Simon Cowell and Mel B took against an America’s Got Talent double-act on TUesday night’s episode, only to sensationally recant their decisions.
Mel did mean to buzz the Japanese belly noise makers Yumbo Dump – but asked for it to be taken away by the end, as did Simon with his buzz.
The duo had a truly disastrous start, in fact, with all but Howie Mandel buzzing to get them off as their first few noises fell flat.
Panel: Simon Cowell (right) and Mel B (second from left) took against an America’s Got Talent double-act on TUesday night’s episode, only to sensationally recant their decisions
But they then put on dolphin masks and acted out a love story, even pretending to kiss, while using bicycle pumps on their bellies to sound like dolphin cries of excitement.
‘I would like to take back my “X” please,’ Simon said, explaining: ‘I thought the last part of that act was beautiful. It was a love story, I understood it, I love dolphins. It was one of the most touching moments I’ve had on one of these shows,’ he added to laughter.
Mel agreed, saying: ‘As soon as I saw the dolphins I wanted to take my “X” back, because the dolphins nailed it for me.’
Triumphant: Mel did mean to buzz the Japanese belly noise makers Yumbo Dump – but asked for it to be taken away by the end, as did Simon with his buzz
Merciful Mandel: The duo had a truly disastrous start, in fact, with all but Howie Mandel buzzing to get them off as their first few noises fell flat
Heidi kept her ‘X’ in place despite chants led by Tyra to change her mind, insisting: ‘This is the live show and I didn’t feel like you stepped it up.’
Howie then joked of the act: ‘This is not only funny, and it’s not only great, this act is important. It’s our environment, it’s about the weather, it’s about sea life, it’s about zip locking… There’s so many messages all in one thing and it’s beautiful and touching and emotional.’
Simon was convinced a horror magic act put a ‘curse’ on America’s Got Talent after a series of technical mishaps plagued the latest live show.
Deus ex dolphin: But they then put on dolphin masks and acted out a love story, even pretending to kiss, while using bicycle pumps on their bellies to sound like dolphin cries
‘It was a love story’: ‘I would like to take back my “X” please,’ Simon said, explaining: ‘I thought the last part of that act was beautiful’
Right from the start of the second live quarterfinal, host Tyra Banks had to apologize for crew members being onstage constantly after giant doors that usually hide their activities broke just before they went on air.
Mel B’s buzzer then went off unexpectedly, Simon’s microphone suddenly fell, and a series of annoying flashes went off during the act by Samuel J Comroe, the comedian with Tourette’s syndrome, with Howie joking that the only Tourette’s was ‘the video guy behind you.’
Tyra, looking stunning in a floor-length burgundy gown split to show one leg, put it down to the risks of live TV, saying: ‘Like Beyonce says, when you get lemons you make what? Lemonade.’
Folded arms: Mel agreed, saying: ‘As soon as I saw the dolphins I wanted to take my “X” back, because the dolphins nailed it for me’
Unmoved: Heidi kept her ‘X’ in place despite chants led by Tyra to change her mind, insisting: ‘This is the live show and I didn’t feel like you stepped it up’
Simon, however, seemed convinced darker forces were at play — blaming The Sacred Riana, the magic act with a woman who looks like a character from a horror movie.
‘I’m just looking at the running order and it’s someone who has put a curse on the show, which explains all the stuff which is happening,’ Simon said of the technical glitches. ‘I’m being serious — I mean this is ghostly what’s happening at the moment, live TV.
‘Sacred Riana, will you stop doing whatever you’re doing to the show right now, please.’
When she finally came on, she once again truly terrified the judges — with Mel seeming so upset when it was her time to comment she looked down at the desk and merely said: ‘Yeah.’
Showtime: Simon was convinced a horror magic act put a ‘curse’ on America’s Got Talent after a series of technical mishaps plagued the latest live show
Frightening: He seemed convinced darker forces were at play — blaming The Sacred Riana, the magic act with a woman who looks like a character from a horror movie
The horror character had approached the judges’ table, told them ‘she is coming for you’ — then produced a voodoo doll with Mel’s face taken from a photo she showed earlier now on the doll.
A lookalike of Riana then grabbed Mel’s shoulder from behind, started screaming at her, with several other lookalikes all appearing and chasing the original character to the back of the stage, where she appeared to climb up the wall before the lights were cut.
‘I’m not saying anything bad, trust me, after that,’ Simon had said — when the lid of the box on his table suddenly sprung open, with his face now on a voodoo doll, too.
