Simon Cowell pushed his Golden Buzzer for the WAFFLE Crew, a New York City-based subway dance group, on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent.
The 60-year-old judge was astounded by the ‘LiteFeet’ moves of the crew’s seven male dancers, who flipped, twisted and bent their bodies to Chaka Khan’s Like Sugar.
He was also moved by their story, as they’d turned to dance to deal with growing up in rough areas of the Bronx.
Head start: Simon Cowell pressed his Golden Buzzer for the WAFFLE Crew, a New York City-based subway dance group, on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent
Watching the crew dance, Simon covered his mouth, possibly to hide the delight on his face.
‘I’ve got to be honest with you,’ he told the crew when they finished. ‘We’ve seen a lot of dance acts on this show, and I wouldn’t say they’re my favorite category. But I think something about your energy, from the second you came on, and your determination, is everything.’
‘This was, I think, my favorite audition so far,’ Simon continued, as the crew’s faces lit up. ‘I also understand how important this is to you. I want to give you a little head start here.’
He slammed the buzzer as the dancers jumped for joy, hugging each other and weeping, shocked to learn that they’d just earned a pass-through to AGT’s live shows.
Confetti falling: A member of the New York City dance group raised his arms as golden confetti fell
Favorite audition: ‘This was, I think, my favorite audition so far,’ Simon said as the crew’s faces lit up. ‘I also understand how important this is to you. I want to give you a little head start here’
‘You guys are incredible,’ Simon told them, walking onstage with the rest of the judges as confetti fell overhead. ‘That was fantastic. That was an audition I will never, ever forget.’
The WAFFLE crew called themselves a ‘brotherhood,’ and explained that they’d all sought refuge from the violence on their streets by spending their days at local dance centers.
WAFFLE was an acronym for We Are Family For Life Entertainment, and they’d all bonded further by dancing on the subway together, where they earned money to help their families.
Live shows: Simon joined the WAFFLE Crew on the stage after endorsing them with his Golden Buzzer and sending them straight to the live shows
Cool song: The dance crew performed to Like Sugar by Chaka Khan
Incredible performers: The WAFFLE crew from the start captivated the audience
Community first: The Bronx dance crew members who have become brothers to each other over the past 10 years said they would give back to their community if they won the $1 million
They vowed that if they won AGT, they would pour money back into their community.
Another dancer who drew Simon’s attention was 11-year-old Noah Epps, who popped, locked and contorted his body to lines from the story Pinocchio.
‘I’ve got a feeling about you,’ Simon told the tween, who was perfectly costumed to look like a ventriloquist’s dummy. ‘You made me want to watch, Noah.’
Pinocchio inspired: Another dancer who drew Simon’s attention was 11-year-old Noah Epps, who popped, locked and contorted his body to lines from the story Pinocchio
Fan favorite: Noah gained the support of the audience and judges with his unique dance
Luca Di Stefano, a 19-year-old singer from Sicily, Italy, seemed a little shy when he first came out, but surprised the crowd with his sonorous vocals to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.
Heidi Klum, 47, said his cover was so good, she thought it was ‘playback’ of the original, cooing, ‘Your voice is so special it makes me feel, mm, yummy and warm and fuzzy inside.’
Nolan Neal, a 39-year-old singer and musician from Nashville, spoke movingly of his father’s suicide and overcoming substance addiction before crooning Lost, a song he wrote about his past.
Deep voice: Luca Di Stefano, a 19-year-old singer from Sicily, Italy, seemed a little shy when he first came out, but surprised the crowd with his sonorous vocals to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On
Fuzzy inside: Heidi Klum, 47, said the cover was so good, she thought it was ‘playback’ of the original, cooing, ‘Your voice is so special it makes me feel, mm, yummy and warm and fuzzy inside’
The host: AGT host Terry Crews also was surprised and impressed by Luca and his deep tones
‘You’ve got an amazing voice,’ Simon said. ‘I think it was quite clear to everyone sitting in the room today that we heard and saw something spectacular.’
New judge Sofia Vergara, 47, called the song ‘touching,’ admitting in a voice full of emotion that she knew ‘very well the sickness of addiction.’
‘My family is completely full of this horrific sickness, and I totally understand,’ she related. ‘To hear that song… it gives me a lot of hope about people that are going through your problem.’
