything. Simon calls them “next generation.” 4 yeses

Pam & Casper – Singing Dog Act

Similar to Oscar & Pam from a few seasons ago, Pam & her little dog Casper sing together. Pam studied musical theater in college. But she settled into office work, until Casper,  a cute little chihuahua, came along. She dreams of working in Vegas. Howie claims his pet chihuahua hates him. This is the duo’s first big performance other than a talent show at work. Pam begins singing “All By Myself” as a solo. But when she starts the chorus, Casper howls on cue. Simon, who loves the puppers, is chuckling. Casper is a better singer than Pam, actually. Sofia calls it adorable. Howie jokingly calls it “moving and emotional.” Heidi thought Pam hogged the mic a little. Simon thinks maybe Casper should go solo. He has a point. 4 yeses

Brooke Simpson – Singer

Singing show fans should remember Brooke. She finished in third place on The Voice season 13 as a member of Team Miley Cyrus. She competed in the fall of 2017. The North Carolina native is a member of the Haliwa Saponi Indian tribe, which she speaks about here. Note: Phillip Phillips Home plays in the background! Brooke shares how proud she is to be a member of the tribe, calling it “super special.” She wants to make sure that Native Americans stay part of the conversation. Brooke says singing in front of Simon Cowell has been a dream for a long time. Guess she wasn’t old enough to audition for Idol back in the day! Her goal is to be the first American Indigenous pop star.

Her husband Ray backs her on piano as she belts out Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You.” Booke DOES NOT HOLD BACK, belting out those notes. She got a four chair turn on The Voice, by the way. And now, the AGT judges are on their feet. Sofia thinks she needs to sing for the rest of her life. Howie calls her “a powerhouse.” He predicts she’ll play bigger venues. Heidi thinks she has the whole package. Simon actually mentions THAT OTHER SHOW. Saying that “it reminded me when I used to be on Idol, and every so often these great great singers would come on the show like the Kelly Clarksons and Fantasia…just got amazing amazing voices…it’s just a fantastic audition.” Simon says NO at first JUST KIDDING! 4 yeses

Roman Kricheli – Contortionist

An Israeli native, he’s competed on Romania’s Got Talent. He describes his act as a “yoga show.” That’s an interesting way to describe it. Simon buzzes him instantly. But then he pulls out a tiny glass box. It’s the act he did for RGT, actually. It looks like he smacked his balls. Maybe that’s on purpose to add some excitement. And indeed, he manages to cram himself into a box. An assistant comes out (his son!), and shuts the door. How can he breathe? The assistant counts to 10 before letting him out. And he’s not dead! He rises to his feet like a phoenix. He introduces his daughter, who is crying. She explains that performing on AGT was his biggest dream. Simon takes his buzzer back. Howie loved it. Hedi calls it the smallest box she’s ever seen anyone in.  4 yeses

JW Inspirational Singers of NYC – Choir

The group backed Sam Smith’s performance at the 60th Grammy Awards. They describe themselves as “professional singers who have conquered Broadway, TV, International Fame, film” as well as show business roles behind the scenes. The leader talks about bringing people together, spreading a message of togetherness and unity.  They begin singing their own arrangement of “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo. There is tap dancing! With a ton of people on stage, the performance is messy. Too much going on. But there are some great voices, and others not so great. After, there’s crying! Howie calls them more than just a choir–an event. Heidi notices that a lot was going on, but she’s not criticizing. Sofia compared it to watching Broadway. Simon calls it a “moment.” He says, “It was really really amazing.” 4 yeses

The Amazing Shoji – Kid Magician – ADAM LAMBERT ALERT! His song “Superpower” narrates a bit about musicians, which prefaces young Shoji’s performance. His favorite magician is Shin Lim, season 13 winner. He’s 9 years old and has only been practicing for two years.   He does close up magic a the judges desk, performing pretty good sleight of hand. Not anything earth-shattering, but he’s a kiddo! He wants to buy tacos and a dog with his million dollar winnings, and is very very cute. Heidi says he’ll give Shin a run for his money. Simon calls him cute and charming, and compares him to Harry Potter. Aw HE’S CRYING.- 4 yeses

The Other Direction – Boy Band parody

We are the world’s gayest boy band, one of the members declares. They met at show choir camp, natch. They came out to each other at only 12 and promised each other they would create the gayest boy band ever. They perform an original song “Girl, You’re the Best” as in “I’ll be your gay best friend.” The lyrics are pretty amusing. “I love you, but not like that.” In harmony! The judges give them a standing ovation! Heidi wants to hear it again. Howie calls it “so funny…I can’t wait to hear another song.” Sofia calls the song and voices amazing. Simon calls them clever and original – 4 yeses

Charley Loffredo – Ventriloquist

Charley’s Instagram account reads “Accountant by day, ventriloquist by night. He also performs his act in drag. He’s a 63 year old who works in publishing. He dreamed of being a performer in Vegas. He takes the stage, in a blond wig and wearing a dress, with a puppet named Holly Parton. The act is…not good. He’s not great at throwing his voice. And the material is bad. He’s serious though! Watching an act die with 4 buzzes is  brutal. Simon calls him the worst ventriloquist ever on AGT. Ouch. 4 nos.

