The milestone Season 20 of America’s Got Talent is underway, and the premiere kicked off with a batch of impressive auditions (and a few not so impressive ones). This season saw the return of Mel B. to the judges’ table, joining Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel.
The acts performed in front of the judges and a live audience, but the judges ultimately had the final say in who moved onto the next round. Scroll down for a recap of the premiere night performances and find out who moved on!
Eric Booker
First up was Eric Booker, whose talent was chugging items like hot dog water, hot sauce, creamed corn, and pickle juice. Mel B. almost immediately hit her red X, as she was so grossed out by what was happening in front of her.
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The rest of the judges were intrigued, but ultimately they all voted not to let Eric move on. “I actually don’t know what to say,” Cowell admitted. “It’s not great. I just don’t think hot dog water is all that exciting.”
Team Recycled
Up next was a dance group called Team Recycled, who had Cowell, Vergara, and Mandel all on their feet after their impressive performance, which took up the entire room.
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However, Mel B. was less than enthused. “The choreography at the start was so boring that if it wasn’t for the switch-around, I would’ve just literally turned off,” she told the group. The rest of the judges completely disagreed, though. “I think we saw two very different acts there,” Cowell told her. In the end, Mel was the only one to vote no, and told Team Recycled to “prove [her] wrong” now that they were moving on.
Zak Mirz
Magician and family man Zak Mirz took the stage next and wowed the judges and audience alike with his routine, which was dedicated to his young daughter.
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“We have had three magicians win America’s Got Talent, and you took that bar and you went above it,” Mandel told Zak. All four judges voted yes for him to move on.
Light Wire
Light Wire brought something to the show that the judges had never seen before. The creative content company hailed all the way from Brazil and put on their impressive light show.
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“You know what, you never, ever, ever know when you’re doing a new year whether you’re going to see something better than you’ve seen before. I’m not just saying this. It was one of the most beautiful, stunning, acts that I have seen across all of the Got Talents,” Cowell gushed. He then went on to push his Golden Buzzer, sending Light Wire automatically onto the live shows.
Micah Palace
Micah Palace had the judges grooving in their seats with his upbeat rap performance and dancing. Vergara and Mandel were even on their feet at the end! But was it enough to earn Micah the chance to move on?
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“I didn’t know what was going to happen when I saw that. Seriously, I thought maybe you were going to tell some jokes, do some ironing or whatever, but I actually really liked the song,” Cowell said. Vergara jumped in to add, “Yes! Amazing!” Mel praised Micah for getting the audience going, and Mandel said that it was “epic.” All four judges said yes so he could move on.
Chloe and Gallagher
The next act was Chloe and Gallagher, a female singer and her 43-year-old bird. Chloe sang, while Gallagher was supposed to add “bird vibrado” in the background.
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Unfortunately, Gallagher didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to be performing, because he didn’t jump in when he was supposed to. “I think you guys need a little bit more work together and maybe it’s gonna happen,” Vergara said. In the end, it simply didn’t work, and the duo got four nos.
Amadou
Amadou “Lastic Boy” showed off his absolutely insane flexibility as he bent his body in all sorts of positions during his audition.
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The judges were floored and amazed. “I don’t think anybody has ever seen anything like that before in their entire lives. That was un-freaking-believable,” Mel B. raved. Vergara pointed out that “we’ve seen a lot of contortionism on this show,” but said Amadou took it to “another level.” Needless to say, he got four yeses.
Marty & Michael
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Marty & Michael showed off their “niche” talent of … hurting each other? “I’m never going to get those two minutes back of my life,” Mel said after all four judges hit their red Xs. Less than halfway through the performance, it was over for the longtime friends from Australia.
Jourdan Blue
Luckily, Jourdan Blue was up next to turn things around. The formerly homeless singer came to the show with hopes of providing a better life for his girlfriend and their son, and he impressed the judges with his performance.
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Jourdan sang “Break Even” by The Script and ended up getting Mandel to push his Golden Buzzer. “I’m in love with you,” Vergara said. “The hair, the voice, the energy. You’re a rockstar.”
Before hitting the Golden Buzzer, Mandel said, “That stage and that moment can take you anywhere and this is just the beginning of where you can go!”
Jacqueline & Wagner
Jacqueline and Wagner hit the stage in their roller skates and after a lengthy story about how they met (during which she did all the talking), they showed off their impressive aerial and trapeze routine.
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The judges could barely get a word in edgewise as the audience cheered. “It felt like something really wrong was about to happen, but it was beautiful, exciting. I felt many things,” Vergara said. Cowell pointed out that he found Jacqueline and Wagner “very interesting,” too, and Mel B said she was on the “edge of [her] seat.” The duo got four yeses to move on.
Sandy Larson
The final act of the night was Sandy Larson, a 70-year-old who used to be a professional dancer and turned that in for life with her family. In honor of the show’s 20th season, she decided it was time to get herself back in the game.
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Two of Sandy’s friends joined her during the performance, which Vergara called “beautiful” and a “great way to finish today.” Cowell said that he “loved” all three of them. “I liked the fact that your backup dancers weren’t the best dancers in the world, however, that’s what made it brilliant. It made me really happy,” he said.
Mel B. was not feeling it and she hit her red X, but all three other judges were onboard and voted yes for Sandy and her girls to move on.
America’s Got Talent, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC