Mel B seemed fill with joy as she was asked to ‘murder’ her TV nemesis Simon Cowell during a live act on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent.
The 42-year-old former Spice Girl, showing off her new bright pink hairstyle, was asked by so-called real life Sherlock Holmes performer Colin Cloud to come onstage for his act he called ‘solving the murder of Simon Cowell.’
She was then handed what he called ‘a potential murder weapon,’ a small knife picked out by a random stranger in the audience.
Murder act: Mel B was all too ready to stab Simon Cowell as part of a live act during Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent
Colin then told her: ‘Mel right now I would love you to plunge that knife into Simon Cowell’s chest.’
Mel smiled widely as she repeatedly stabbed at Simon, pretending to complain when it merely bent away and proved to be rubber: ‘It’s not working!’
‘Obviously Mel we couldn’t kill Simon in front of a live studio audience,’ Colin stressed, quickly joking: ‘But whilst the knife was fake the motive was real.’
Mel again complained when she found out the stranger pulled up onstage at random had picked the only fake knife, with Colin insisting: ‘If you’d stabbed Simon with any of these tonight you would have been the person on live TV to have killed Simon Cowell.’
Rubber knife: Simon was stabbed in the chest by Mel who was holding a rubber knife
Master of deduction: Colin Cloud orchestrated the dramatic moment between Mel and Simon
‘Why did I choose you?’ Mel complained at the woman.
Simon later joked about how Mel had seemed so eager to finish him off, saying: ‘You didn’t know that was a rubber knife, and you were prepared to kill me.’
‘Yes!’ Mel replied happily.
Wrong choice: Mel joked that she picked the wrong weapon after being given a dummy knife
‘Well, after last week I don’t blame her Simon,’ host Tyra Banks quipped, referring to Simon’s regular teasing and cruel jokes at his fellow judge.
Mel had not been the only one seemingly happy at the thought of a violent end for the notoriously mean judge, with loud shouts of ‘yeah!’ from the audience when Colin introduced the subject of his act.
But despite his unusual subject matter, Colin was warned that his live performance — one of 12 hopefuls trying to make it through to the talent show’s semi-finals — was too long and confusing.
Live performance: Colin attempted a complicated routine on the live show
‘I think your showmanship and your explanation has got to be better,’ Simon warned, while Howie Mandel added: ‘I think it was long and drawn out and confusing — everything was confusing me.’
He then joked: ‘The fact that your hair is morphing into the same as Mel B’s is confusing me.’
As well as pretending to stab Simon, newly single Mel also once again tried to use the show to help her dating life.
Good one: Howie Mandel joked that Colin’s hair was starting to resemble Mel’s new style
After gospel act DaNell Daymon and Greater Works performed an unexpected take on the grease classic You’re The One That I Want, Mel referenced the lyrics as she joked: ‘And the world better shake up because I do need a man!’
She had joined her three fellow judges in all giving an ovation to the gospel act, telling them excitedly: ‘Oh my Gooooooooooooooood! That was electrifying, that was just on-point, that was uplifting. Thank you Jesus!’
Simon called it ‘more than a performance’ but a ‘spectacle’ and ‘a show,’ adding: ‘This is what we all need, something like this. It’s inspirational.’
Nailed it: DaNell Daymon and Greater Works nailed their rendition of You’re The One That I Want
Standing ovation: Howie, Mel, Heidi Klum and Simon gave the singing group a standing ovation
Howie, meanwhile, insisted: ‘I’ve never been to church but I feel I’ve been anointed, I feel like I’m born again, and I feel like I want to pass the basket all over America and fill it with votes. It’s amazing!’
Mel also said that the song written and performed by young Ed Sheehan-style singer-songwriter Chase Goehring felt like it referred to her own heartbreak and break up from husband Stephen Belafonte.
Chase said the song, Illusion, was based on his ‘first experience of real heartbreak’ when a girl he was seeing ‘left me out of nowhere to date one of my friends.’
