‘AGT Champions’ – Who Made It Through Tonight? 1/6/2020

America’s Got Talent returned Monday night with the second season of The Champions. The reality series pits the best contestants from prior seasons against each other, in an effort to determine who is the best. The winner will receive a grand prize of $25K.

So, how did the contestants fare during the season premiere? Which contestants came up short and which came out on top to win the night? We provided updates and spoilers on who made it through below:

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Which Acts Advanced During the Season Premiere?

The four acts who advanced to the semi-finals during the season premiere were trapeze artists Duo Transcend, magician Dania Diaz and singers Angelina Jordan and Hans. The first two advanced on the strength of the superfan votes, but the third spot was decided by the judges, who felt that Hans’ blend of humor and music was a winning combination. Jordan earned the first Golden Buzzer of the season, meaning that she is guaranteed a spot in the finals.

Paddy and Nicko were the first act of the night. They previously competed on season 8 of Britain’s Got Talent, where they received the Golden Buzzer. The duo put on an energetic dance routine set to Jennifer Lopez‘s song “Let’s Get Loud.” 3 of the judges; Alesha Dixon, Hiedi Klum and Howie Mandel, were dazzled by the routine, but Simon Cowell was less than impressed. He said he felt that Nicko was “slower tonight” than he had been in the past.

Mike Yung gave an emotional introduction to his performance. He competed on season 12 of America’s Got Talent, but since then, he’s lost the love of his life to a sudden heart attack. Yung said that he was encouraged to return to the stage by his kids, and proceeded to sing an original song for the judges.

Heidi and Alesha were impressed with Yung’s vocal talents and his emotional transparency. The latter complimented his ability to bring very little ego to his stage. Simon was indifferent, and Howie was not a fan of the performance at all.

Junior Creative Dance Crew were the next act to take the stage. They gave a colorful performance that told a story through various dance moves, neon lights and shadows. It received generally positive feedback from the judges, but none of them were ecstatic in their praise.

Hans followed up Junior Creative Dance Crew with the oddest performance of the night. The entertainer presented some memorable visuals, as he descended from the rafters on a giant banana while playing the accordion, and he somehow ended the performance by singing and tap-dancing to the song “Juice” by Lizzo. Simon did not like anything about it, and hit his red X. The rest of the panel urged him not to take Hans so seriously, but the praise was largely muted regardless.

Jack Vigden was 14 when he won Australia’s Got Talent, and his voice has gone through several changes. He told the panel that he had to train with an expert before he felt comfortable with his voice again. The judges were generally mixed on his performance. Alesha and Howie felt that Vigden started off shaky, but they did say that he has the potential to improve. Simon felt that Vigden played it too safe, and said he wanted to see him challenge himself.

Duo Transcend were the next to take the stage and Tyce, one of the performers, told the panel that he was able to stop the progression of his eye disease, and will no longer go blind. The performance itself was a dazzling display of trapeze acrobatics, and the panel responded accordingly. Simon said it was better than anything the duo had done before, but that he feels they still have room to improve.

Dan Naturman returned to the AGT stage after competing during season 9. He did a standup routine about the difficulties of being an uncle, and how Facebook has changed the way reunions work. These jokes did not impress Simon, who hit the red X again. Naturman snapped at Simon and told him that he didn’t know anything about comedy, but instead of cause damage, the exchange seemed to win Simon and the rest of the panel over.

Angelina Jordan won Norway’s Got Talent in 2014 when she was 7. She told the panel that it was her dream to sing in front of Simon, and she made the most of her opportunity, as she delivered a knockout cover of Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The judges and the audience were floored, and Heidi slammed down on her Golden Buzzer. This made Jordan the first official finalist of the season.

Eddie Williams had the unenviable task of following up a Golden Buzzer performance. The Australian strong man lifted 260 pounds before singing a cover of John Legend’s “Ordinary People.” Howie was not impressed, but the rest of the panel loved. Simon went as far as to commend Williams on the “bonkers” presentation of his act.

Dania Diaz was the final performance of the night. The magician shuffled a deck of cards and used them to reference dates, facts and the names of the people that filled her life story. Alesha praised Diaz for being an inspiring female performer, and for combing magic and personal experience. The rest of the panel agreed.

The superfan votes were tallied up at the end, and host Terry Crews announced that Duo Transcend and Dania Diaz were chosen to advance. The third spot was split between votes from the panel, but Howie broke the tie and sent Hans to the next round.

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