After nine weeks of auditions, 55 contestants are ready to compete for a spot in the finale. Eleven contestants will perform each of five weeks, with two leaving the competition by the end of Wednesday’s results show.
VOTING: To vote for your favorite act, download the official America’s Got Talent phone app at the Apple store and Google Play, and/or vote at nbc.com/activate. All voting methods CLOSE Wednesday 7 am ET.
Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara sit on the panel, while Terry Crews hosts.
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MPLUSPLUS – Dance and light show
Rhu Rho. The group had technical difficulties this week. The director had only 24 hours to fix the issues. The group relies heavily on computer technology to create their dance performances featuring what appear to be colorful dancing lights. Light shows are tough to judge on television, assuming that in the theater it looks spectacular, but maybe on TV not so much. Still, the light show and dance moves are creative. The light up umbrellas with waving figures were like nothing AGT has ever seen before.
However, Howie isn’t impressed “It’s only LED lights.” Heidi agrees with Howie. But Simon DISAGREES, which is all that counts. He finds it Las Vegas worthy. Sofia liked it too.
JoJo and Bri – Singers
This duo is an Uncle/niece act. JoJo auditioned for AGT in 2020 with a group called Resound, while Bri has had her own viral success. This time the two sing “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree. It’s a solid, but not spectacular performance. Their blend is good and they are very well rehearsed. Just nice, but nothing more. With all the great singers this season, these two don’t cut it.
Heidi and Sofia both love their harmonies and positive vibe. Simon thinks they may have gone off key at times. Hm. No? He thought the end part of the performance was better than the first half. I agree with that, but as the performance became more intense, the performance improved. They were on key. Howie calls Bri the star of the duo. He thinks the pairing is gimmicky. Ouch. Maybe? But JoJo is actually a very good singer.
Cline Twins – Hockey Tricks
The Canadian brothers share that they’ve dreamed of being on AGT their entire lives. The two do well-practiced hockey tricks with sticks and pucks. They have been practicing hard and are deathly afraid of being buzzed. The duo move all over the theater, ending up in front of the judges. They flip pucks to each other from long distances. The two are skilled. But is it an act that can thrive outside of Tik Tok and Instagram? I’m not sure.
Sofia likes that hockey tricks are a new thing for AGT. She compliments their preparedness. Simon claims that Howie didn’t want to put them though. “You know, I’m right.” He calls it “the best act of the night. Really? It’s only 3 acts in. Howie denies not liking them. He calls them “pucking good.” Har har. Heidi says “I need this in my life…amazing.”
Amanda Mammana – Singer/Songwriter
She developed a debilitating stutter at 10 years old. She has no idea why it started. But it almost stopped her from pursuing music. This time, she’ll perform another original song. She’s a better songwriter than singer–she sounds a little flat in her lower register. But she’s an artist with a point of view, which I appreciate.
Simon believes that Amanda has broken out of her shell. “This is really going to make a difference to you.” Howie shares that his son was a stutterer. He relates to her story. “It was heroic and beautiful,” he says. Heidi thinks she “looks comfortable up there.” Sofia calls her a “very inspiring beautiful girl.”
XOMG POP! – Kid singing/dancing group
The young girl group is a product of JoJo Siwa and her mom’s E Entertainment talent show for kids that aired last spring. They are very perky. VERY PERKY. They sing! They dance! These original songs aren’t very good. But then, I’m not the target audience. OH LOOK JOJO AND HER MAMA ARE IN THE AUDIENCE CHEERING THEIR CREATION ON.
Simon realizes it’s a performance that “not everyone is going to love.” But they know who their target audience is, he says. Exactly. (Although, as an 8 year old, I probably would have still hated this). He didn’t like their song, which is a thing that needs to be said. Howie says, “It’s not for me.” His granddaughter likes it though! Heidi compares them to a pinata exploding and “little spice girls falling out.” She notes how hard it is to sing and dance at the same time. Sofia thinks the group upped their game.
