AMERICA'S GOT TALENT -- "Auditions" -- Pictured: (l-r) Howie Mandel, Terry Crews, Gabrielle Union, Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
America’s Got Talent continues its semifinal rounds tonight on NBC. The two-hour episode will feature a number of talented and unique performers, as the judges determined which acts they want to advance to the final round of the competition.
The official description for tonight’s episode reads “Semifinalists perform live at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for a chance to win $1 million and be named the most talented act in America, with judges Simon Cowell, Gabrielle Union, Julianne Hough and Howie Mandel, and host Terry Crews.” Tonight’s guest judge is actress and musician Queen Latifah.
Beware of spoilers below and STOP READING if you don’t want to know what happened and who made it through season 14 episode 20 of America’s Got Talent. The article will be updated live as the episode airs.
8:08 – The first act to take the stage tonight is dance group V. Unbeatable. They perform some amazing tricks that see members jump from the top of a ladder into the arms of others. The judges were uniformly impressed. Simon told them that they’re “in it to win it” and that their native India should be proud of them for representing the country well on a global stage. Queen Latifah was similarly complimentive, pointing out that she was impressed by how in-sync each member of the group were.
8:20 – Dom Chambers is up next, and he starts by performing some clever visual tricks involving beer. He then had Simon correctly guess what the size was of 2501 beer bottles. Dom promised to make a large beer disappear, but by the end it was just a gag of emptying the glass while pretending to drink it. While the judges were underwhelmed by the trick itself, they were amused by Dom’s personality and his charisma on the stage.
8:30 – The third performer of the night is Luke Islam. He takes a crack at the song “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman, and judging by the reaction he gets, he nails it. He receives a standing ovation from everyone in the building, and Howie tells him that he can see Islam landing on Broadway one day. Julianne echoed the sentiment, and urged fans to vote for Islam to make it to the finals.
8:40 – Lukas and Falco are next. They were eliminated last round, but were let back into the competition as the wild card semifinalist. The duo promoted a race car theme tonight, but Falco refused to participate in the first trick, which dampened the momentum. The act end ed stronger, as Falco agreed to skateboard and drink from Howie’s cup. Howie was underwhelmed by the performance, but Simon was surprisingly positive, saying that the mistakes made him enjoy the act even more.
8:50 – Chris Klafford stepped up to deliver an original song. The song was a rock ballad with a massive chorus, and while the audience were pleased, the judges were more divided. Howie felt there was a problem with Klafford’s “strategy” and warned him that he doesn’t think he’ll get the votes he needs with an original song. Julianne was more positive, saying that Klafford’s writing was “authentic and true,” while Latifah said that she supported his originality.
9:05 – The Detroit Youth Choir give an energetic performance of “High Hopes.” In addition to the impressive dance routine, the group added a rap verse to the song that showed off some impressive versatility. Latifah said she was “completely entertained” by the group, and Gabrielle was similarly ecstatic, saying that the performance made her emotional.
9:15 – Alex Dowis takes the stage and tells a story of rescue workers through his live painting. The judges were unanimously touched by his artistry. Howie was impressed by how well Dowis could convey emotion through his painting, and Simon told him he wants to see his performance again as soon as possible.
9:25 – Marcin Patrzalek performed a bouncy tune that played really well with the crowd and some of the judges. Gabrielle said that she was impressed by how well Patrzalek was able to play with a band he was unfamiliar with. Simon was also positive, as he said it was a complete turnaround from Patrzalek’s “boring” performance last week.
9:35 – Emanne Beasha brings her opera chops to the stage once more, and she brings the house down. Julianne was practically speechless after the performance ended, and she eventually settled on calling it “profound.” Simon and Latifah was also stunned, as the latter said Beasha’s confidence was almost as impressive as her powerful voice.
9:45 – Ryan Niemiller is the penultimate performer tonight. He forgoes his usual reliance on his physical disability for humor, and tells a series of jokes that have nothing to do with it. He nails the comedy set, and all of the judges are impressed. Simon is the most positive, saying “You have to be in the final because you have a shot of winning and you deserve to be there.” Expect to see Niemiller in the final round.
9:55 – Voices of Service, the quartet of military veterans, close out the night. They give a stunning performance with two standout solos, and they bring the episode to a worthy end. Simon called it the “most outstanding” vocal they’ve ever given, and that they deserve to make it to the finals.