Singer and songwriter: Chase Goehring performed his original song Illusion
‘Your words, your lyrics, are on point — I thought you were actually talking about my life for the last 10 years,’ Mel told him.
‘I really identify with that song. You’re just brilliant.’
‘Chase, I think you are a little star,’ Simon told him, smiling as he added: ‘Whatever that girl’s name is I’m sure she’s watching this now and going, ”Oh bleep what have I done?”
High praise: Simon called Chase a ‘little star’ after his performance
Pink hair: Mel came out with fresh new pink hair
But when Mel tried to get him to name the girl it was based on, Chase smiled as he said: ‘You can’t share the secret to the magic.’
Asked what he would say to others going through heartbreak, Chase told Tyra: ‘You’re going to make it through it — it’s a really tough feeling to deal with but I’ve been there and I’ve gotten out of it and so will you.’
‘I have too,’ added Tyra, in a stunning sheer lace dress over a black bodice.
Twelve acts: The judges critiqued 12 acts that were trying to make it to the semifinals
But arguably the emotional highlight of the show came with the very last performance when Kechi burst not tears at the end of her powerful performance of Katy Perry’s By The Grace Of God.
The judges were full of praise for her as an inspiration as someone who suffered third-degree burns over much of her body when she was only one of two people who survived a plane crash when she was a schoolgirl, losing almost all her friends.
After calling her ‘a beacon of beauty and aspiration,’ Howie added that ‘it’s serendipitous that you are also living in Houston,’ the site of such devastation from Hurricane Harvey.
Inspirational performance: Kechy performed the Katy Perry song By The Grace Of God
‘They need you, you are a symbol,’ he told her, with Kechi giving an emotional message to people in her hometown.
‘I pray that my performance gave them something positive to see — I’m not even sure if people in Houston can see this, I pray that they can,’ she told Tyra, adding that when they eventually do see it she hopes ‘they feel something positive and feel strength to move on.’
Tyra earlier said that ‘our thoughts are with the people of Texas’ and encouraged viewers to support the American Red Cross ‘working around the clock to help those in need.’
Positive message: The Houston singer had a positive message for those affected by Hurricane Harvey
The hostess: Tyra encouraged viewers to donate to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Harvey
After Kechi’s performance, Mel told her: ‘You are a survivor. You are an inspiration. You give people hope and passion and belief — and for that you must go through, you must. I have to see you again.’
Calling her an ‘adorable person,’ Simon also said: ‘You are important — people need people like you as an inspiration. I have so much respect for you and I’m so happy the performance went great night.’
Earlier in the show, Howie insisted that 56-year-old New York subway singer Mike Yung was ‘the best tonight’ among the singers, while teasing him for picking Ed Sheeran’s love song Thinking Out Loud.
Timeless talent: Mike Yung impressed the judges with his rendition of Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud
While referencing the lyrics ‘will you still love me when you’re 70’ Howie joked: ‘That’s only 14 years for you, so it’s not a long romance.’
Simon was also full of praise, telling the family man: ‘You’re one of the nicest people we’ve had on these shows and you deserve to be here. I think America is going to get you and I really hope to see you in the semi-finals.’
But it brought his biggest battle of words with Mel, with him angrily telling her she was ‘out of order’ after she said she does not always feel that his heart is in all the words.
Nice guy: Simon praised Mike for being ‘one of the nicest people’ on the show
‘They’re a hot mess those two,’ Tyra complained of the feuding judges.
The judges also were conflicted over mysterious visual arts act Oskar & Gaspar, who reflected tattoos and moving creatures over a male and female dancer onstage in just underwear.
‘That’s so original and so amazing – this is what America should vote for,’ Howie gushed, adding: ‘I want to go home and stand in my underwear and have my wife make shadow puppets on my tummy. I love you! Vote for this.’
