America’s Got Talent

Memorial Day is over, meaning the red X’s light up again! 

America’s Got Talent is back!

It’s hard to believe that this show is in its 18tb season. 

The usual host and judges are back for the summer and they discover the best talent in America or those from other countries with work visas. 

The show opens up with a preview of what’s to come; incredible talent, annoying joke acts, golden buzzers, Howie’s new goatee. 

As usual, auditions take place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. 

T-Rex Flips - Gymnast in a Dino costume 

Patrick works at an HVAC company. He’s dressed in a dinosaur suit. I have no idea what’s going on here. Ok this is absolutely stupid. He’s a gymnast doing tricks in a t-Rex suit. I guess his flood or good, but it’s corny and the suit is distracted. The audience obviously loves it though. 

Sofia says they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Simon calls him the best dancing dinosaur they’ve ever had. Howie called him the ultimate surprise. 4 Yeses 

Phillip Bowen - Fiddle Player 

He lives in Detroit  and discovered the fiddle while watching Sesame Street.

Its parents are in the audience. His mom loves Simon. He’s doing it for his kids.

I think what I like about Phillip is he isn’t the typical fiddle player. He’s dressed like a normal working class guy. He has so much energy and stage presence. He knocked his hat off during the performance by mistake. He’s getting emotional 

Simon wasn’t expecting what he saw, saying he has so much talent and calls it a great audition. Sofia says he’s what the show is about. 4 Yeses

Steel Panther - Heavy Metal band 

Their audition begins with what looks like a Mockumentary knockoff featuring interviews with Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction and Jani Lane from Warrant (RIP). They’ve been together for 40 years. Oh they decided to give Heidi and Sofia tickets and backstage passes for life. Side note: I looked at some of their music on apple music and a lot of their stuff is NSFW. Check them out at your own risk.

They’re obviously a novelty/comedy act in the vain of Tenacious D, but they are actually super talented and entertaining. Call me crazy, but I could totally see them doing a nostalgic filled metal show in Vegas. 

Howie loves metal and says it needs to come back to the forefront. Heidi called the lead singer incredible. Sofia called them amazing. Simon calls them talented and says he could see it in Vegas. 4 Yeses 

Allan Reinikka - Pole Dancer 

I’m all for anyone doing anything they want no matter what age, but some things should be off limits. This includes pole dancing. Just horrible. 4 Nos

Nancy LaFancy - Dancing?

Ok I have no idea what this is. It’s just a woman attempting to dance in goofy clothes. It’s obviously a no. 

Three G - Hand Balancers 

They’re from Ukraine. They say AGT inspired them to come to America and do the show. They’ve been together for three years. 

They start the act and it seems to be going well, until it looks like the girl on top is about to lose balance. She falls but they continue the act. That’s professionalism right there. At the end, one of them falls again. Oh they’re trying it again. 

I have a lot of respect for acrobatic acts like this, because it’s such a hard skill, and you have to know what you’re doing to pull it off. This takes talent. However, they messed up twice in the routine. I’ll be surprised if they make it far. 

Howie called the routine far more dangerous than he’s seen before. Sofia admired they kept trying. Heidi called the routine incredible. Simon saw their determination and their mistakes made them more human. 4 Yeses 

Trigg Watson - Magician 

He had a job in tech but decided to combine it with magic. 

This is different. He’s essentially taking objects from tiktok videos and bringing them to life. This is so cool. This might be the most interesting magic act I’ve ever seen. 

Howie says he believes he could win. Sofia said she’s never seen anything like it. Heidi called it amazing. Simon called the act different. 4 Yeses 

Kozo - Comedy Act

Kozo has an interpretor on the stage. 

Ok I don’t get this right now. He’s taking off his clothes and reveals a body suit. He looks like s giant sperm or something. Ok this is stupid. He’s impersonating a helipad and having a remote controlled helicopter land on his ass. 

Sofia called it creative. Simon tried to comment but started laughing at the fact he flew all the way from Japan to do this act. Howie called it original. 3 Nos, 1 Yes 

D’Corey Johnson - Kid Singer 

D’Corey is 11 and from Louisville, Kentucky. He says Simon is his favorite judge because he keeps it real like his mama. He wants to be on broadway or TV.

He sings Journey’s Open Armd. Distracting hand movements aside, his voice is amazing. It sort of has a throwback to 90s R&B. After he finishes, Simon asks to sing the chorus without the backing track. 

Sofia says he definitely has a place on broadway. Heidi thinks his wish will come true. Simon says things are gonna be amazing for him. 4 Yeses 

Shadow Ace - Shadow Puppeteer 

Ace is from Philippines. Not having power, he’d entertain himself with shadow puppets. Oh he’s a big Beyoncé fan. His biggest dream is to meet Beyoncé. 

Ok I didn’t expect to like this, but this is quite entertaining. I don’t know if it’s Vegas worthy? But I’m impressed. 

Sofia called it spectacular. Simon called it fun and original. Heidi called it fun. Howie called it amazing. 4 Yeses 

Orlando Leyba - Comedian 

It’s the first stand up comic of the season. He’s 45 and from Miami. His wife got him into improv classes for his birthday and they told him to try standup. 

He does jokes about Yellowstone, the tv series, and the park. He’s pretty funny. His last joke really got me. 

Simon said he is naturally funny. Howie compared him to fine wine, saying he is at the top of his game. 4 Yeses

Mzansi Youth Choir - Choir 

This is a choir from Johannesburg, South Africa. Their founders started the choir after being carjacked by young kids, and it gave them an idea to start a choir as outreach for youth in the community. 

Aww they’re singing Nightbirde’s song, “It’s Okay.” I love choirs, and they sounded amazing. I think I love that Nightbirde’s legacy has reached so many people and will live on forever. 

Heidi called it beautiful. Sofia called it the perfect AGT audition. Howie called it unbelievable. Simon said it brought back so many memories. Now Simon is crying, calling it an amazing tribute. 

The entire audience is chanting for a golden buzzer. The judges decided to give out the first ever Audience Golden Buzzer! 

Mzansi Youth Choir automatically advances to the live shows!!!!