‘America’s Got Talent’ episode 11 recap: Live shows continue with second night of quarterfinals [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]
“America’s Got Talent” continues to countdown to the season 19 finale on Tuesday with the second live show of the summer. In this quarter-finals round, which consist of four episodes, 11 acts per night take to the stage. Only four will make the cut and move on in the competition.
One will get a Golden Buzzer from one of the judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel or Sofia Vergara — while three will top the tally when America votes.
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On the August 20 quarterfinal of “AGT,” the line-up includes three of the Golden Buzzer acts: Schumacher, Legión and Sky Elements. Also in the hunt to be the season 19 champion are: AIRFOOTWORKS, Alex Sampson, Ashlee Montague, Bboy Samuka, Biko’s Manna, Brooke Bailey, NiNi and Young-Min.
SEE Where are the first 18 ‘America’s Got Talent’ winners now: Find out what happened to your favorites
Below, follow along as we recap all the action on “America’s Got Talent” Season 19 Episode 11 in our minute-by-minute blog.
8:02 p.m. – For this week’s set of performances, Terry gave the power of the Golden Buzzer to Howie. With the power, Howie will be able to choose one act of the night to send straight through to The Finals.
8:03 p.m. – Up first was Sofia’s Golden Buzzer choice from the auditions rounds, the fiery Argentinian dance group Legión. Tonight the group lit both their boots and hats on fire and added a drummer to the stage, but otherwise very little stakes were raised in their second showing to the audience. Sofia was still a fan, emphasizing that they aren’t “really professional but are still so good.” Howie knew he’d get booed when he argued that they didn’t elevate their act. Heidi disagreed with him and said that they were “mucho, mucho caliente” and asked that if they perform again they bring Sofia on the stage. Simon said he loved their audition, but he was disappointed with their live performance and admitted it “wasn’t as good as he thought it would be.”
8:15 p.m. – Knowing that three magicians have won past seasons, Korean performer Young-Min was hoping to become the fourth but knew that they’d have to impress Simon this time in order to show that they’ve made progress. After closing tonight’s routine with a disappearing act, the judges’ jaws were left agape and Terry cut to commercial…
8:23 p.m. – … Heidi said that it was “mystical and magical” because he shows magic in a different way from other magicians. Sofia called it “unexpected” and one of her favorites in AGT history. Simon apologized for not liking his first audition, but said that tonight he created “your moment” and thinks it will get him through to the next round. Howie agreed, calling him “truly amazing” in large part because of his “mindful and demure” stage presence.
8:25 p.m. – Alex. Sampson took the risk of singing an original song in his original audition, but was successful, and so for his second performance he decided to take Simon’s advice by writing another original with the aim of “staying in the lane” of the 50s and 60s nostalgic genre. Heidi was ecstatic about the song and performance, noting that she thinks “all the girls at home” are going equally crazy for him. Sofia called him a star because he’s so sure of his lane and it’s perfect for him. Simon could tell that he was “unbelievably nervous” and he felt that alongside some bad tuning, but thinks he’s “come from nowhere” and created something for himself that is “so smart.” Howie agreed with the rest of them and was proud of his success as a fellow Canadian.
8:36 p.m. – Losing one leg to cancer hasn’t stopped Brazilian break dancer Bboy Samuka from following his dreams and striving to prove to the world that he’s “not a disabled dancer,” he’s “a dancer.” Following a roaring standing ovation from the crowd, Howie told Bboy that he’s “truly amazing,” he “rose the bar,” and thinks he earned a spot in The Finals. Heidi asked him about the Olympics and Terry disclosed that he and Bboy hung out in Paris watching the competition. Simon asked the crowd to respond again in order to prove how infectious his performance was and then added that “by far” he’s the best act of the night.
8:47 p.m. – Brooke Bailey watched last week’s quarter-final from the audience in order to study how the other singers managed the stage as research for how she should approach her own performance this week. After her performance of “Dancing on My Own” tonight, Sofia said that “everything about you tonight is perfect” and “impeccable,” but Howie thought she “didn’t hit [the] mark tonight.” Heidi was shocked at Howie’s reaction and called it an “A++ performance” that was “mind blowing.” Simon was honest that the first section of the song bored him, but he connected to it at the end because she showed how badly she wants it.
8:58 p.m. – For the next Sky Elements show, we went back outside in order to see their 1,000 drones take to the night sky to create another awe inspiring spectacle of lights, like Terry as a ringmaster of the circus, Sofia as a trapeze artist, Howie as a magician, Heidi as a flame thrower, and Simon hitting the golden button. Simon said it was “honestly incredible” because they topped their first audition and Sofia wondered how they’re even able to pull off their act with such precision. Howie was impressed with how accurate the depictions of the judges with the lights was.
9:09 p.m. – Mentored by a former AGT champion, AIRFOOTWORKS wants to be the next dance sensation from Japan to make it big in Las Vegas. They promised to show their best tonight and based on the standing ovation from the judges they might have achieved that. Before commenting, Simon warned that he’s “about to get [himself] fired because he reached over to hit the Golden Buzzer, but refusing to let Simon take credit, Howie reached in and hit it first. Ascending to the stage, Howie told them that they’re athletic and creative and more than deserving of going straight to The Finals.
9:20 p.m. – The three siblings of Biko’s Manna were next up with something they told Simon would be “a bit different” but “better” than their audition song. Following their rendition of “I Can See Clearly Now,” Simon said that they “make people feel amazing,” Howie acknowledged that he couldn’t stop smiling because of how contagious they are as performers, Heidi referred to them as a triple threat, and Sofia called it a “beautiful performance.”
9:31 p.m. – Sofia’s second Golden Buzzer from the auditions, Schumacher, was a surprise decision that gave the comedic duo an automatic berth in this round. Because they never thought they could earn the Golden Buzzer and then did, they have newfound confidence that they can win the show. Unimpressed tonight, Simon hit his red X buzzer in the middle of their performance while Sofia dropped her head into her hands. Urged by the other judges to speak, Sofia said she stands by them and would make the same decision again because they’re “unique and fun.” Simon said “it was funny the first time” and thought it would evolve “into something great, but didn’t.” Heidi said that it’s “so bad, it’s good” and Howie asked them to consider that the message of their act is friendship.
9:41 p.m. – In order to “do what it takes to win,” the hybrid danger act-ballerina Ashlee Montague promised one of the most dangerous acts in history with her attempt at climbing a ladder over jugs while on ballet point and then ascending two more while at the top of the ladder. Howie faced a “conundrum” because he said her act is indeed amazing, but he’s torn over whether or not she changed her act enough this time around to be a true step up. Heidi said that going up the ladder was much harder, Sofia called it “ambitious,” and Simon declared his respect for her because she had no safety net and it could have gone really bad if she made one mistake.
9:54 p.m. – The final act of the night was NiNi, the Chinese guitar player that wowed the crowd during her audition with the incorporation of traditional music with a more modern rock edge to it. Sofia thought she was amazing tonight and said that she loves her personality as well. Simon called her “so interesting and so talented,” but he said he “hated the song and the track because it should have been an anthem.” Heidi called her “absolutely stunning” and Howie noted that she takes something known to a new level, likening her to Jimi Hendrix.
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