Josh Blue – Comedian

Josh won Last Comic Standing in 2006, so he’s already kind of famous. His humor is based on his living with cerebral palsy. He compares the symptoms of his CP to the way a homeless person behaves. Hm. He’s not that funny, but the judges seem to enjoy his humor. Last line: “Thank you, this is the best make a wish ever.” Heidi likes him a lot–everything about him. Howie calls him a “superhero.” Sofia calls him “amazing.” Josh obviously hates pity. That look on his face when Sofia praised him for being brave and special.  Simon calls him “funny with great material.” 4 yeses

Michael Spencer – Singer

On his Instagram he describes himself as a “location & post-sound” guy. He really likes cats. His videos went viral! A million overnight. Of course, he’s terrible. A joke, as he sings “Hopelessly Devoted to You” in a nasally off key voice. Simon buzzes, and compares him to the howling wolves who prowel near his house. “It was horrible.” – 4 nos

Fallyn – Singer – Teen singer-songwriter 

17 year old has been watching the show since she was little. Simon is her brother’s favorite judge. SHE’S KIND OF PITCHY DOG. Simon thinks she should come back next year. He is being kind, because that whistle note she attempted was dreadful. – 4 nos

Jimmie Herrod – Singer – Sofia’s Golden Buzzer

Tacoma, Washington native, Jimmie tours with the band Pink Martini. His speaking voice is very high pitched. He’s 30, but looks younger. He performs “Tomorrow” from Annie. Simon calls it his “worst song in the world.” He hates it! Simon suggests he pick another song. Jimmie says he doesn’t have another. That’s crap. All these singers are expected to rehearse at least two songs. Fake set up is so obviously fake. Prediction: Jimmie will be incredible, and suddenly “Annie” will be Simon’s favorite song ever. And yes…Jimmie delivers a subtle, nuanced, adult version of the song. He hits beautiful top notes. Ohhh. Simon has that “Susan Boyle look” on his face. FOR REAL. Ha. Toldja. “It’s not my worst song anymore,” says Simon. TOLDJA. Sofia says she didn’t like it very much. THE FAKE AUDIENCE IS BOOING. And of course, it’s another set up for SOFIA’S GOLDEN BUZZER. “You got us,” Simon says to Sofia. NO SIMON MOST SENTIENT HUMAN BEINGS SAW IT COMING A MILE AWAY. 

Danila Bim – Acrobat

Circus performer from São Paulo, Brazil is a “hair suspension artist” for Cirque du Soleil. She literally is pulled up into the air by her hair. It looks painful. NBC previewed this performance earlier in the week. She began her career as a dancer, before eventually transitioning to the crazy hair suspension stuff. A hook is fastened to a loop of hair, held together by a bun holder. I’m guessing her hair is fashioned to be buttressed by the anchor thing that keeps her bun in place? She swings around acrobatically, held high in the air, and using her feet to perform balletic moves. It’s very graceful. Sofia calls it spectacular. Heidi appreciates the “surprise.” Howie says a tight ponytail will give his wife a headache, dubbing the performer a “hairialist.” Simon thinks she could be the best in the world.  4 yeses

Ryan Stock & Amberlynn – Danger act (Or, Simon Punks Sofia!)

Returnees! The couple are infamous for a stunt that went very very very wrong back in 2016. Amberlyn attempted to shoot at a target in Ryan’s mouth with a flaming bow & arrow, and it hit his neck instead. It’s actually the couple’s third shot on the show. They appeared on AGT:Champions season 1 where they redid the stunt without mishap.  Oh. Simon invited them on the show to punk Sofia. The crossbow is back. The two do a couple of tricks without killing each other. Then, they invite Simon and Sofia on stage for the next trick. Simon has a balloon over his head. They want Sofia to shoot the crossbow. The joke is that she’s blindfolded. But the bow isn’t loaded. OH THEY MOUNT THE BOW ON SIMON’S CHEST LIKE HE GOT SHOT OH BOY HE’S ON THE FLOOR. She fires. Everyone freaks out as if Simon is dead. This is kind of mean. But look at Sofia’s face. She never really believed it. If Simon was actually wounded, the entire room would have erupted in panic. The judges fake reactions were not very convincing. 

Next Tuesday, it’s Heidi’s golden buzzer!