Heidi Klum returned to America’s Got Talent on Tuesday’s final auditions episode that was filmed for the first time from the judges’ homes due to coronavirus concerns.
Sporting colorful pajamas, the 47-year-old model sat in her bedroom and swung the camera around to capture husband Tom Kaulitz, 30, lounging nearby.
‘I’m just gonna hop in bed with my husband,’ she joked, as the musician tapped away on his own computer beneath the sheets.
She’s back: Heidi Klum returned to America’s Got Talent on Tuesday’s final auditions episode that was filmed for the first time from the judges’ homes due to coronavirus concerns
Her fellow judge Simon Cowell, 60, was so inspired by seeing Heidi again that he ran off to put on his own garish pajamas, which he swore were ‘nearly identical’ to hers.
As he searched for them, the camera caught his six-year-old son, Eric, on his couch.
‘Look how much younger Simon looks when he puts on makeup,’ judge Howie Mandel, 64, mused, before noting that Simon’s pajamas were as low-cut as his famous T-shirts.
Heidi, who’d been recovering from an unknown illness, had missed several rounds of AGT’s season 14 auditions as she awaited her coronavirus test results, which were negative.
Outfit change; Simon Cowell was inspired by Heidi wearing pajamas at home and changed outfits
Cameo appearance: Eric, six, sat on the couch while his father Simon was changing clothes
Good one: ‘Look how much younger Simon looks when he puts on makeup,’ judge Howie Mandel, 64, mused, before noting that Simon’s pajamas were as low-cut as his famous T-shirts
Nine days into the auditions, AGT suspended those live tapings as a matter of caution due to the pandemic.
In an unprecedented move, the show’s judges and host Terry Crews, 51, then watched the final auditions online, with contestants performing from home.
But as the show opened Tuesday, the judges were still watching hopefuls try out in an empty Pasadena Civic Auditorium, in Pasadena, California, alone but for their crew.
At home: In an unprecedented move, the show’s judges and host Terry Crews, 51, then watched the final auditions online, with contestants performing from home
They all joked about getting sick, with Simon cracking that the lunch judge Sofia Vergara, 47, brought him made him ill, and urging Howie, ‘Don’t eat the cake!’
Howie tried to put a positive spin on their crisis, offering, ‘It’s a bit of a change, but we do what we can do, and the show must go on. And you know what? Regardless of how many people are here, there’s always something up there that’s worthwhile.’
His sentiments were born out by Sheldon Riley, a singer from Sydney, Australia, who turned out the episode’s best performance with a cover of Billie Eilish’s idontwannabeyouanymore.
Best performance: Sheldon Riley, a singer from Sydney, Australia, who turned out the episode’s best performance with a cover of Billie Eilish’s idontwannabeyouanymore
The shy singer, who performed with a jeweled face covering, initially ignored Simon’s request to explain who he was, remaining quiet before launching into his song.
But his haunting rendition was so deeply felt the cast and crew couldn’t help but cheer and applaud for Sheldon, who said that his singing was the only thing that ever got him noticed.
‘I didn’t really talk that much and people didn’t really talk to me, so it wasn’t until I started doing this that people really looked at me, or really cared to be honest with you,’ he shared.
Non talker: ‘I didn’t really talk that much and people didn’t really talk to me, so it wasn’t until I started doing this that people really looked at me, or really cared to be honest with you,’ he shared
‘It’s always interesting that people kind of second-guess what we like or what we don’t like,’ Simon told Sheldon. ‘It’s 90 percent of the time originality instead of predictability.’
‘The fact that we don’t really know what you look like, I love. I like mysterious people,’ he added, before sending Sheldon through.
Alex Hooper, a 34-year-old comic from Los Angeles, earned a surprising standing ovation from the judges, taking potshots at all of them that made Simon laugh and call him a ‘d***.’
Insult comic: Alex Hooper, a 34-year-old comic from Los Angeles, earned a surprising standing ovation from the judges, taking potshots at all of them that made Simon laugh and call him a ‘d***’
In his best joke, Alex pointed out that all of the AGT judges were born outside the United States, and noted, ‘While America’s Got Talent, it does not have a strong immigration policy.’
Another standout was the Lightwave Theatre Company from Romania, which wowed with their puppetry act about a woman’s love for her dog, set to the strains of Ruelle’s Carry On.
‘That was beautiful,’ said Simon, who got ’emotional’ watching it and insisted along with Sofia that the mechanical dog was real.
Puppetry act: Lightwave Theatre Company from Romania, wowed with their puppetry act about a woman’s love for her dog, set to the strains of Ruelle’s Carry On
Country singer Kameron Ross, a Texan who’d struggled to retain fans after coming out as gay, did a lovely cover of Brooks & Dunn’s Red Brick Road.
But it was his next song, an a capella rendition of Chris Young’s What If I Stay, sung at Simon’s urging, that really did the trick.
‘There’s something very memorable about you,’ Simon told Kameron, calling it one of his favorite auditions of the day.
