AGT: All Stars 2023 Premiere Recap Live Blog (Videos)

America's Got Talent: All Stars Light Balance Kids Terry Crews Golden Buzzer
Pictured: Light Balance Kids — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)

America’s Got Talent: All Stars 2023 kicks off tonight with the first 10 of 60 All Star acts. Simon Cowell calls the contestants the best of the best of the best. These are acts who performed well on AGT and Got Talent franchises around the world.

Each week 10 acts will perform for the judges for the chance to earn one of the coveted five Golden Buzzers and move on to the finals. The AGT Superfans will also vote on one additional act per episode who will also move onto the finals.

AGT: All Stars 2023 Premiere Lineup: Which 10 Acts Compete?
America’s Got Talent: All Stars Reveal Top 60 Acts Competing

Ultimately 11 (Five Golden Buzzers, Six Superfan contestants) will advance to the finale.The Superfans will vote for the winner and results will be revealed during the two-hour show. Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum sit on the judges panel. Terry Crews hosts.

Each week, a cast member is the designated Golden Buzzer pusher of the night. For the premiere, it’s judge Howie Mandel.

Bello Sisters – AGT S15 – Hand Balancing

NBC previewed this performance last week. Loren, Celine and Joline Bello are hand-balancing acrobats from Italy. The sisters remind the audience that in 2020, COVID kept them in their home country of Italy. They competed in the finale, but were forced to perform virtually, and were left wondering, after they finished outside of the Top 5, if performing live would have made a difference.

Once again, the siblings show off their grace and strength as they build dangerous looking towers with their bodies. How do they not break their bones? The last trick involves painful-looking contortion. Last time, Simon said they belonged in Vegas. They do!

The judges give them a standing ovation. “That was about as close to perfection as I’ve seen,” declares Simon, who can’t stop staring at himself on the screen. What a weirdo!

Aneeshwar Kunchala – Britain’s Got Talent 2022 – Poet

Seven year old Aneeshwar has loved nature since he was a 4 or 5 year old boy. On BGT, where he finished in 7th place in the finale, he recited poems that he wrote about animals, nature and conservation. Afterward, he won an award and starred in a documentary.

Aneeshwar rats out Simon. He sticks his chewing gum under the desk while he’s judging! As a video plays in the background, the young boy recites a poem about the plight of animals who suffer as a result of climate change and pollution. “Are we now destroying ourselves?” he asks. He’s very cute and precocious. A variety act? No.

Howie calls him adorable and an inspiration. Heidi is moved: “You are so beautiful inside and out. We need more people like you.” Simon thinks his message travels so well, and mentions that Aneeshwar writes his own monologues.

Caly Bevier – AGT S11 – Singer

Sixteen at the time of her AGT audition in 2016, Caly described surviving a rare form of Ovarian cancer. She sang “Fight Song” for the judges and got a Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell. Caly was his first golden buzzer! She describes her disappointment at being eliminated in the semi-finals. Since then, she’s been living in Los Angeles pursuing music. She will sing an original song tonight.

She was a decent singer at sixteen, but she’s even better now. The original song features a well-structured chorus which describes how the singer approaches her life, “with my head held high….” She doesn’t have a big rangy voice, but her tone and phrasing are beautiful.

Howie compliments her singing and writing. ‘You are a star,” he says. “I think you nailed it,” says Heidi. “You feel right at home up there.” Simon knew that she would go on to do great things. All Stars is the first time Caly sang an original on a big stage.

Lioz – Aus Got Talent 2019/AGT S13 – Magician

Lioz, an Israeli mentalist and magician with a deadpan comic bent, most recently competed on Australia’s Got Talent in 2020, but also on AGT season 13 in 2018. At the time, the panel loved Lioz…except for Heidi who didn’t appreciate his absurd humor. “Why are you here?” Simon asked. “You asked me to come,” Lioz replied. Ha.

He asks his hater, Heidi, to help him on stage. This is pretty funny. Hedi is annoyed by every single thing he does. He tricks her into scratching his back, and make balloon animals. He’s hilarious. He finally gets her to laugh with a joke involving a giant bra. BONUS: Adam Lambert’s song “Superpower” is played in the background!

Welp, having her help means she couldn’t buzz her! But Simon does anyway. He enjoyed it the first time, but now he calls it “stupid.” Heidi still doesn’t love it. Howie makes a plea to the superfans to vote for Lioz. Not a chance. However, the act was pretty amusing. Apparently, he already has a show in Vegas.

Jeanick Fournier – Canada’s Got Talent Winner 2022 – Singer

Jeanick is the winner of the revived second season of Canada’s Got Talent, which aired in 2022. Toronto native, Howie Mandel, sat on the judges panel. And Howie gets the Golden Buzzer this week? Let’s see what happens. A palliative care attendant and adoptive mother of two children with Down syndrome, the singer worked in Quebec as a Celine Dion tribute.

She sings “Never Gonna Love Again” by Lady Gaga from A Star is Born. She’s an old-fashioned diva singer performing a diva song with big booming production. She’s got pipes, that’s for sure. The judges and crowd give her a standing ovation.

“Some people are just meant to be on that stage,” Heidi states. “You’re just one of those people. Simon had attended the CGT finale. He recalls that she was very nervous. “You really are good, you controlled that song beautifully.” Howie adds, “You make me proud to be from Canada.” Oh. He’s not going to drop his Golden Buzzer on his fellow Canadian. Oh well.