Original song: Nolan Neal, a 39-year-old singer and musician from Nashville, spoke movingly of his father’s suicide and overcoming substance addiction before crooning Lost, a song he wrote about his past
Feng E, a 12-year-old ukulele player from Taiwan, got four yes votes for his electrifying take on The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face, which Simon said was unexpected and ‘unique.’
Olox, a musical duo from Siberia, hypnotized the crowd with their rendition of The Cranberries’ Zombie, which incorporated throat-singing, beatboxing and other mesmerizing techniques.
‘It was very mysterious, very original,’ Simon told the singers, Zarina and Andreas.
Electric performance: Feng E, a 12-year-old ukulele player from Taiwan, got four yes votes for his electrifying take on The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face, which Simon said was unexpected and ‘unique’
Zombie cover: Olox, a musical duo from Siberia, hypnotized the crowd with their rendition of The Cranberries’ Zombie, which incorporated throat-singing, beatboxing and other mesmerizing techniques
The Spyros Bros, made up of Marco Angelo and Marc Albert, diabolo slingers from New York City, manipulated a yo-yo like device to the sounds of Fall Out Boy’s The Last Of The Real Ones.
‘That was amazing!’ judge Howie Mandel, 64, told Marco, who shed tears as he went through.
For the second half of the show, which filmed during the early days of the coronavirus epidemic, Heidi was absent from taping, as she’d been sick and it was decided she should stay home.
Diabolo slingers: The Spyros Bros, made up of Marco Angelo and Marc Albert, diabolo slingers from New York City, manipulated a yo-yo like device to the sounds of Fall Out Boy’s The Last Of The Real Ones
The show continued with three judges, and the odds of making it through grew slimmer.
Ashley Marina, a 12-year-old singer from Pittsburgh, was told to come back after what Simon called a ‘karaoke’ version of Martina McBride’s Anyway and Sia’s Opportunity.
On her next try, Ashley sang an original song she wrote about her father, which earned her a standing ovation and a thumbs-up from Simon, who brought Ashley’s dad onstage.
‘If my son sang a song like that about me…’ Simon said to his fellow judges, thinking of Eric, five.
Third song: Ashley Marina, a 12-year-old singer from Pittsburgh, was told to come back after Simon panned her first two songs and advanced with an original song about her father
Brett Loudermilk, a 31-year-old sword swallower from North Carolina, then brought Sofia to help assist him with his act, which scared her so much at first that she couldn’t face him.
‘No I beg you, I can’t!’ she cried, crossing herself, unable to pull the sword from his throat.
Her second attempt wasn’t much better.
Sword routine: Brett Loudermilk, a 31-year-old sword swallower from North Carolina, brought Sofia to help assist him with his act, which scared her so much at first that she couldn’t face him
‘I don’t want to! I don’t want to!’ she cried.
The third time, Sofia managed to pull the sword out slowly, then raised it high in triumph.
‘Can I be honest with you?’ Simon asked Brett. ‘Sofia was atrocious!’
‘You don’t know what it feels like!’ Sofia replied. ‘When I touch it, it feels like it’s stuck in there and I was going to hurt him.’
Simon laughed as Howie asked, ‘Is he finished?’ and Brett said, ‘No, she f***ed it up!’
Judge interaction: The sword swallower got Sofia into the act and Howie and Simon also joined in
Brett enticed all of the judges to come onstage after Simon asked if he could pull a sword out.
‘I’m jazzing right now; this was not planned,’ the performer said before swallowing three swords for three different people to remove, something he’d never done before.
Each of the judges then pulled a sword out of his throat, with Sofia saying as she sat down, ‘That was super fun, and I loved it. I would love to watch you do that again without me up there.’
Super fun: ‘That was super fun, and I loved it. I would love to watch you do that again without me up there,’ Sofia said
Stand-up comic and mother of five Christine Hurley, 55, earned laughs with a routine that mentioned mixing Slimfast with vodka, but failed to go through after a joke misfired.
Howie went backstage to console her, telling her he’d had sets go wrong, too.
America’s Got Talent will return next week on NBC with guest judge Eric Stonestreet, 48, who also starred with Sofia on Modern Family.
Good effort: Stand-up comic and mother of five Christine Hurley, 55, earned laughs with a routine that mentioned mixing Slimfast with vodka, but failed to go through after a joke misfired