“America’s Got Talent” is just two episodes away from the live shows, with the third of four episodes dedicated to judge cuts airing on Tuesday, July 30. This week’s guest judge is Ellie Kemper, the Emmy-nominated star of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “The Office.” As with the four regular panellists (Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough, Howie Mandel and Gabrielle Union), Ellie also gets a Golden Buzzer.
A whopping eighteen acts are vying for this singular honor. Whoever inspires Ellie to press the Golden Buzzer will go straight through to the live quarter-finals next month. Six of the other 17 acts in contention will also get the thumbs up from the four judges. They’ll also move on to this next stage of the competition to win season 14 of “AGT” and claim the million dollar prize.
SEE ‘America’s Got Talent’ Judge Cuts 3 spoilers: Here are the 18 acts on the July 30 show
Over the course of the first two installments of judge cuts, 14 acts have secured places in the quarter-finals. Among these are the Golden Buzzer picks of the two guest judges: country superstar Brad Paisley was won over by singer/songwriter Sophie Pecora while NBA all-star Dwayne Wade, who is married to Gabrielle, was in awe of the inspirational choir Voices of Hope.
SEE Everything you need to know about season 14 of ‘America’s Got Talent’
Below, read our “America’s Got Talent” Season 14, Episode 9 recap of the acts in the order in which they took to the stage on Tuesday’s episode. Who are you most excited to see perform in the live shows? Be sure to sound off with your thoughts down in the comments section.
8:04 p.m. – Tonight’s first audition came from comic Greg Morton. Though he is a comedian, he identifies moreso as a “comedic entertainer” because he does more than just stand up comedy. For this audition he shared his “favorite movie moments” by way of doing sounds and a medley of interpretations from films like Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Toy Story, E.T. and Wizard of Oz. He moved so quickly through the film voices that it was quite impressive how many different tones he could master. The judges were enthusiastic about his performance with Simon even comparing him to the early seasons of the show where rare and oddball talents had a place to be seen.
8:13 p.m. – Next up was Carmen Carter who performed a rousing rendition of “Come Together.” She kicked off the song with high energy and a ton of charisma and continued working the crowd throughout. The only let down was that the arrangement of the song didn’t allow for very much rhythm and instead focused on her ability to hit big notes. That being said, she still got a standing ovation from the crowd and judges and won Ellie over with the display of soul and heart. Simon acknowledged that it “wasn’t perfect” and advised her to do something other than a simple cover next time.
8:21 p.m. – Illusionist Nicholas Wallace performed a standard mind trick using Terry, but it seems the judges and audience were bored by the presentation. He was followed by Ray Underwood & Magic who also sent the judges into a slumber with their dog trick act.
8:23 p.m. – It took Gonzo and his tambourine to rouse the crowd from their boredom by pairing his instrumental work with karate moves. Once again the humor that he brings to a musical performance was refreshing and unique. He exuded personality before and during his performance which helped since his talent isn’t necessarily as impressive as others. Julianne was happy that he turned the night around with his energy and Howie admired the “element of surprise” in his act.
8:33 p.m. – Argentinian dance crew Revolution promised to “bring something new” in tonight’s audition and they did just that. Though they returned with drums, they added flaming batons which matched their “I am woman, hear me roar” attitude (in Gabrielle’s words) and earned a “that was a step up” from Simon.
8:36 p.m. – Guitarist Marcin Patrzalek came to the stage next with a “very difficult performance” inspired by flamenco music. Ellie was wide-eyed during the audition and by the end it was clear that he lived up to the high hopes the judges had for him. Julianne and Gabrielle were the first to rise to their feet in appreciation of his talent, followed by everyone else in the crowd. Gabrielle called him “unique, dynamic and explosive” while Simon pointed out how impressive it is that he can get such a great reaction from the crowd without the frills of a huge stage production–just himself and his instrument.
8:44 p.m. – Crooner Jacob Norton wasn’t as good as his first audition and pianist-dancer Patrizio Ratto performed well again, but also didn’t step it up. Their underwhelming performances were followed by 12 year old singer Ansley Burns who in her first audition was given a second chance to sing after flopping on her first go. Tonight Simon once again stopped her mid-performance of “Good Girl” because he hated the backing track and asked her to sing a cappella once again to put her voice forward. Like last time her performance earned instant raves because of her guts to switch it up last minute under pressure as well as her vocal talent.
8:57 p.m. – Light Balance Kids continued the legacy of alum group Light Balance with tonight’s performance that they describe as more than just dancing–“coding, programming, lights” and more. In this audition’s storyline they were box-like robots that were more or less like street kids, using graffiti imagery and the setting of a basketball court. Ellie, who hadn’t seen them before, loved it so much that she wanted more and Simon called them incredible because of the amount of rehearsing that their talent requires. After all the judges had their say, Ellie decided to use her Golden Buzzer on the kids to ensure that they’d advance to the live finals!
9:08 p.m. – Vocal group drag queens Stephanie’s Child were buzzed with a “no” by Simon in their first audition who called their vocals “horrible.” Tonight their fiery personalities impressed Simon, but he still wasn’t on board with their voices in the Demi Lovato medley and gave them another negative ring of his buzzer. Still, the audience was on their feet for them and the rest of the panel was much more respectful and supportive of their performance.
9:12 p.m. – Danger-comedy-singing act Nick & Lindsay were pleasantly surprised by the positive response they received for their first audition, but came to the stage tonight determined to be better in all those areas. In this audition, Nick swallowed razors on a string and then Lindsay pulled them from his mouth with her feet just before he laid down shirtless on a bed of nails while she placed cinder blocks on his belly and then hit it with a flaming hammer while blindfolded. Mind you, the entire time he was singing Italian opera and she went in and out of playing the violin. Even with a few cringes from the judges, Howie loved that “there was so much” to their act and Julianne appreciated that they’re characters and so much fun.
9:22 p.m. – The judges liked the precision and elements of danger from beam acrobats Andrei & Alexander which just set up the pressure for similar act Duo Maintenant who Howie called “seamless and smooth” and Ellie deemed “stunning” after this second audition. Both acts were followed by another acrobatic duo, Brazilians Edson & Leon. Donning “Up” costumes, the two men surprised the judges yet again with their incredible skills, strength, balance and flexibility in spite of their advanced ages. Even the younger acts that performed before them were utterly shook!
9:34 p.m. – Melissa Arleth and her rat were next on stage to run an obstacle course. It was a delayed start for the rat, but once it got going the audience cheered as the rat made its way through a NYC set including a journey across Melissa’s body while she hung upside down on a pole, culminating in the rat raising the American flag up its own little pole. The judges acknowledged that training a rat must be challenging and understood the hiccups in parts of the act while also calling it “fun.”
9:43 p.m. – The last act of the night was singer Mackenzie who chose “I’m Forever Yours Faithfully” as a reflection of his journey and career as a working musician. His soulful and passionate vocal brought the house to its feet and was easily the performance of the night. Ellie felt the “joy” of his performance, but Julianne felt like this audition was “pushed” compared to his “effortless” first audition. Simon even admitted that it wasn’t a perfect vocal, but that he believes in his authenticity.
9:53 p.m. – After deliberation, the judges announced which 6 of the remaining 17 acts would join Light Balance Kids in the live finals. The six chosen to advance were: Marcin Patrzalek, Greg Morton, Mackenzie, Carmen Carter, Nick & Lindsay and Gonzo. Which of the 7 from tonight’s show was your fave? Sound off in the comments!