Country singer: Country singer Kameron Ross, a Texan who’d struggled to retain fans after coming out as gay, did a lovely cover of Brooks & Dunn’s Red Brick Road
Comedian Chicken Scratch Sam, from Fenton, Michigan, told jokes bracketed by chicken sounds and bad puns, which earned him a ticket through from Howie and Sofia.
Sibling dance duo The Ninja Twins, aka Nick and James Aragon, 40, from Bakersfield, California, also made it through with an original song thanks to those two judges.
At one point, Simon announced to the empty room, ‘I know we’ve said it before, but this is the best audience we’ve ever had!’
Chicken humor: Comedian Chicken Scratch Sam, from Fenton, Michigan, told jokes bracketed by chicken sounds and bad puns, which earned him a ticket through from Howie and Sofia.
Howie acknowledged that the lack of an audience had to be hardest on the stand-up comedians, though it didn’t dissuade Los Angeles comic John Hastings, 34.
‘This is in contention for the weirdest gig I’ve ever done in my life,’ he admitted to the judges as he scanned the auditorium, but his jokes earned him loud laughs from the entire crew.
When he was done, the Jefferson Davis High School marching band, from Montgomery, Alabama, filled the room with their joyous sound, stomping in unison as they played.
Weirdest gig: Los Angeles comic John Hastings, 34, admitted performing without an audience was among his weirdest gigs
Simon told the band, ‘It had everything you would want from a great audition. If an audience were in here right now, you wouldn’t be able to hear me talk. They just would be going crazy.’
Siena Uremovic, from Melbourne, Australia, went through with a blindfolded acrobatic dance act that saw her hurling herself at the floor, something Simon had never seen before.
After Siena, the auditions went virtual, and all four judges were shown beaming in from home.
Brought it: The Jefferson Davis High School marching band, from Montgomery, Alabama, filled the room with their joyous sound, stomping in unison as they played
Blindfolded acrobat: Siena Uremovic, from Melbourne, Australia, went through with a blindfolded acrobatic dance act that saw her hurling herself at the floor, something Simon had never seen before
Simon was joined by his Yorkshire terrier Squiddly and terrier cross Daisy, while Heidi held Tom’s old dog Chippu, a German short-haired pointer/hound mix.
The first contestant the judges spoke to was country singer Chris Petersen, who sang Chris LeDoux’s Look At You Girl from the front of his pickup truck in Cedar City, Utah.
As Chris sang, his dog Syd howled along, delighting the judges, and Simon noted that ‘Squiddly was tapping her head as it went along, so we both actually loved it.’
Truck performance: Country singer Chris Petersen sang Chris LeDoux’s Look At You Girl from the front of his pickup truck in Cedar City, Utah along with his dog
The judges then sent through daredevil Jonathan Goodwin, who caught an arrow shot at him, Tommy Socks, an elderly dancer from Florida, and the Dance Town Family dancers from Miami.
Alexis Brownley, an eight-year-old girl from Weston, Florida, won a pass through with her dog act Puppy Pals.
Her routine saw her pets jump over hurdles and ropes, and into hoops and barrels.
Elderly dancer: Tommy Socks advanced with his dancing routine
Dog act: Alexis Brownley, an eight-year-old girl from Weston, Florida, won a pass through with her dog act Puppy Pals.
At the second virtual taping, Simon and Howie dressed alike in matching black V-necks, while Heidi had a framed photo of Simon on the table behind her.
She said the photo was a gift from Simon himself, and was usually hung up next to photos of her family along one wall of her home, which always prompted questions from guests.
The judges then sent through Las Vegas mentalist Max Major, who performed a card trick that had Sofia blindly choosing the same card he had, which made Simon call him ‘a demon.’
Familiar face: At the second virtual taping, Simon and Howie dressed alike in matching black V-necks, while Heidi had a framed photo of Simon on the table behind her
Magic man: The judges then sent through Las Vegas mentalist Max Major, who performed a card trick that had Sofia blindly choosing the same card he had, which made Simon call him ‘a demon’
Also going through were a father-daughter daredevil act, a family of dancers, and voice teacher Erin McCarthy, who sang opera from atop her horse in rural Oregon.
Simon was laughing so hard as he watched Erin that he couldn’t talk, finally joking, ‘I was kind of reading the horse’s mind throughout and it said, ”Gallop”.’
As the show ended, Terry noted, ‘I can’t wait for people again. My wife is so sick of me.’
Opera singer: Voice teacher Erin McCarthy sang opera from atop her horse in rural Oregon
At Heidi’s urging, he whipped out his flute and began playing one end of it while holding a statue of his own head ‘playing’ the other end.
‘I need my ‘X,’ Simon cracked, referring to his the AGT buzzer that dismissed bad acts.
America’s Got Talent will return next week on NBC with a Best of Auditions episode.
Flute player: Terry played his flute at home at the urging of Heidi