“America’s Got Talent” season 14 continues on June 4 with another two-hour episode showcasing the best (and worst) auditions. In this phase of “AGT,” an act needs at least three of the four judges (Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough, Howie Mandel and Gabrielle Union ) to give them a “yes” vote to advance to the next round. If two or more judges buzz the act, it is immediately eliminated.
Each judge, along with host Terry Crews, has one chance to hit the “golden buzzer” and send an act straight through to the live performances. Gabrielle, a new addition to the judging panel, was inspired to press her golden buzzer on the premiere by the performance of singer and pianist Kodi Lee, who is both blind and autistic,.
The format is the same this year as last, with “America’s Got Talent” airing initially just on Tuesdays with these first six weeks devoted to the auditions that took place around the country. Then there will be four weeks of Judge Cuts beginning in July, followed by the series of live performance shows and results episodes.
SEE Everything you need to know about season 14 of ‘America’s Got Talent’
Below, follow along as we recap all the action on “America’s Got Talent” Season 14 Episode 2 in our updating live blog.
8:01 p.m. – Tonight’s second episode of the season began with Terry rolling a suitcase out on stage which a man, Jonathan Burns, crawled out of. It set the stage for his comedic routine that included spoofing 80s dance routines, contorting his body through a toilet seat and a tennis racket all while seducing the women in the crowd with his elastic headbands. The shocked faces of the judges exuded so much joy that it was clear they enjoyed the act and appreciated his infectious sense of humor. For Jonathan it was an easy YES from all four of the judges to send him through to the next round.
8:10 p.m. – 14 year old singer Benicio Bryant was up next with his rendition of “The Joker” by Brandi Carlile. Soon after he started signing Julianne got chills and by the time he hit the big moment of the chorus the entire audience rose to their feet to cheer him on. It was a controlled, textured and perfect vocal. Julianne was a huge fan of his, but she was supported by the other three judges who all agreed that his ability to build the song as it went along was impressive. Just before taking the all YES votes from the panel, Simon compared Benicio to a “young Harry Styles.”
8:21 p.m. – Excited to perform in front of Gabrielle, star of cheerleader movie “Bring It On,” the high-kicking team Emerald Belles took the stage next. The all female crew utilized the stage and audience floor in a slow beginning to a performance that evolved into synchronized movements of high kicks and formations across the stage. Gabrielle was enthusiastically in their corner, as was dancer Julianne. Howie didn’t think they were “even close” to the level of the famous Rockettes, but Simon pointed out that it’s a problem that there’s only one reference point in the dance form. Nevertheless, Howie began the votes with a NO which wasn’t enough to hold them back once it was a YES from the other three.
8:32 p.m. – The three brothers of The Messoudi Brothers are performing on AGT after their father, once a fourth member of their act, left the group a few months prior. Donning tight fitting white shirts, the guys performed acrobatic tricks together that showed their strength, balance and trust. Eventually (and naturally) the shirts came off, marking a raise in the ante of their tricks where they built towers of their bodies, balancing on one another in hand and head stands off of their necks, ankles and feet. Gabrielle liked that they went for the “wow factor” and Simon said they “tick every single box.” The vote here was easy, a YES across the board for the guys to advance to the next round, but not before they brought Terry out for one last trick where one of the guys did a handstand off of Terry’s hands.
8:44 p.m. – The next audition came from danger act Bir Khalsa Group, one member of which is the world’s tallest policeman at 7 foot 6 inches. For their act one member salted his eyes under a blindfold and bag while the other laid down on the ground, outlined by coconuts and melons. The blindfolded member took a mallet and successfully smashed the fruits lining the other’s body without a single flinch or missed mark. It was a thrilling display of unwavering courage and marksmanship. The judges loved the thrill of the act and so each gave them a YES to the next round.
8:55 p.m. – The five young women of GFORCE were up next to present their original song about “going to the top together and not letting anyone push you down” (in their own words). It’s a shame that Mel B wasn’t here to see them perform because they’re clearly the second coming of Spice Girls. Each girl had their own moment in the song and the vibe of the song was about self-empowerment and they had bouncy dance moves to boot. The crowd reaction made the girls emotional who admitted that it was their first time performing on stage. There was no way the judges weren’t going to send the group through to the next round unanimously and so they did!
9:06 p.m. – Singer Adaline Bates came to AGT to finally seize “her time” after many years, including some in her teenage years when she was in a girl group that never really panned out. After introducing herself, Adaline went off stage to “get ready,” only to return some time later in a garment that was half suit and half dress to perform a “Unforgettable” duet doing both the male and female parts herself. At one point Julianne had to ask Simon if the performance was actually good or if she should laugh and his reply was “both.” The panel liked the entertainment value and unexpected nature of her act and so they all gave her a YES to the next round.
9:17 p.m. – After a series of rejected comics, comedian Ryan Niemiller tried his set of jokes for the judges. In his introduction and his act, he made a point of using the birth defect in his arms for laughs in jokes about former failed careers of his. As a ginger, his best joke was responding to a question “is that genetic?” with “yes, because my mom is Irish and my dad’s a lobster.” That smart sense of humor was the thread through his set and what impressed the judges enough for them to all send him through to the next round.
9:29 p.m. – One of the guys from Light Balance returned to AGT this year with a new group, Light Balance Kids, as a way of inspiring the youth of Ukraine. Their performance tonight was a play off of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like the grown up group before them, Light Balance Kids used perfectly timed choreography together with a light show to tell a story of movement on the stage via their costumes. It was Gabrielle and Julianne’s first time seeing this type of act on the show–Gabrielle thought half of the group was robots, not real kids, and as a dancer Julianne was impressed by their technicality skill level. No surprise, they got a YES from each judge and will perform again in the next round.
9:39 p.m. – Nicholas Wallace‘s talent was to contact “the other side” through a connection he’s felt to it since he was a kid. In the audition he told a story about a haunted rocking chair that he had with him on stage and which he asked Gabrielle to take a seat in while blindfolded. He then picked up a doll from across the stage and while asking Gabrielle to make movements based on feeling, her movements matched perfectly the movements he was making with the doll as if it was a voodoo doll. The three judges that witnessed the act all gave him a YES, sending him through to the next round, and then had to explain to Gabrielle that she was “possessed by the doll.” Oop!
9:51 p.m. – Still without a golden buzzer given out this episode, singer-songwriter and self-taught producer Joseph Allen took the stage with a large contingent of friends seated right behind the judges’ panel. Before performing his song he wrote for them, Joseph told the judges that his goal in music is to see how big of a footprint he can leave on the Earth before he leaves. He started the song singing and then transitioned into a slightly humorous, but very inspirational rap that left himself speechless and emotional at the end. He got a standing ovation from the panel and the crowd as he rose from his knees with tears flowing from his eyes. After hearing positive critiques from Gabrielle, Julianne and Simon, it came to Howie who told him that his electricity was felt as soon as he walked on the stage and that if he said he wanted to leave a footprint then he would give him one–so Howie stood on the table and stomped on the golden buzzer, sending Joseph straight through to the live shows!
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