America’s Got Talent 2022 Recap: Auditions 4 Live Blog (Video)

America’s Got Talent 2022 Auditions 4 Spoilers – Meet the Acts (Photos)
America’s Got Talent 2022 MEGA Contestant List (Photos, Videos)

America’s Got Talent 2022: Full Season 17 Schedule

Cubcakes – Kids dance crew

This Hip Hop teen dance crew is from Orange County, California created by choreographer, Thalia Ramos. They made the Duels on World of Dance Season 2. Sofia had to explain to Heidi they aren’t the CUPCAKES. The group were wee little ones on WOD. However, the group includes a little boy who can’t help be the center of attention. Very cute.  Sofia calls them perfect. Simon thinks they have personality – 4 yeses

Ethan Jan – Rubik’s Cube pro

Ethan is from Redlands, California, and is a senior in high school. He has a large following on Tik Tok (409.4K). He holds Guiness book world records for solving the Rubik’s Cube. Each of the judges scramble up a Rubik’s Cube. He figures out each one in mere seconds. One he solves behind his back. He solves another while juggling. He takes the fourth up on to the stage, where he rides a unicycle…and solves the cube. It’s pretty impressive. No wonder Tik Tok loves him. Simon calls him a genius. Sofia thinks he transformed in front of them. Heidi calls it “incredible” adding, “You’re probably a robot!” – 4 yeses

Kristen Cruz – Singer

Kristen is a 20-year-old vocalist from Irving, Texas with several viral covers, she’s known for renditions of pop, soul, and worship songs while making herself an iced coffee and other assorted drink. Her Tik Tok has 2 million followers. She started her Tik Tok drink making schtick during quarantine. The views she racked really gave her confidence. She’s trying to finally kick off a real career on AGT. She sings “I See Red” by Everybody Loves An Outlaw with a full throated raspy voice. The audience is immediately on their feet. If she’s nervous or unconfident, she’s hiding it well! Simon calls it “unbelievable.” Howie says “You’re on fire.” Heidi calls her a “star in the making…you have a gift.” Sofia calls her “powerful and sexy.” Simon calls her voice “seasoned.” He loved the song choice. 4 yeses

Next, quick hits from a trio of comedians

Chris James – Comedian

Chris is a British-African comedian, but currently based in the US. He starred as Barack Obama in the dark comedy Obamaland. Turns out Chris and Simon were born in the same UK town. Chris riffs on his proper sounding English accent. To Americans, anyway. Howie calls him likable. – 4 yeses

Connor King – Comedian

Connor started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 18 in Los Angeles. His biggest platform is Tik Tok where he has 125.3K followers. He tells some jokes that don’t land well with the audience. In one, he quips that his dad was a drug dealer. “I probably had a Playstation before any of you.” Howie thinks he needs more time. Heidi, Simon and Sofia liked his edginess. 3 yeses Howie says no

Lace Larrabee – Comedian

An Atlanta based comedian who tours nationally, Lace created Laugh Lab Comedy in 2017 which is a stand-up class for women only. She also co-hosts a podcast titled “Cheaties Podcast.”  She confesses that she did pageants for 14 years. She’s funny right off the bat, which is what Howie expects from a comic. She tells jokes about her parents, who had her at 17. This time, Howie is on his feet. Sofia calls it “effortless.” Howie compliments her rhythm. Heidi thinks she has beauty and brains. Simon calls her naturally funny – 4 yeses. Lace and Connor became friends off stage, He watches from the wings as she absolutely KILLS. Sucks to be him.

Jannick Holste – Illusionist

Jannick is a stage magician and illusionist and was a semifinalist on Das Supertalent 2021 (Germany’s Got Talent). AGT previewed his audition HERE. The 19 year old reveals that he’s the biggest Heidi Klum stan. He teaches dancing and ALSO studies math. He introduces himself as a dancer. but actually, he’s an illusionist who dances through his act to Heidi’s new single. As he dances around, performers appear out of seemingly nowhere. Eventually there are five people on stage (one gal is swapped out for a dude who looks just like Jannic) prancing around to Heidi’s song. Howie calls him “the ultimate in surprise.” Sofia really liked the magic. Simon jokes that the vocals sounded like a wounded cat. – 4 yeses

Kieran Rhodes – Singer

Kieran boasts to Terry that he learned to play piano by watching Youtube videos. “Completely self-taught!” But he attends Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studies songwriting and piano. So, he’s had training. But he finds attending the prestigious school with kids who have studied all their lives intimidating, Kieran has already co-written a song for television:  a song for Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible. He performs ‘She’s Got a Way” by Billy Joel, accompanying himself on piano, but Simon interrupts him and wants an original song.

