Simon’s protegé, Louis Tomlinson, helped the judges conclude the Judge Cuts. (Photo property of NBC’s Vivian Zink)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Directioners, rejoice!
Former One Direction member and Simon Cowell’s protégé, Louis Tomlinson, escaped the tabloids’ hot lights and arrived at the America’s Got Talent judges’ desk to join his mentor, Heidi, Mel B and Howie to determine the final seven acts who will perform at the Dolby Theatre for the Season 11 live shows.
Louis was also armed with one Golden Buzzer. The Golden Buzzer will give one lucky act the right to advance the Dolby Theatre live shows immediately!
Which lucky act received Louis’ Golden Buzzer? Who were the final acts to move forward to the next round? Read on to find out!
As soon as Simon arrived with guest judge Louis Tomlinson, the ladies in the AGT audience went nuts! After Louis had tested the Golden Buzzer, it was time for aerial act Andre and Ani also known as ThroWings to take the stage. Their first audition blew me away, and I hope that they continued their hot streak. Their aerial stunts this time around were more outlandish and blew everyone away, especially when Ani did a stunt blindfolded. Howie and Heidi gave them a standing ovation and Howie added that they were very worthy of moving on!
While Mel B and Louis shared parenting advice, 14-year-old Campbell Walker Fields hoped that his audition would impress his family. Two incredible gentlemen adopted him, but he wanted to impress his birth mother as well, who gave him up for adoption to give him a better life. He chose Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” and he tugged at the audience’s heartstrings. Heidi gave him a standing ovation and stated that she felt every word he sang, while Simon and Louis were also impressed with his performance.
The dance acts fought for their place in the finals. Flip’s intense preparations paid off as they delivered a smooth routine. Louis was very impressed that they stepped up to the plate, while Heidi praised their choreography. Meanwhile, the Jensens “Burned the Floor” with their ballroom team that received approval from Mel B. Unlike the Jensens and Flip, the Arizona Outlawz were not professionally trained. The quintet’s choreography impressed me, and their homage to MJ was spot on. Heidi was impressed, and Howie stated that their routine was “everything it needed it to be.” As the group left the stage, the judges began to start bickering about the Outlawz’ fate.
When the judges took a break, Louis came backstage to give the acts some encouragement. However, some of the younger acts were not meeting his standards. 14-year-old Janya Brown hoped to give back to her mom. Her nerves were showing as her arms shook before she even sang one note. I loved her take on Andra Day’s “Rise Up.” Her tone and pitch were fantastic, and she reminded me of X Factor USA alums Rachel Crow and Diamond White. Jayna received the first five-judge standing ovation of the night. Mel B called her a natural and that she was “meant to sing.” Simon added that Janya turned the competition upside down. Meanwhile, Louis was so impressed with her performance that she received the final Golden Buzzer of Season 11.
With the Golden Buzzer gone, the remaining acts had to step up to the plate. It came up for the battle against the young versus the old. 82-year-old heavy metal singer John Hetlinger screamed out a heavy metal standard that received a standing ovation from Simon and a buzz from Heidi. Meanwhile, 6-year-old Nathan Bockstahler shared a humorous joke about his parents’ hi-jinks. Simon predicted that Nathan would be a movie star, while Louis wanted to be his friend.
As Louis impressed the judges with an armpit fart, 45-year-old juggler Viktor Kee dedicated his Judge Cuts performance to his brother, who passed away from a heart attack a few weeks before. His performance reminded me of watching a one-man Cirque du Soleil. His movements were superb, and I loved the elements of surprise that he incorporated into this performance. Howie, Heidi, and Mel B gave him a standing ovation and Louis added that his performance “captivated” him.
Germany’s Quick Change act Sos and Victoria brought some magic into their routine. It was good, but the American Quick Change act who did this act during Season One were so much better. Simon and Heidi wanted more from them because the duo took out their dance element at Simon’s request. However, the buzzers got a workout during the next few acts as two hopefuls were sent immediately home after their abysmal performances.
I jumped for joy when I saw Musicality again! The inner city Chicago high school a cappella group made me weep after they covered One Direction’s “Night Changes.” They made me cry again when they included Demi Lovato and Sam Bailey’s “Skyscraper.” Their harmonies were outstanding, and I really wished that they received Louis’ Golden Buzzer. Louis stated that they were incredible and loved their unity. Howie praised their Musicality vocal director for his efforts and Mel B chimed in saying that she loved everything that they stand for. Even, Simon stated that he would be rooting for them.
As Louis insulted Howie, strength act the Baron of the Universe returned to the stage for another go-around. If his act went wrong, he could lose his nipples. The tattooed strongman pulled a car with his nipples. As Simon protected his nipples, Heidi buzzed him. Louis stated that his nipples were sore watching him, while Mel B said that there was an audience for his craft.
The Clairvoyants (Thommy Ten and Amelie van Tass) closed out the night with their chance to win a spot for the Dolby Theatre live shows. This time, they invited Simon to get on their act. Earlier this season, Simon stated that he wanted to go to Las Vegas with them. But, tonight Thommy and Amelie brought Sin City to him. They played a giant game of “Chance” with three Vegas related items: a dice, a deck of playing cards and money. Thommy asked the Got Talent creator to take out some money and put it on the Judges’ Desk. After Amelie had asked Louis to check to see if the blindfold was legitimate, Howie wanted to participate in the act. Thommy gave him the dice and asked the former Deal or No Deal host to roll it onto the desk. Howie rolled out a six, and Thommy asked Howie to roll and then cover the dice one final time. Back on stage, Amelie predicted that Howie rolled a “one”, and she was right! As Amelie put on the blindfold, Thommy asked Mel B to shuffle the playing cards and asked Louis to select one card. Amelie predicted that Simon’s protégé picked the five of hearts, and she was right again! For the final portion of their act, Thommy asked Heidi to randomly selected a bill from Simons’s wad of cash. He asked Amelie to predict the bill amount and read the bill’s serial number. Slowly, Amelie revealed the right numbers and their competitors’ jaws collectively dropped.
As the Clairvoyants left the stage and the judges said goodbye to Louis, it was time for the final Judge Cut of the season.
Moving on to the Dolby Theatre Live Shows: Jayna Brown (Louis Tomlinson’s Golden Buzzer act), Sos & Victoria, The Clairvoyants, ThroWings, Outlawz, Viktor Kee & Musicality Vocal Group!
Next week, the Season 11 live shows begin!