Light Balance Kids – AGT S14 – Dance – Golden Buzzer

Former Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent contestants Light Balance have an offshoot made up of kids. The Ukraine LED dance troupe earned a golden buzzer from guest judge Ellie Kemper during the judge cuts and made it to the finale. They are the same kids, now teenagers, with a few of the parents along to fill in for members who couldn’t make the trip. A kid’s father is fighting in the Ukraine war. They all experienced the effects of the Russian invation. They are here to tell their war story.

Still, they perform a light-hearted dance, with a retro video game theme. It’s very fun and upbeat. They could have come out with a sad theme, but they made the choice to spread a positive message. It’s probably the only fun these kids have, when they dance.

The judges and crowd are on their feet. Heidi calls it a “fun party.” Simon calls it their best performance ever. “Brilliant” he calls it. Howie is gonna do it….he’s gonna do it….he’s gonna do it… “You come across the world to give us light,” YEP THERE HE GOES HOWIE HITS HIS GOLDEN BUZZER. Aw. The kiddos are crying. The act will advance straight to the finale.

Berywam – AGT S14 – A Capella Group

Berywam, a French beatbox crew competed on AGT in 2019 and was eliminated in the Quarterfinal round. They are world beatbox champions! Despite their early elimination, they have the MOST WATCHED audition video in AGT history. Over 200 million views.

This time the group makes the risky move to perform their self-penned tracks. The singing is very good, but what’s impressive is their impeccable and intricate beatboxing. The lead singer also raps. It’s very fast and as perfect as a recording.

Heidi calls them amazing. “It’s so good!” Howie calls them “definitely world champs.” Simon thinks they’ve improved since the last time they competed.

Alan Silva – AGT S15 – Aerialist

Alan is the brother of Deadly Games’ Alfredo. During his AGT audition shared how as a little person, the acrobat was bullied and underestimated his entire life. He finished the 2020 season in the Top 5. Alan says AGT allowed him to buy a home for his family. This time he’ll be less dangerous and more vulnerable, he reveals.

He performs a routine inspired by contemporary dance. The background music is “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman, which is fitting. The tricks still look dangerous, as he swings around on silks, barely tethered. He ends the routine swinging around high above the judges. He does a sudden drop right in front of the table while scattering rose pedals. FANTASTIC. The best act of the night.

Alan is crying at the end. Howie calls the new act “a step up.” Heidi notes the grace, beauty and danger. Simon thinks he’s gotten better. He calls it the best silks act he’s ever seen. He thinks the superfans will put him through. His cute kiddos join him onstage. Alan probably should have been the Golden Buzzer.

Jimmie Herrod – AGT S16 – Singer

AGT Judge Sofia Vergara hit her Golden Buzzer for Jimmie’s audition. He sang Simon’s most hated song “Tomorrow” from Annie and won him over. The Portland, Oregon singer’s theatrical style took him all the way to the 2021 final, where he finished outside of the Top 5.

This time, Jimmie sings a tender rendition of a contemporary song, “Glimpse of Us” by Joji. He saves the big theatrical notes for the end of the song, at which point, he brings it on. The slow build is beautifully constructed.

“That’s how you do it,” Simon remarks. “Absolutely brilliant. “You’ve always been one of my favorites,” says Heidi. “You are the best male vocalist in the history of AGT,” Howie declares.

Terry Fator – AGT S2 Winner – Ventriloquist

NBC previewed this audition over the weekend. Terry won America’s Got Talent season 2 way back in 2007. He then went on to sign a multi-million dollar contract for a Las Vegas residency at The Mirage. He signed two more after that. Terry claims he’s returned to the show to inspire people. But it’s probably to promote his Vegas act!

On stage, Terry brought out his puppet Winston to sing “The Prayer” in Italian. Next, an Elton John puppet joined in to sing a duet of “Rocket Man” Dua Lipa style. As a ventriloquist, Terry is very good at what he does. What’s more, before him, ventriloquism was relegated to ancient clips of now-dead ventriloquists on the Ed Sullivan Show. He revived a dying variety genre that can trace its popularity back to vaudeville.

Howie believes it’s not a fluke that Terry won AGT and calls his return to the show a “dream come true” for the entire panel. Heidi calls him the OG of ventriloquism. Simon claims that he gave NBC only one condition to make All Stars–that he’d only do it if Terry competed (!!!). That sounds like hyperbole, but OK. “As a super-fan, I would be voting you through to the final right now,” says Simon. Uhm. You guys have said variations of the same thing to several people tonight!

Results

The first act in the Top 3 is Bello Sisters. The next act in the Top 3 is Caly Bevier. The third and final act in the Top 3 is….Terry Fator. The remaining acts are eliminated. Simon is a little surprised at the results. Two or three acts left the stage who would have made the finals in the past (For instance: Alan Silva and Jimmie Herrod!)

In third place is…Caly Bevier. The act going into the finals is…Bello Sisters! Wow. That’s very shocking! OG Terry Fator is eliminated!

These results are kind of wack. Alan Silva deserved Howie’s Golden Buzzer and the superfans should have put through Jimmie Herrod.

Moving on to the finals:

Light Balance Kids – Howie’s Golden Buzzer
Bello Sisters – Superfans vote

About mj santilli 35161 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!