He performs “Disengage,” which he wrote about depression. The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics moving. He’s a talented songwriter.  Sofia is shouting BRAVO! Howie says, “You are a star.” Heidi calls it beautiful. Simon thinks he’s talented and interesting. Simon identifies with him as a self-made talent. His mom is nearly crying in the audience, and as she greets him backstage. – 4 yeses

Curly haired girl with a reaction. THIRD TIME they used that shot in two years. At least! Never believe that an audience reaction is ACTUALLY reacting to the thing on the screen.

Kristy Sellars – Pole Dancer

Kristy won Australia’s Got Talent Season 9 in 2019. Her act features graceful pole dancing alongside multimedia storytelling. The show previewed this audition last week HERE. She’s 35 years old and a mom to three children. After having kids, she took pole dancing lessons and became entranced. Simon feigns boredom at pole dancing. But she’s won a Got Talent show. He must know her act. The performance combines pole dancing and multimedia projection.  She is not an incredibly skilled pole dancer, but the creative storytelling via projection technology takes the act over the top. It really is a Las Vegas worthy spectacle. Heidi calls her vision “amazing.” Howie says, “You blew my mind.” Sofia says, “You deserve to be here.” Simon calls it “phenomenal, amazing.” – 4 yeses

Manny D’Mago – Magician

Based in Los Angeles, Manny bills himself as a magic and psychic entertainer. But he does gross stuff, like stick sharp things through his tongue. The judges weren’t feeling it. They buzz him. – NO

Justin Rupple – Impressions

Justin is a comedian, actor, and impression/voice actor from Los Angeles. He has 288.7K followers on Tik Tok. He appeared on the impression game show First Impressions in 2016 and won his episode. Also Justin replaced TJ Miller as the voiceover actor for Tuffnut Thorston in How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World after a series of scandals made TJ unbankable. He jokes that he’s a “stunt voiceover” artist, the cheap alternative to finishing a movie in post.  Damn. He’s open about being polyamorous. His two female partners are sitting together in the audience. The trio live together. In his act, he describes how he creates an impression, step by step, but in a humorous and colorful way. Howie calls his act funny and interesting. “You blew it out of the water,” says Heidi. Sofia calls it “entertaining.” – 4 yeses.

Cline Twins – Hockey Stick Tricks

Based in Ontario, Canada, the 16 year old identical twins (Connor and Carson) perform tricks with hockey sticks and pucks. They have over 60K followers on Tik Tok. They’ve been playing hockey since 6 years of age. They obviously rehearse A LOT, because their tricks are impressive, using their sticks to toss pucks in the air. It’s kind of like a form of juggling. If they could keep several pucks in the air at once, that would be REALLY impressive. Sofia thinks their mom probably hates the constant rehearsing (she looked pretty happy backstage, actually). Howie calls it unique and new. Simon wasn’t expecting much, but then it was “brilliant.” – 4 yeses

The Glamour Aussies – Dog Dancing Act

Christine Elisabeth Berczes from Holloko, Hungary runs a dog dancing school called Glamour Aussies. She teaches the dogs to dance and has won several dog dancing championships with her animals. Aw. The doggo is so cute. The story is Christine trying to read, while the doggo wants her attention. He brings her a basket of flowers, and she takes it. The act is a little different than most dog acts. Rather than a doggo performing a zillion tricks, the routine tells a lyrical story. Howie compares the act to ballet. Simon thinks dogs will enter talent shows like Dancing with the Stars. Maybe he should create that show. Ha. – 4 yeses

Testa – Danger Act

He appeared on Romania’s Got Talent where he performed numerous dangerous stunts such as sticking a drill up his nose and walking on fire and knives. Testa explains that he “explores the limits” of his body. Ugh. I’ve said before, I’ll say again I HATE THESE ACTS. He sticks his foot over a flame first. Well, fire retardant, obvs. He climbs up a ladder made of sharp knives in his hare feet. This has to be a trick. Maybe the bottom of his feet is covered in something undetectable from afar? Next, he hangs from a knife by his neck. Why do people enjoy this stuff? Yuck. Sofia admits that she loves and hates danger acts. Heidi calls it something new. Simon calls it like “watching the Omen at lunchtime.” – 4 yeses

Mayyas – Dance group – Sofia’s Golden Buzzer

This Lebanese dance crew won Arab’s Got Talent in 2019. The group knew their choreographer as kids. He shares how hard it is to bring female dance to Lebanon. Last year’s golden buzzer act, the late Nightbirde, inspired him. The dancers share how hard life is in Lebanon and that female dancers aren’t fully accepted in the Arab world. (But they did win Arab’s Got Talent!). They plan to hypnotize the audience with movements that are synchronized and mesmerizing. The undulating feathers are  pretty cool. The judges and crowd are on their feet at the end. Sofia calls it beautiful and creative. Howie said he WAS hypnotized. Heidi calls it stunning. Simon calls them the best dance act they’ve ever seen. Then Sofia says she wants to “empower them even more” before hitting the Golden Buzzer. The confetti flies, and everybody cries!