‘OK you’re brilliant I hope I see you in the final,’ Simon said quickly.
If at first: Trapeze Duo Transcend had made headlines around the world when Tyce Nielsen dropped Mary Wolfe, but they avoided the mishap this time
Howie, meanwhile, joked: ‘Last night I went and saw one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time, Crazy Rich Asians, and today I feel like I’m in the middle of Really Scary Asians. You scare me, but you’re wonderful.’
When Heidi Klum said that she wished ‘there was a little bit more wow to the actual magic,’ Tyra teased her for being so brave, telling the audience: ‘You need to be scared. Lock your doors, hide your kids, hide your wives, hide your husbands too.’
On a night with so many mishaps, the act with the biggest mistake of the season came back to do the exact same thing — this time without any accident.
Trapeze Duo Transcend had made headlines around the world when Tyce Nielsen dropped Mary Wolfe to the ground just inches from fire after she slipped through his hands while he was blindfolded.
‘There’s so much trust’: ‘I was looking forward with fear and trepidation to seeing you redeem yourselves from that fall,’ Howie admitted
The audience let out a loud gasp as they set up the exact same trick — with clear relief in the audience when he caught her this time, spinning her around as they finally got to show the ending of their act.
‘I was looking forward with fear and trepidation to seeing you redeem yourselves from that fall,’ Howie admitted, telling them: ‘There’s so much trust, so much passion, America has gotta vote.
‘I’ve been with my wife for 40 years and there’s no way she trusts even 10 percent of this one trusts you.
‘This was amazing, this is what America’s Got Talent is all about. Passion, danger, excitement.’
Whoops: A series of annoying flashes went off during the act by Samuel J Comroe, the comedian with Tourette’s syndrome
He then got the biggest laugh of the night when Mel pointed out Tyce’s ‘blindsight is deteriorating’ — clearing meaning to say his eyesight — with Howie getting Mel to pretend to walk off in a huff after quickly quipping: ‘Like your vocabulary.’
Simon called the duo ‘brave, incredible, nuts,’ while Heidi insisted: ‘Hands down one of the best acts of the night. I so worried… It was perfect.’
One of the technical mishaps came when Mel excitedly banged the table to praise 15-year-old singer Makayla Phillips — and the buzzer went off to suggest she wanted her to leave.
‘I didn’t do that! Take it away!’ Mel cried, having just told the youngster: ‘You killed it tonight sister — you really really did.’
‘I didn’t do that!’: Mel excitedly banged the table to praise 15-year-old singer Makayla Phillips — and the buzzer went off to suggest she wanted her to leave, which is not what Mel meant
Heidi, who earlier sent her through as her golden buzzer pick, insisted her version of Issues by Julia Michaels was ‘better than the original,’ adding: ‘That’s one of the best compliments I can give. It looks like you’re on home onstage and this is really where you belong.’’
However Howie warned there was a lot of competition, saying: ‘This is a very strong year, probably the strongest year I’ve seen with singers.’
Simon had another unexpected buzz later — when he gave an ‘X’ to Mel after she complained about Voices of Hope Children’s Choir choosing to sing A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman.
‘I could not disagree more,’ Simon explained for his buzz. ‘I think this was the absolute perfect song. If I had a product called Happiness, that would be the commercial.
Defender: Simon gave an ‘X’ to Mel after she complained about Voices of Hope Children’s Choir choosing to sing A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman
‘These kids are amazing. I was them in the show all the way to the end, please.’
Howie then teased his co-judge for waving his hands in the air along with the performance, saying: ‘I’m not only fascinated with the children but with Simon and how he was able to do all the choreography himself, you were amazing.’
One of the most emotional moments came with Da RepubliK, the dance group that is now so supported in their home country, the Dominican Republic, they even met the president.
‘Now it’s not just our dream — it’s a whole country behind us,’ the lead dancer insisted. ‘This is more than just a competition for us. It’s the chance to give our country hope. We wanna show them that dreams can come true.’
Impassioned: ‘I could not disagree more,’ Simon explained for his buzz, insisting: ‘I think this was the absolute perfect song’
They could not hide their emotions as the judges praised them, with Simon insisting: ‘This is the best dance group we’ve seen in the live shows so far by a clear mile. I love you guys.’
Howie said that ‘Da RepubliK is da bomb,’ while Mel had screamed: ‘Dominican Republic is in the house!
