By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
When it comes to Golden Buzzer acts, Heidi Klum’s record is mixed. Angelina Jordan, Cristina Rae, Deadly Games, and Sal Valentinetti shined during their respective seasons. Unfortunately, Arielle Baril, Angelina Green, and Makayla Phillips are barely footnotes in their seasons. Hopefully, Heidi’s Golden Buzzer for Season 16 will have a better presence on this season than the trio of forgettable ladies.
But who is the lucky recipient of Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer? Who joined the Northwell Health Nurses’ Choir, Nightbirde, the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team, and Jimmie Herrod at the Dolby Theatre live shows? Read on to find out!
After a powerful poem from Season 15 winner Brandon Leake with a preview of tonight’s acts, it was time to get started. Up first, the Positive Impact Movement – they all met at Muscle Beach. I had met one of the members, Travis Brewer, when the Wolfpack Ninjas visited New York City in 2019. After stripping off their shirts, the guys showcased spectacular strength and stunts that blew me away and made Sofia Vergara’s jaw dropped. All four judges stood up and gave them the night’s first unanimous “Yes.”
As the Empower Pack left the stage in disappointment, another dog trainer Alexandra Cole hoped to impress the judges. The Canadian dog trainer brought her dogs – Tesla and Luka onto the stage and once again, I pressed my imaginary buzzer. However, Simon led the judges in a standing ovation. The Got Talent creator revealed that they were his favorite dog act of the season. After receiving four “woofs” from the crew, Simon petted Tesla and Luka.
Gangstagrass spoke with Terry Crews before heading to the AGT stage. The group revealed that they have been together for over 11 years and were from very different parts of the United States. They also told the judges that they wanted to inspire the country to get over the tribal divisions we experienced over the past few years. Gangstagrass performed their original tune: “Bound To Ride.” I fell in love with their harmonies from the first note, and then the hip-hop solos took the song to a whole new level. I truly enjoyed watching their performance. All four judges gave them a standing ovation, and Terry proclaimed that their audition was “Yee-haw meets hip-hop.” Howie stated that Gangstagrass represented all of America, and Simon added that they would remember this audition. The guys got the third unanimous “Yes” of the evening!
Randy and Jason Sklar (also known as the Sklar Brothers) made their AGT debut. Heidi Klum revealed that she was married to a twin. Their families were very supportive of the brothers’ auditioning for the Reality TV show. I thought that they were okay; I did not laugh at their jokes. Howie gave them a standing ovation, while Heidi Klum revealed that she did not like their material. Despite not liking their material, Heidi joined the judges in voting them through to the next round.
France’s Got Talent quick-change artist and magician Lea Kyle made her AGT and hoped to win over Heidi Klum. In all honesty, we have not had a fantastic quick-change act/magician since Quick Change themselves back in Season One. I was very impressed with Lea’s performance, and Simon called it very cool and was impressed by her showmanship. Heidi called it “flawless” and sent her directly to the live shows thanks to the Golden Buzzer! This is the first time that a magician received a Golden Buzzer in six years since Piff the Magic Dragon in Season 10 (2015).
Thomas Evans showcased his jump rope skills that Howie did not like and he buzzed. Luckily for Thomas, Heidi, Sofia, and Simon saved him and advanced him to the next round. He continued to showcase his nasty side as he pressed his buzzer. 20-year-old Tory Vagasy almost melted Howie’s bad mood with a powerful cover of Frozen II’s “Into the Unknown.” Unfortunately, Howie said “No!” and it was up to Simon, Sofia, and Heidi to advance her to the next round.
31-year-old Peter Antoniou grew up in London and recently moved to Seattle. He decided to showcase his psychic powers on AGT. He revealed people ask him to find missing objects. Peter asked Terry to join him on stage and he revealed that he made an AGT house. Terry picked an object from the house (a baseball bat from “his room”) while Peter turned his back. Terry played a voice mail and revealed a painted message that correctly predicted the “baseball bat.”
He next turned to Sofia and wanted to use her engagement ring to read her mind. He challenged Simon to “lose the ring.” All four judges followed Peter backstage when there were 1,000 ring boxes set up. As Sofia and Peter looked away, Simon hid the ring in the middle of the floor. Peter correctly found the ring’s hiding spot and “proposed” to the former Modern Family star. He also revealed a rainbow involved in the story – a fact that Sofia kept away from the press. Peter received a ticket to the next round with four “Yeses.”
Dance group Dokteuk Crew traveled all the way from South Korea to audition for AGT. The octet claimed to eat, sleep, and breathe dance. Before they faced Heidi Klum and the rest of the judges, Dokteuk Crew revealed that their choreography was based on anime films and TV shows. I was blown away by their routine to fellow K-pop icons Blackpink’s “Kill This Love” and they made South Korea very proud with their performance. Howie declared that they were his favorite dance act of the season, while Simon proclaimed that K-dance has arrived. Dokteuk Crew received the four “Yeses” necessary to advance to the next round.
29-year-old Jayy dreamed about competing on AGT and revealed that she auditioned in her parents’ memory. Her parents were killed in a robbery, forcing Jayy to step up as a “big sister” for her family. She delivered a beautiful and heartbreaking cover of Freya Ridings’ “Lost Without You.” This was the only time tonight that I got chills from ANY performer. It was a stunning performance, and I wished that they had a Golden Buzzer for her.
Next week, its a historic moment as the group Golden Buzzer is revealed!
