America’s Got Talent 2020 Begins Filming Judge Cuts
The America’s Got Talent judge cuts have begun filming…distantly, of course. That’s according to Instagram posts from judge Sofia Vergara. Alongside colorful photos of fellow judges Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum in their cars, Sofia announces a “night shoot judges cuts.”
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Also, Heidi posts her own photo of herself practicing safe social distancing in what looks like a huge empty soundstage with Sofia, Simon, Howie Mandel and host Terry Crews. What could be happening?
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The judges are socially distanced on a large soundstage with a huge screen on the other side of the room. The acts are in a different location. Click through the pics to see.
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We’re shooting judge cuts but it’s going to be socially distant, says Terry
What steps is America’s Got Talent taking to film the Judge Cuts and beyond safely and entertainingly? Terry Crews told Entertainment Tonight: “We are guinea pigs right now. We’re shooting judge cuts but it’s going to be socially distant. I’m going to be on a field somewhere,” he said.”We found literally acreage and we are going to all be satelliting to each other. But this is the thing because safety is first.”
“Even the acts are going to be distanced,” Terry said. “The acts are going to be quarantined.”
In the Judge Cuts, acts that made it past the auditions come back for another performance. The judges decide at the end of the episode who will move on the the live shows, which are set to kick off in August.
Will overseas acts have trouble traveling to the US?
Here is a potential problem: The name “America’s Got Talent” is misleading. The show actually boasts a ton of acts from overseas. If competitors left the country after their audition, what happens if they can’t fly back due to coronavirus travel bans? Would the acts audition remotely from their home countries? But what happens if they make the cut? If live shows are remote, it may not be a problem. But if the show is back in the studio for the live rounds, it could be a tricky problem to solve.
Simon Cowell worked out 3 different scenarios
“We’ve worked out about three different scenarios for how we can shoot the live shows with or without an audience, or a limited audience. And each one of them creatively works,” Simon told People magazine at the end of May. “The most important thing is that we have to ensure that since people have auditioned, that they do get the chance safely to be able to compete as they normally do, and get that chance to win a million dollars, or at least appear in the final.”
