Sofia Vergara poses on the AGT: Season 19 red carpet. (Photo by & property of NBC’s Trae Patton)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
America’s Got Talent (AGT): Season 19 Judges Auditions has hit the seventh-week milestone!
For the past few weeks, dozens of acts have traveled from across the country and worldwide to impress judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum. So far this season, the rulebook regarding the Golden Buzzer has been thrown out, with the judges having the ability to award two acts a spot in the Season 19 Live Shows.
Now, all eyes are on the Modern Family actress as she has the final Golden Buzzer! The anticipation is high- did Sofia press it tonight? Read on to find out!
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As the audience filed into the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Simon met Mia, who told her friends about the encounter over FaceTime. Meanwhile, Terry spoke with the 13-year-old before she took the stage. After Terry reminded the audience that Sofia had the final Golden Buzzer in her position, Mia walked onto the stage and reunited with Simon. She tackled Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever“ for a shot of being considered for the AGT: Season 19 Live Shows. Mia had a superb vocal tone and had the audience singing along. She did showcase her potential and received a standing ovation from Howie, Heidi, and Sofia. Heidi called her “a very gutsy young lady,“ while Sofia declared Mia a star. Mia became the latest act to join the “Four Yeses“ club.
Illya Strakhov gave us a tour of Las Vegas before taking the stage. His wife, Anastasia, joined him for his audition. I loved his take on head balancing, and when he added the bowling ball, my jaw dropped. I cannot believe he poured a drink of scotch and drank it while he balanced and next balanced on the bottle. Simon and the ladies gave him a standing ovation, and he became the first 4,000 “Yeses” of the evening!
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus sang Phillip Phillips’ “Home” and delivered a beautiful cover of the song! The performance inspired Sofia, while Simon declared that he loved the audience. They received four “Yeses.”
Cuban singer Dian Rene escaped his home country to pursue a career. However, the Spanish lyrics were not cleared until his audition, so Dian had to learn the English version quickly. Dian did a fabulous job covering Jennifer Lopez’s “Waiting for Tonight;” however, Simon stopped him and wanted him to come back on another day.
Musicians Joey & Jordan met through their love of bluegrass music. I loved their enthusiasm, but the performance felt like a local TV show not AGT. Sadly, they received one Yes from Sofia and three “No’s” from the other judges.
Jabu and Cornelio decided to combine their love of tap dancing (Jabu) and drumming (Cornelio) into an act. The duo put on a show, and I loved watching their performance of Gloria Estefan’s “Conga.” Heidi declared it a “great audition,” while Simon stated that the duo reminded them of the Rat Pack. They received the latest set of four “Yeses.”
My jaw dropped when I saw Horse for the first time in ages. Since we last saw him, he had started a gym in his community and wanted to ensure his children were in shape. He dumped his whole head into buffalo sauce and did his classic antics, where his friends tortured him by hitting him in the nuts. As the torture continued, Sofia pressed her buzzer. Simon called it compelling and disgusting, while Howie praised Horse. While Sofia said “No,” Simon, Howie, and Heidi (thanks to the crowd’s encouragement) gave him “three yeses.”
Simon met Police Officer Mervin Mayo backstage before he stepped onto the AGT stage. The Richmond, Virginia police officer helped his community by mentoring at-risk youth because he was in their shoes. He performed a haunting version of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” Mervin gave me a strong case of goosebumps. After the performance, his wife, Michelle, joined him on stage. Simon called his audition – “a great moment,” – and Mervin received “Four Yeses” and a rousing standing ovation from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium audience.
The crew members brought out a silver box, and out came contortionist Aleksandr Batuev. His Matrix routine showcased a lot of flexibility, and I was amazed that he had put himself back into the silver box. He received the first four-judge standing ovation of the evening! Sofia called it “fascinating and horrible at the same time.” She joined her fellow judges in giving Aleksandr “four yeses.”
As the stagehands removed Aleksandr’s box, Insane Shayne and his friends, who were throwers, met with a production assistant. Thanks to his 1.5 million Instagram followers and 2.2 million TikTok followers, he has a massive social media following. However, Shayne brought his sports stunts spectacular to the AGT stage as he attempted to catch marshmallows thrown by a friend from the balcony. He even had Terry Crews join him in the act. While it was fun, I would have buzzed him. Simon was speechless in his commentary, and Insane Shayne received four “Yeses.”
Novelty act Schumacher traveled from Japan to audition for the show. The duo had been together for a decade, but this was the first time they had performed their routine outside of Japan. One of the members transformed into a dog, a zebra, or a giraffe. I would have buzzed them, pulled a Piers Morgan, and ripped them across the coals. Sadly, Sofia thought they were hysterical and gave them the last Golden Buzzer! WTF? Sadly, Sofia needs to go after this season!
Terry checked in with Dian Rene, who learned a new Spanish song and boy did he took command of the stage. I felt like I was watching Marc Anthony’s second coming! He is a superb showman and commanded the Pasadena Civic Auditorium! He received the latest set of “four yeses.”
Horror magicians Forest of Haunts brought Halloween Horror Nights to AGT. A maniacal witch appeared in front of the judges and her psychotic assistants chose Simon and Sofia to participate. The witch commanded Simon to select two balloons as Sofia was blindfolded. The non-selected balloons each had golden confetti in them. The first one that Simon selected also had golden confetti. However, the balloon that Simon did not choose contained worms. The Forest of Haunts received three “Yeses.”
Next week, the AGT: Season 19 Judge Auditions CONCLUDE!
