Sofia Vergara pressed her Golden Buzzer for 10-year-old singer Roberta Battaglia on Tuesday’s auditions episode of America’s Got Talent on NBC.
Roberta, who shook with nerves when she first hit the stage, performed an incredible version of Lady Gaga’s Shallow, which astounded the judges.
‘Just shut your eyes and listen to her,’ Simon Cowell, 60, told his fellow judge, Sofia, 47, as Roberta sang.
Golden buzzer: Sofia Vergara used her Golden Buzzer on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent on NBC to send a 10-year-old singer Roberta Battaglia straight to the live shows
‘Right?’ Sofia whispered back. ‘Such a mature voice.’
When Simon praised Roberta’s talent and humility as a performer, the little girl shyly revealed that she was sometimes bullied back home.
‘You’re 10 years old!’ Sofia pointed out. ‘That’s impossible to sing like that at 10 years old. And you know what? Let’s see who is going to bully you after this.’
With that, she slammed the Golden Buzzer, and gold confetti exploded onto the stage, showering the very shocked young girl, who ran into her mother’s arms.
Young singer: Roberta took on the Lady Gaga song Shallow
Sofia then ran onstage to hug Roberta, who had nearly cried when she first spotted the actress, as she was a huge fan of Sofia’s former show Modern Family.
‘Hey dad, I got the golden buzzer,’ the little girl told her father on a video chat afterward, holding up a clear box full of confetti.
Roberta, a native of Toronto, Canada, was so terrified when she initially went up to sing that show host Terry Crews, 51, had to give her a drink of water.
Bullying target: When Simon Cowell praised Roberta’s talent and humility as a performer, the little girl shyly revealed that she was sometimes bullied back home
Roberta calmly sang, then burst into tears, as everyone stood up and Sofia cried, ‘Bravo!’
‘Your talent is unbelievable, your age is unbelievable, this moment is unbelievable,’ said judge Howie Mandel, 64.
‘You are so likable, so humble, bearing in mind you’ve got this great voice… you must have great friends,’ Simon suggested.
Impressive voice: ‘Just shut your eyes and listen to her,’ Simon told fellow judge Sofia as young Roberta performed
Roberta admitted that she got bullied sometimes, and Simon reassured her.
‘There’s one way you win over bullies,’ he said. ‘It’s by being happy and successful. Bullies are always threatened about talented people. So in a weird way, it’s a compliment.’
Roberta cried, saying, ‘It was always my dream to be on AGT, and now that’s coming true.’
Impossible singer: ‘You’re 10 years old! That’s impossible to sing like that at 10 years old. And you know what? Let’s see who is going to bully you after this!,’ Sofia told Roberta before hitting her buzzer
Aside from buzzing Roberta through, new judge Sofia seemed to feel very at home taping the show’s auditions, with Simon at one point telling her that she had become part of the AGT family.
The Colombian actress even added a new phrase to the AGT lexicon, confidently telling one bad performer that she was giving him ‘a super-no.’
When Sofia’s husband Joe Manganiello, 43, showed up in the audience, Heidi told him, ‘Your wife is keeping us all entertained,’ to which Joe replied, ‘Now you know how I feel at home.’
Good times: Sofia smiled as she leaned on fellow judge Heidi Klum
At one point, Sofia spilled a beverage on herself and said, ‘I peed on myself!’ as Heidi Klum, 47, cried to producers, ‘We have a mess!’ and a team ran to clean it up.
During another intermission, Sofia and Heidi shot a video with a filter that saw them sporting crowns and beards, with Heidi proclaiming, ‘We’re cute.’
Those lighthearted moments may have come as welcome relief to Sofia after witnessing some of the show’s more challenging physical acts.
Frenchie Babyy, a 25-year-old dancer from the San Francisco area, easily grossed her out by rhythmically twisting his limbs out of their sockets, and creating an audible crunching noise.
Dance routine: Frenchie Babyy, a 25-year-old dancer from the San Francisco area, easily grossed her out by rhythmically twisting his limbs out of their sockets, and creating an audible crunching noise
At times, it appeared he was breaking his bones right out of their sockets, the sight of which made Sofia scream as Simon grinned and Howie covered his mouth in disgust.
But secretly, Sofia loved it, and mentioned to Frenchie, ‘Not everybody can do that!’
‘I can teach you how to do it,’ Frenchie replied, and Sofia cracked, ‘I’m 47. If I tried to do that…’
In a video shown before he went on, Frenchie said that he had become estranged from his religious family because of his dancing, and hadn’t spoken to his father in ages.
He told Simon he was going to try to call them that evening, and Simon asked, ‘Why don’t we call them now?’
Religious family: In a video shown before he went on, Frenchie said that he had become estranged from his religious family because of his dancing, and hadn’t spoken to his father in ages
He rang Frenchie’s mother, who was listed on his phone as ‘Momz,’ and after an extended silence, the woman finally picked up.
‘We haven’t met before,’ Simon told her. ‘My name is Simon Cowell. Do you know where your son is today?’
‘He sounds like he’s somewhere with you,’ she reasoned.
‘Yes, he’s standing in front of me now,’ Simon said. ‘Do you know what he’s been doing today?’
Called mom: Simon called up the dancer’s mother to let her know that he received four ‘yes’ votes and she gave him a fifth vote
‘If I know my son, he’s been dancing,’ Frenchie’s mother volunteered, and Simon affirmed, ‘He’s been dancing. He’s been dancing on America’s Got Talent.’
‘I don’t know how you’re going to feel about this, but he got four yeses,’ Simon continued, as the crowd chanted ‘Frenchie! Frenchie!’ and the young man pumped his arms in triumph.