Digital art: Oskar & Gaspar reflected tattoos and creatures over a male and female dancer
Simon also called it ‘unique,’ ‘different,’ and ‘brilliant’ — but Heidi complained: ‘It was a little slow.’
Heidi warned her golden buzzer choice, 13-year-old singer Angelina Green, that ‘nerves went away with it’ during her performance of Sara Bareilles’s Gravity, while still insisting: ‘The tone, the texture of your voice is so special.’
Angelina had greater praise from the other judges this time, with Simon telling the youngster: ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re 13, 23 or 33 — you just have an amazing voice, Angelica. And the biggest compliment I can pay you is when I was listening I believed that it was your song, that you weren’t singing somebody else’s song.’
Teen talent: Angelina Green sang the Sara Bareilles song Gravity
Mel also told her: ‘I do think music is everything and it really speaks to people. And what you did just then is gonna speak to everyone. You are amazing.’
Singing four-piece Final Draft were brought back for a second chance after being sent home from the show, with Simon insisting the judges thought ‘these guys deserve another shot.’
But their soulful version of Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You divided the judges, with Heidi merely saying it was ‘good’ and Howie admitting: ‘To be honest with you, I didn’t love this rendition. I found it kind of boring.’
Soulful version: Final Draft after being eliminated were brought back for a second chance
Mel and Simon, however, asked viewers to vote through the act — even though Simon insisted that the first half of their performance ‘didn’t work.’
‘I hope America judges you by the second half of the song because I would like to see you go forward,’ he added. ‘There’s still something there about you guys.’
Flamboyant dancer Oscar Hernandez was a judges’ favorite for his dance to the Fergie song M.I.L.F. $, with Simon telling him: ‘Big is beautiful — I want to see you in the next round.’
Flamboyant dancer: Oscar Hernandez performed his energetic dance routine
He had insisted of the choreographer who wore shorts and a silver hoodie: ‘America, please — let’s break the mold by putting Oscar through to the semi-finals.
‘You are everything I believe this show is all about. It’s about being different, it’s about being original, it’s about having — Mel — a sense of humor. I think what you do is sensational.’
Howie agreed, telling him: ‘You are important in this day and age — you are the epitome of not judging a book by it’s cover.’
Different act: The judges congratulated Oscar for his unique act
He then joked: ‘This is the first time I’ve seen the splits and a twerk — it’s a splerk.’
But Mel had drawn boos from the audience when she said: ‘I absolutely adore you — but be honest, did you forget the choreography in the middle?’
Salsa dancing brother and sister act Junior and Emily Alabi admitted they were terrified that they were going home after getting harsh judges’ comments in the last round.
Brother and sister: Junior and Emily Alabi turned in their best dance yet
Most improved: The dancers took the judges’ criticism seriously and improved their routine
But they were praised for taking the comments to heart and improving their act, with Simon telling them: ‘This was by far the most dynamic, most powerful performance we’ve seen by you so far.
‘It was really, really incredible. You deserve a place in the semi-final.’
They had earlier talked about their tough upbringing in a gang area in San Francisco, with Junior admitting: ‘I started to run with the wrong crowd until I actually got arrested.’
Looking on: Heidi kept a close eye on the stage as the hopefuls performed live
‘Dance opened our eyes to a whole new world,’ Emily said, while Junior added: ‘And it gave us hope. Everything we have been through has made us stronger and we’ve got to just keep pushing.’
Dog dancing act Sara and Hero grew bigger for the night — with another of Sara’s dogs, Loki, joining them to dance to Bonnie Tyler’s I Need a Hero, even skipping rope at one point.
‘This was better than some of the human dancers we’ve had on,’ Simon joked, adding: ‘You are absolutely a little star. You one billion percent deserve to be in the final.’
Sara had revealed how she lives in her car with her three dogs so they can travel around performing, with Mel telling her: ‘You just make me smile. It’s a good feeling — a really good feeling.’
Dog act: Sara was back with her dog Hero and new addition Loki
Good review: Simon praised Sarah for her fun routine