‘The moves, the jumps, the twists, the turns, the choreography — on point. I didn’t see one mistake. You are representing your country and doing it so good. Please vote please vote please vote.’
Tyra insisted of the dance crew’s reaction: ‘This has got to be the most emotion I have seen on this stage since I’ve been hosting this show.’
Punny: Heidi, meanwhile, had most fun praising Savitsky Cats, leaving Simon laughing too hard to talk after she said: ‘You’ve got to be kitten me’
Single mom Glennis Grace had been a clear judges’ favorite, with Simon telling the singer: ‘When we talk about people coming onto the live shows and taking it and having a moment — that is what that just was. That was a moment.
‘That was classy, brilliant, fantastic.’
Mel added: ‘You killed it tonight — you brought tears to my eyes.’
But she then insisted: ‘Can I just tell you, going forward, don’t wear that jacket ever again. Don’t.’
Unsparing: Mel, however, got boos when she admitted: ‘I think I enjoyed the music more than the cats’
Rock legends also loved her, it seemed, with Howie saying: ‘I have a friend here, Paul Stanley from Kiss, he just looked at me and went, ‘Wow.” And I can’t say it any better than he just said it. ‘That was a wow moment. I think you brought it.’
Futuristic video art act Front Pictures also wowed the judges with virtual reality visuals that made a performer look like he was flying and falling through numerous different scenes, even flying on a lamp.
Simon was so impressed he even made the audience give an even louder reaction, saying: ‘That was, honest to God, genuinely astonishingly good. I mean I felt like I was in a movie.’
‘I hope it translates at home, Howie said, adding: ‘The ingenuity is off the hook.’
‘That was a moment’: Simon told Glennis Grace: ‘When we talk about people coming onto the live shows and taking it and having a moment — that is what that just was’
He then joked about their amazing technical abilities while ‘Simon can’t even get his microphone together’ after it fell during his commentary.
Simon had praised former Glee star Noah Guthrie for performing his own song, Show Me Some Mercy, saying: ‘I’m really, really proud of you for doing that, because it’s so easy to come out here and do a safe cover sometimes, but you put everything on the line.
‘I think people are really gonna root for you on this competition.’
But Howie disagreed, saying: ‘I wasn’t as thrilled with the song. I think you have great talent, a great voice, I think that was a bad choice in song.
Not holding back: Mel insisted to GLennis: ‘Can I just tell you, going forward, don’t wear that jacket ever again’
‘I know who votes, I know what they go for, I don’t think that’s gonna resonate with our audience.’
‘I kind of have to agree with Howie a little bit,’ Mel said. ‘Wasn’t my favorite but I like you a lot.’
Heidi had a similar message for Samuel J Comroe’s jokes, telling the stand-up: ‘I really, really like you, and I really, really like your delivery. I just didn’t love what you were delivering.’
However, Simon insisted: ‘Samuel, you are amazing, I really like you. I really hope America gets behind you.’
Amazing: Dancer Quin Bommelje once again showed off her amazing moves as part of her duo Quin and Misha
Mel was not given time to comment, so instead shouted: ‘I love you!’
Heidi, meanwhile, had most fun praising Savitsky Cats, leaving Simon laughing too hard to talk after she said: ‘You’ve got to be kitten me, OK; this could have been a cat-astrophe. It was purrr-fect.’
Mel, however, got boos when she admitted: ‘I think I enjoyed the music more than the cats.’
Dancer Quin Bommelje once again showed off her amazing moves as part of her duo Quin and Misha — but Howie questioned whether everyone should be judging their performance merely on the fact she moves so well for a 71-year-old.
Making his feelings known: Howie questioned whether everyone should be judging their performance merely on the fact she moves so well for a 71-year-old
‘People are always telling me, “Howie, you’re sexy … for your age.” So I’m not really sexy,’ he joked, adding: ‘I don’t know if aside from her age it’s worthy of moving on.’
However Simon insisted she will ‘inspire people,’ and Mel recalled the movie Weird Science as she told her: ‘It’s like someone created you — you’re not human and you’re not normal.
‘What you do is incredible, regardless of your age or not. You kill it on the dance floor, whether you’re 22 or 70.’
Only seven of the 12 acts who performed live will get through, meaning five will go home when the results are announced on Wednesday night.
Gutsy: Simon had praised former Glee star Noah Guthrie for performing his own song, Show Me Some Mercy, saying: ‘I’m really, really proud of you for doing that’