Nicolas RIBS – Magician
The French native works with cards and objects on a light table. This time, Terry is assisting. He pulls a computer keyboard from his lightboard. Pretty impressive! I think he’s way more interesting than Yu Hojin, the magician that made it through last week. Their acts are similar, but Nicolas is more creative. I’m not thinking “OH I know how he did that.” Somehow, at the end, he winds up with the signed card Terry was holding.
Heidi calls his skills set “is beyond words.” Sofia likes his “new style of magic…you are one of my favorite acts of the season.” Simon had forgot about him. However, he feels that was “one of the best” magic acts he’s ever seen. Howie thinks he can win the whole thing!
Mia Morris – One woman band
Mia is a one person band. Her dad got her into music at a young age. Now she plays a multitude of instruments. She shows her loop pedal skills on social media. This time, she’ll perform another original song with her loop pedal adding layers of instrumentation. She performs a pop punk song that does not highlight her vocal ability. However, she is undeniably a talented musician. She shreds on the electric guitar. By the end a full band–sounds that she created one instrument at a time–backs her performance.
Sofia calls her “the coolest girl.” Simon didn’t love the song and notes that she was out of tune. He calls it “a fantastic mess.” He likes that she stuck to her guns. Howie calls her a “rock star” but maybe not an amazing singer and songwriter. He thinks she needed to sing a cover. Heidi likes that she’s raw and unpolished. She compares Mia to Avril Lavigne.
Hayden Kristal – Comedian/Activist
Hayden had hearing loss as a child. The comic doesn’t hear high or low frequencies. But they speak clearly enough, she’s obviously not completely deaf. Hayden would love to be the first comic to win the show. Hayden starts off with dog jokes–only mildly amusing. If Simon wanted to be mean, he could buzz right now. But he’s smiling! He loves dogs, so smart subject choice.
Simon loved her act and wants to know why winning is important. ‘I won just getting here at all.” He thinks the comic popped tonight. “You’ve got a little star glow.” Howie was out with Covid for Hayden’s audition. He loved it. Heidi thinks the dog lovers will vote. Sofia calls Hayden relatable and likable.
Celia Muñoz – Ventriloquist
This Spanish ventriloquist does an act without a puppet. Instead, she throws her voice to objects like phones and radios. Celia, initially trained as an opera singer, says AGT ventriloquist acts like Terry Fator and Darci Lynn inspired her. This time, she’s at the drive in with her phone. She does the voices of the actors supposedly on screen. She’s watching Grease, which is a nice little tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John. “Olivia” sings while Celia eats ice cream and munches on popcorn. There is another ventriloquist competing in the semi’s in the coming weeks, but she’s better. However, her audition was more impressive.
Howie calls her original. Heidi loved the tribute, and how she “sucked us into your world.” Simon notes that someone tuning in the middle might not realize ventriloquism. He calls it the best act so far. “I love that you are a ventriloquist with no puppet,” says Sofia.
Funkanometry – Dance Duo
The two friends have been dancing together for six years and have a Tik Tok following. They kick off with a Disco classic and then on to Hip hop and. Their well rehearsed routines are energetic and humorous. But they are more suited for short, fun bits on social media than the live stage.
Heidi didn’t love it this time. She compares it to a middle school talent show. Sofia disagrees. She thinks girls will love them. Simon doesn’t think it matters that they aren’t highly skilled technically. He likes their energy. “It’s not boring.” Howie makes my point about it being a Tik Tok thing.
Sara James – Teen singer – Simon Cowell Buzzer
Simon begins pimping her before the 14 year old singer even sings. She lives in Poland with her mother, but her father is Nigerian. She covers Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” The arrangement is soft and ballady. The thing about Sara is her mature approach. She’s past the point of imitating other singers. She’s an original artist at only 14. Her take on “Rocket Man” is very modern. Elton will probably like this! She brings out the big vocals on the last chorus.
Simon feels very emotional for Sara right now. He calls the song choice “genius.” He’s sure Elton will retweet the performance. He probably will. Heidi calls her a star. Howie calls it a “winning performance.” He compliments her poise and calls her a superstar.
