The America’s Got Talent live shows continued on Sept. 9, with 11 quarterfinalists competing for the votes of the viewers at home. One of these acts would earn a spot in the finals thanks to the judges’ Golden Buzzer, while three others would advance to the semifinals after host Terry Crews announced the voting results on Sept. 10. The judges are Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, SofÃa Vergara, and Mel B.
The 11 acts competing in the fourth week of quarterfinals included three Golden Buzzers from the auditions: chorale group Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir (chosen by Simon), vocal group The BoykinZ (chosen by Terry), and dance group The Funkateer Dancers (chosen by Terry).
They were joined by eight other competitors: singer-guitarist Chuck Adams, singer and cellist Cole Swensen & Judy, vocal duo Crash Adams, laser act Gendai, bodybuilder Mike Munz, dance group Team Recycled, acrobatic duo TT Boys, and magician Zak Mirz.
The Boykinz, ‘America’s Got Talent’Trae Patton/NBC
One by one, the fourth group of acts competed live on Tuesday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, and voting officially opened at the end of the two-hour episode. Meet the 44 live show acts for AGT‘s 20th anniversary season. Read on for our America’s Got Talent 20, “Quarterfinals 4” live show performances recap.
Crash Adams
Act: Vocal Duo
Hometown: Toronto
Performance: The Canadian social media music influencers soft-rocked out to their original song “New Heart” in the hopes of becoming “one of the biggest acts of all time.”
Sofia’s comments: “I understand why you guys are so popular on the internet because you are fun and you’re different. You’re in your own lane.”
Howie’s comments: “You guys are great, you could be stars… but to be truthful with you… this is the B side.”
Mel’s comments: “I thought the song itself was great… but unfortunately I thought you started your vocals shakily.
Simon’s comments: “It’s live, it’s hard. I think you made a really smart decision coming on the show… I think what’s really great about you is that you know who you are.”
Zak Mirz
Act: Magician
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Performance: The new “girl dad” made a “big mess” by engaging the audience and judges with decks of animal cards that he asked them to tear in half, restack some of them, sit on one of them, throw some of them in the air, and then ultimately reveal that the one they’re left with is the same half of the one they sat on earlier. It worked for everyone except Howie who hit his red buzzer.
Howie’s comments: “It seems like it took longer to create this magic than to build our Ikea lounge… take back the X, it worked.”
Mel’s comments: “Wow, wow, wow… that was brilliant.”
Simon’s comments: “That’s not a trick, that is magic… that was shocking what you did.”
Sofia’s comments: “I thought it was too complicated, too many instructions at the beginning, I got a little worried, but I’m so glad that it all turned out even better.”
TT Boys
Act: Acrobatic Duo
Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Performance: Lit by a neon blue and pink stage, the duo performed a series of quick flips, added a blindfold, and managed to pair flips with balance-landings. By the end of the judges’ comments, the crowd and the other judges were urging Howie to hit the Golden Buzzer, but he did not.
Mel’s comments: “I actually feel sick and exhausted. That was out of this world.”
Simon’s comments: “An act like that just creates so much excitement within you… brave, respect, brilliant.”
Sofia’s comments: “I thought that was exciting, dramatic, dangerous and you stepped it more than the original. That was a perfect act.”
Howie’s comments: “That was amazing. That was wow. That was terrifying. That was a step up. That was… I don’t know what to do… I can’t do it yet… vote them through!”
Cole Swensen & Judy
Act: Singer & Guitarist and Cellist
Hometown: Hollywood, California
Performance: The mother and son duo performed a mellowed down rendition of the Billie Eilish hit “Birds of a Feather.”
Sofia’s comments: “I think this act is all about emotion… we were all like emotional… it was beautiful.”
Howie’s comments: “I think I’m gonna get booed again… but to sing a love song with your mother sitting there.”
Mel’s comments: “Your vocals sounded beautiful… but I can’t get over the fact that… I couldn’t get out of my mind that you’re singing a love song to your mom.”
Simon’s comments: “It literally didn’t cross my mind once. I think people at home are gonna love it… you got a really cool voice. This whole thing between the two of you makes it brilliant.”
Mike Munz
Act: Bodybuilder
Hometown: Plantation, Florida
Performance: Filling a spot that opened up in the live shows, Mike only had a week to prepare for his performance. Once again, he stunned the audience with the waves and contortion he is able to send through his muscles. When he brought Terry out to the stage, it seemed like Terry might show his muscles, too, but instead he just pointed at Mike. Both Howie and Simon ended up hitting their red buzzers.
Simon’s comments: “I love Mike, I love his muscles, it just wasn’t an act. It was somebody taking off their clothes and walking up towards us. That’s not an act.”