‘Oh my gosh!’ Frenchie’s mother cried, as Simon asked her, ‘Can we then officially say he’s got five yeses?’
Hanging out: Howie, Heidi and Sofia took a break in their lounge area
‘Yes!’ she exclaimed, as Simon gave Frenchie a thumbs-up and handed him the phone.
‘Hi mom, I love you,’ he told her, as she responded, ‘Love you too!’ and the crowd rose in a standing ovation.
The show had gotten off to a rocking start with The Divas And The Drummers of Compton, California, a group of dancers and musicians who ranged in age from three to 20.
Compton contestants: The show had gotten off to a rocking start with The Divas And The Drummers of Compton, California, a group of dancers and musicians who ranged in age from three to 20
Their leader, Kehli Berry, hoped the kids could use their performing arts skills to see the world outside Compton and get scholarships to college.
The judges stood and applauded their tightly synchronized routine, which found even the smallest kids doing splits, spins, and flips in the air to the drummers’ backbeat.
‘I loved every single part of that audition,’ Simon told them afterward. ‘The amount of work you must have put into it… and also, seeing you have so much fun doing it! I am absolutely thrilled.’
Nailed it: The judges stood and applauded their tightly synchronized routine, which found even the smallest kids doing splits, spins, and flips in the air to the drummers’ backbeat
‘I’d like to be in that group as well,’ he added. ‘I’d like to be one of the drummers.’
The next performer through was high-school junior Thomas Day, from Brentwood, Tennessee, who sang a moving cover of Finneas O’Connell’s Break My Heart Again.
Thomas, a nationally-ranked football player, was currently being recruited by colleges, but called music his real love, saying he’d leave sports for it ‘any day.’
Football player: The next performer through was high-school junior Thomas Day, from Brentwood, Tennessee, who sang a moving cover of Finneas O’Connell’s Break My Heart Again
The crowd felt his passion, rising to their feet for ‘Tommy,’ with Simon giving him a thumbs-up and Heidi noting, ‘I love a young man that’s not afraid to sing a schmaltzy song.’
Stand-up comedian Usama Siddique, from Plano, Texas, then won over the judges with jokes about men’s names, even poking fun at Simon, whose name he suggested was unsexy.
Like Frenchie, Usama once risked upsetting his parents with his career choice, because he’d turned down medical school to perform comedy. His father even walked out on one of his sets.
Funny guy: Stand-up comedian Usama Siddique, from Plano, Texas, won over the judges with jokes about men’s names, even poking fun at Simon, whose name he suggested was unsexy
Simon admitted that a similar thing had happened to him at his brother’s wedding, when his speech was so offensive that his sister-in-law never spoke to him again.
Kelvin Dukes, 14, a ninth-grader from Burtonsville, Maryland, went through for his take on Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way, which Sofia called ‘perfection,’ adding, ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’
The Bello Sisters, a trio of Italian siblings aged 13, 19, and 22, moved forward with their acrobatic act, which found them balancing on one another as Britney Spears’ Toxic played.
Teen talent: Kelvin Dukes, 14, a ninth-grader from Burtonsville, Maryland, went through for his take on Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way
Sisters act: The Bello Sisters, a trio of Italian siblings aged 13, 19, and 22, moved forward with their acrobatic act, which found them balancing on one another as Britney Spears’ Toxic played
French magician Florian Sainvet secured the judges’ vote with his sleight of hand, making a series of compact discs disappear and reappear so quickly, it looked like stop-motion.
‘I mean, how the hell do you do that?’ Simon asked, as Sofia agreed, ‘It’s great.’
Jennifer Fraser, from Hussar, Alberta, made it through with her dog act, which found her pup Daiquiri performing magic and feats of strength alongside her, garnering four yeses.
Magic man: French magician Florian Sainvet secured the judges’ vote with his sleight of hand, making a series of compact discs disappear and reappear so quickly, it looked like stop-motion
Colombian emigrants Simon, 12, and Maria, 10, charmed the audience with their energetic salsa routine, and spoke Spanish with Sofia, who also hailed from their country.
‘Who made your outfits?’ Sofia asked them—and when she learned they were made in Colombia, exclaimed, ‘I knew they were made in Colombia. I could smell it! They smell like coffee!’
Inspired by the tweens, Sofia taught some salsa steps to Heidi, Terry and Howie, about whom she subsequently cracked, ‘Canada is not famous for dancing, huh?’
Salsa duo: Colombian emigrants Simon, 12, and Maria, 10, charmed the audience with their energetic salsa routine, and spoke Spanish with Sofia, who also hailed from their country
Glam rocker Bonavega, 31, from Toledo, Ohio, finished the show with a bang, earning plaudits for his song Overdrive, which he sang in a spangly leotard while leaping onto the judges’ table.
Howie, who’d thought it was a joke at first, called Bonavega’s talent his ‘biggest surprise’ this season.
In one disappointing moment, Erin Byrne, a senior at Elon University, in North Carolina, seemed like she might wow listeners with her cover of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart.
Energetic performance: Glam rocker Bonavega, 31, from Toledo, Ohio, finished the show with a bang, earning plaudits for his song Overdrive
Instead of belting out the tune, however, Erin sang it through gritted teeth and pursed lips.
She instantly earned four X’s from the judges.
America’s Got Talent will return next week on NBC.
Good effort: In one disappointing moment, Erin Byrne, a senior at Elon University, in North Carolina, seemed like she might wow listeners with her cover of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart, but she sang with her lips closed and quickly got four X’s from the judges