After nine weeks of auditions, 55 contestants were ready to compete for a spot in the finale. This week, the FINAL eleven contestants from the Top 55 will perform for America’s vote, with two leaving the competition by the end of Wednesday’s results show.
VOTING: To vote for your favorite act, download the official America’s Got Talent phone app at the Apple store and Google Play, and/or vote at nbc.com/activate. All voting methods CLOSE Wednesday 7 am ET.
Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara sit on the panel, while Terry Crews hosts.
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Kristen Cruz – Singer
Kristen is a viral Tik Tok artist who makes smoothies and coffee drinks as she hits those high notes! AGT has helped her realize that she loves to perform on stage. She sings “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” by Miley Cyrus. She and Miley have similar tones–dusky and raspy. It’s a good choice for her. Although she’s good, let’s face it–it’s her last time on the AGT stage and she acquits herself beautifully.
Heidi is on her feet! “I am so happy for you that you got out of your comfort zone…that was the right thing for you,” says Sofia. Simon asks who her favorite singer is. She answers, “Adele.” He insists that she chose the wrong song tonight, “You were screaming the song.” He suggests that she sing country music. What?!!? She was great. Simon is downplaying her performance on purpose. Heidi disagrees, “Your voice is FEROCIOUS…you are incredible,” she says. Howie agrees, calling her powerful and complimenting her raw voice. He hopes she’s voted through.
Mervant Vera – Rapping magician
Mervant combines rapping and magic. Apparently, he performed on the streets of Philadelphia. He promises to do something “very risky” tonight. Terry is on stage to assist. Heidi picks a number, from which Mervant pages to a book of songs he’s written. The rap is meant to be random. He freestyles through a bunch of cards with words written on them, that Terry mixed up. I’m not sure where the magic is? His skill is rudimentary. He’s better at rapping.
Heidi calls him a genius. “You make magic so cool…rapping and magic,” says Sofia. Simon really liked his first audition. “I could hear tonight how nervous you were.” But he liked that! “You have a real shot of getting into the finals.” Howie states, “You are the magical hip hop version of Tony Robbins. You deserve to be here.” Mervant wants to be a pioneer for a new age of magic. Good luck with that.
Travis Japan – Boy band
Their audition was SO CHEESY. But Simon believes they have potential. Moldable! In their package, they rattle off the archetypes they all represent. The cute one! The bad boy! Etc. This time they begin bathed in red light. Edgy! Except after the lights turn purple and they rip off their cloaks to reveal sparkly suits. Still cheesy! Howie buzzes them. They are TERRIBLE. But the backing track is messed up. The sound is awful. It’s not their fault. One could say they should be able to sing without an assist. But all these group bands sing with tracks. Toast. They are.
“You gotta hit some of the notes. They were really off,” says Howie. He compares it to an SNL parody. Simon notes it’s difficult to sing live. “The song was dreadful…wrong song full stop.” He still loves them. He wants to get his hands on them, so to speak. “The vocals need more finessing,” says Heidi. “The vocals today were a little bit bad,” says Sofia.
Max Ostler – Dancer
This young contemporary dancer is from Australia. He’s a good dancer. He belongs on So You Think You Can Dance. AGT isn’t a good forum for skilled dancers. For one thing, the judges have no idea what they’re looking at and no framework from which to judge. Too bad World of Dance is kaput in America.
Oooh. Simon and Heidi are on their feet. Heidi calls it “Poetry in motion.” Sofia also loved it. Simon loves his talent and his guts. He compliments the music he chose, along with the choreographer. “This was better than your first audition.” Howie thinks he should team up with Ed Sheeran and perform it live on stage with him. Good that Simon has at least an idea of Max’s talent.
Jordan Conley – Comedian – Qualifiers Wildcard
Viewers voted Jordan through as the 55th semi-finalist. A comedian went through last week. Is there room for one more? Probably not. He takes the stage from a seat in the audience. He’s funnier, than Mike E. Winfield, the comedian who advanced. However, his audition was funnier. His jokes focus on him being kind of a nerdy Black dude. His wordplay is very deft!
Howie calls him lovable and likable. “You have the energy, you have the spirit…I have a feeling you connected.” Heidi loves his physical comedy. Sofia wishes him the best. “You did brilliant tonight,” says Simon. “Your comedy is brilliant to you…I think our audience are going to love you.”
Kristy Sellars – Pole dancer
Kristy is a pole dancer, but she incorporates an amazing multimedia story to accompany her performance. AGT has never seen anything like it. This time she physically interacts with the video screen behind her. It’s pretty cool–an Alice Through the Looking Glass type of story. Really trippy, this is. There is so much to look at. She’s upped her game from last time.
The judges are on their feet. Simon looks Gobsmacked. “I’m very very impressed,” says Heidi. “Your imagination is amazing.” Sofia admires the precision of her act. “Even better than your audition.” Simon calls it “unbelievable…this is one of the most astonish brilliant creative acts.” Howie jokes, “Finally, a pole dancer I can bring the whole family to see.” I hope she advances.
Blade 2 Blade – Knife Throwing
These two are brothers, the third generation of danger acts. In their audition, Simon participated, as knives whizzed passed his face. This time…fire of course! They spin a female assistant on a wheel and throw knives at her. Yuck. Out comes the fire, which they throw at each other. That’s more like it. The female appears on a pole. As she swings around, the brothers throw knives at each other, the idea being that she’s a moving target. Dangerous! AGT has had better danger acts, however.
Sofia compares the act to a dual. Simon compares it to watching a horror movie, but in a good way. “You’ve had the biggest reaction from the audience tonight.” Howie thinks they “bring something we need.” Heidi calls it intense and terrifying. They are the only danger act left in the competition, which is why the panel is pushing them.
urbancrew (Flyers of the South) – Dance group
The group started performing in the streets of the Philippines. When their audition aired on AGT, the country went crazy. Their audition has over 11 million views. Too bad those folks can’t vote, eh? The group mixes hip-hop dancing with acrobatics. They use hoops as props this time, which is something different, and elevates their game. They jump with and through the hoops. Lots could go wrong, but doesn’t.
“This made me feel amazing,” says Simon. He admires their preparation and discipline. “That was the most exciting, entertaining act of the night.” Heidi says, “You are a jolt of adrenaline, fun joy, my favorite act of the night.” Sofia says, “You went all out tonight, the energy, the danger…it was perfect.”
Aubrey Burchell – Singer
Aubrey works at a Target in Pittsburgh. She uploads videos of herself singing in the bathroom. She made the American Idol Top 70 in 2018. She chooses a song, “Loved by You” by KIRBY that shows off the bluesier side of her voice. Keeping the instrumentation simple is key. Too often, the track overwhelms the singer. But here, her voice is front and center. She’d be a worthy finalist, but unfortunately only two acts are advancing this week. Nice phrasing and head voice from Aubrey. And some whistle notes! She had a moment this time.
Howie calls the song choice “cabaret.” He’s dumb. Heidi loved the song, “you could really show your amazing range.” Exactly. “There was nothing nervous about you tonight. You sounded amazing. Perfection,” says Sofia. Simon calls her “really cool.” He agrees that a more familiar song might have been better. But he doesn’t think it mattered. “You did brilliant. You have a star glow about you.”
Shu Takada – Yoyo artist
Japanese yoyo artist, Shu, combines yoyo and dance. This time, he works with LED yoyos, adding extra pizazz. He swings around his yoyos as he works the stage with a big smile. He hops off the stage. For a second, it looked like Heidi would get a face full of yoyo.
Simon’s son Eric loved it. “You are a true world champion.” He’s sure it will be a big clip on line. “You have a shot to be in the finals.” Heidi says, “It was amazing.” Sofia says he makes yoyo “cool.” Howie declares that he redeemed his country. Ouch. He’s referring to the earlier act, Travis Japan, which he buzzed. Unnecessarily mean.
Mayyas – Dance group – Sofia Vergara buzzer
They are the first female Arab dance troupe to perform on AGT. They share about how hard it is to be a female dancer in the restrictive Arab world. Their dance routines feature undulating and precise movements that are mesmerising. At first, they look like a field of snakes before they break apart. Next, their movements are insect-like. Next, it becomes surreal, as they move, like forest trees come to life. That was beautiful.
Sofia charges the stage to hug them. Simon thinks the moment will change their lives, but also change the world. “This is the World’s Got Talent.” Heidi believes they are “Vegas ready.” Howie says, “You create a powerful creature…the best moment I have seen in AGT history.”