Mel’s comments: “I disagree. What you do with your body and your muscles is insanely talented. Maybe you need some help with the music and the choreography, but what you do I’ve never seen before.”
Howie’s comments: “I agree with Simon. I think it isn’t an act, it’s a demonstration. Maybe if you brought your mother out and did it for her?”
Sofia’s comments: “I disagree with these jealous men. What makes your act special is it’s the kind of act the world can only see on AGT.”
Chuck Adams
Act: Singer & Guitarist
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Performance: In a dedication to his own mother, Chuck covered the Oasis classic jam “Wonderwall.”
Sofia’s comments: “I’m very excited because I just saw them two days ago at the Rose Bowl… you made it your own, it was spectacular.”
Mel’s comments: “Where was my invite, Sofia?… I love your voice, I can see how nervous you were. I can feel your presence and your heart and your soul… it was brilliant, it was flawless.”
Howie’s comments: “I think you are really good. You’ve got the whole package: you’ve got a good look, you’ve got a great vibe and everything… I just wanted more excitement.”
Simon’s comments: “I actually like the song choice a lot. I really like and respect you because… you got back on your feet… I can tell tonight you were nervous… I really, really hope America gives you another shot.”
The Funkateer Dancers
Act: Dance Group
Hometown: Inkster, Michigan
Performance: The quartet of dancers who have been friends for 25 years got funky in sparkly dress shirts with mostly robotic moves before breaking out into pairs for moments that showed more of their individual personalities.
Howie’s comments: “You guys are just pure joy… this is a good feeling that makes me so proud…”
Mel’s comments: “Old school never fails. You killed it up there. All these kids watching right now need to watch and learn.”
Sofia’s comments: “That was amazing. I can’t imagine because I know you guys have been together since high school.”
Simon’s comments: “I think we all love you because it’s how you make us feel. You obviously are talented, but it is you’re fun, your friendship, the fact that you kept doing it… this is everything I love about a great AGT act.”
The BoykinZ
Act: Vocal Group
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Performance: The group consisting of four sisters kept it country with a little bit of hip hop with their original song “Boys Night.”
Sofia’s comments: “You guys were beautiful up there. Your voices are beautiful, the energy, the hardwork. I did like the original audition more… it felt a little bit more organic.”
Mel’s comments: “One of the strongest things you have going for you is when you harmonize it blends like magic. I didn’t hear enough of your harmonies tonight… I thought you did good…”
Howie’s comments: “I agree with what everybody is saying, but again… I want to see somebody step it up. I want to see an act that can win. I thought your audition was better than what I saw tonight.”
Simon’s comments: “I think you have a star glow about you… I don’t think the track itself is working… I feel a few times tonight we had acts who didn’t quite top the auditions…”
Gendai
Act: Laser Act
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Performance: Wanting to “dazzle the judges and America” with something new, Gendai used a remix of “Singin’ in the Rain” to tell a story of a lonely guy dancing across his strobe-light stage with an umbrella in hand.
Mel’s comments: “Last time I was a bit confused. This time you made it really clear what was going on… visually it did look beautiful, I just don’t know how far it could be bigger and better.”
Sofia’s comments: “I think it’s a great concept. It was super entertaining… I don’t know if I could watch an hour, two hours of a show.”
Howie’s comments: “I don’t know that that was a step up from what you did. I don’t know if that was a winning performance.”
Simon’s comments: “It’s not down to us, it’s down to America. However, if it was me… tonight it was gimmicky and the track was horrible.”
Team Recycled
Act: Dance Group
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Performance: The judges had to turn their chairs around to catch the large dance group take over seats in the audience for an epic display of synchronized movement including glowing fan work with a single dancer acting like maestro in the center. The thumping beat of their music choice added to the intensity of their performance and Howie had no choice with only two acts left to hand out the Golden Buzzer to them.
Howie’s comments: “I was looking for an act that would step it up. I was looking for an act that could possibly win this thing and nobody was able to step it up. I thought to myself, can they do it? And the answer is yes!”
Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir
Act: Choir
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Performance: The youth group elevated “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim like only they could. Their integration of gospel elements, well-placed solo moments and energetic choreography truly brought the house down in the final performance of a night the judges found otherwise underwhelming.
Sofia’s comments: “That was the feel good moment of the show tonight. I thought it was so clever what you guys did with that song… you didn’t disappoint.”
Mel’s comments: “I just wanna say you took me down the street, you took me into a garage, you took me up the stairs, down the stairs, but most importantly you took me to church.”
Howie’s comments: “I have been healed.”
Simon’s comments: “That. Was. Fantastic. That’s called lighting up the room, lighting up the sky… that’s what a great choir should do. Every single one of you played the part. This was a big step up.”