‘AGT’ Season 15 Semifinals: Watch the Final 11 Acts Perform (VIDEO)
For 11 acts, the second (and final) night of semifinals for America’s Got Talent is the last chance to make it to their most important performance of Season 15.
Simon Cowell remains out as he recovers from back surgery, leaving Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara as judges, alongside host Terry Crews, as they watch the remaining semifinalists compete, from Universal Studios Hollywood, Germany, and India.
Then their fates are in America’s hand, with viewers able to vote (until 7am ET) at NBC.com/AGTVote, via the “AGT” App, and by saying “vote for AGT” into the Xfinity X1 voice remote. The results are revealed live Wednesday.
W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew
Set to “Pump It Up” by Joe Budden, the members of Cowell’s Golden Buzzer definitely bring the moves, flips, and fun all across, around, and out in front of a truck repair shop, showcasing why they stand out as individuals and a crew. “You guys were amazing. I have thought that every time I see you,” Mandel tells them. “You really stepped it up, and you used Universal Studios like no other group has.” Vergara agrees, adding, “you make it look so easy, and it shows your personalities when you’re dancing, your passion.”
Kenadi Dodds
The singer chooses a song — “Be a Light” — that really allows her to show off her vocals. “For me, this performance was a huge step up,” Mandel says. “Strategically, picking a song that is already a great song and you adding yourself to it, you were beautiful, you sounded beautiful.” For Vergara, “the song was the perfect sentiment for the night” and Kenadi was “singing like a confident popstar.”
Max Major
The mentalist brings all three judges, the host, and even virtual audience members in for his act, a game of roulette as everyone chooses a number. While the roulette ball does not land on any of them, the numbers chosen are on the lottery ticket he’d purchased earlier and had in his wallet the entire time. And he has all the numbers, including the number on the roulette wheel, on a billboard (in a video from earlier).
But the act confuses both Vergara and Mandel, and while she thinks it was a step up, he doesn’t. (He is right that Max talks quite a lot.) Klum, who was on stage with Max, disagrees: “I think that every time you come up with something new, you’re worthy of a show in Las Vegas.”
Bello Sisters
Aptly performing to “Wicked Ones” by Dorothy from Germany, the three reach incredible heights while balancing on one another (with fewer points of contact with the floor than seem possible) and bending in incredible positions. And they step it up from the previous times by adding blindfolds to the mix. “That hurt, watching you girls. You’re always beautiful to watch. You create these human sculptures when you climb on top of each other,” Klum says. Mandel agrees, adding he’s “beyond impressed in so many different ways.”
Celina
The singer belts out “Jealous,” but as Mandel points out, she may be one of his favorite singers, but there are quite a few this season and in this particular group of semifinalists. He’s not sure if it was enough to get her to the finale, but Vergara disagrees.
Jonathan Goodwin
And then comes the act that makes everyone go, “why are we watching?” and “we can’t wait to see what he does next!” Jonathan tackles his book’s “penultimate scariest stunt,” which has never been attempted before. While hanging from a zip line 60 feet in the air and traveling across a platform 80 feet away, he must first free his hands from the rope (behind his back) before opening the padlock chaining him to one platform, without being able to see it — because he’s hanging from the ropes on fire above him by his teeth! Two of the ropes above him break as he hangs at the midway point, but he manages to free himself and reach the other platform just in time.
“If this is your second scariest act, I don’t know if I can handle your first,” Klum admits. “You’re absolutely insane and crazy. What I love about you is every time you show us something new and different we haven’t seen before.” For Mandel, “there’s no middle ground. My heart is still pounding. … It’s terrifying. … If you like danger, there’s nothing more dangerous than Jonathan.”
Cristina Rae
Klum’s Golden Buzzer hits impressive notes with her rendition of “Jump.” “In the category of singing, you’re the one to beat,” Mandel says. “Your voice is pure, it’s powerful, it’s entertaining.” Vergara calls her performance “perfection.” “You nailed it more than any other night,” she adds. “I have goosebumps.”
BAD Salsa
They’re fast, bouncy, and energetic with a dance (to “Top Lesi Poddi” by Sagar) full of twirls and lifts and that makes you want to take a breath for them mid-performance. As Klum notes, “it feels almost like it’s on fast-forward because it is lightning speed.” “Tonight, it’s all about the dance,” Mandel declares. “That was amazing, worthy of the final.”
Voices of Our City Choir
The singers making up Crews’ Golden Buzzer perform a memorable version of “Heroes,” aptly following a video in which they thank the woman who brought them together. “What you guys stand for is amazing,” Vergara says, expanding on Mandel’s thoughts. “Maybe it’s because of the year we’re in,” he says. “I think the song and intent is beautiful, but beyond that, it’s important, and it means more now than it has ever meant before. We’ve never had that kind of gravitas on the stage, where there is a message everyone needs to hear and do something about.”
Brett Loudermilk
After bringing up Vergara as his assistant twice, Brett has Mandel join him on stage and keep a briefcase safe. (“Deal!” the judge says.) He then has Klum and Vergara help him narrow down a group of photos of the 40 objects most commonly swallowed by kids. (He’d swallowed one as a child.) Vergara chooses the one with the rubber duck, and Brett has Mandel open the case to unveil an endoscopic camera, which the performer then swallows to show the duck inside him … and then he spits it out.
“That was the most unnecessary thing,” Vergara says. “We didn’t want to see that.” (True, but he does have great stage presence.) “I kind of loved it. It was kind of disgusting, but I’m also intrigued every time by what you do,” Klum admits.
Daneliya Tuleshova
The 14-year-old closes out the night with a powerful rendition of “Who You Are.” For Vergara and Mandel, Daneliya is already more than a contestant on AGT. “You’re shining like a star already,” Vergara says. “I felt like I was at your concert,” Mandel adds. “Just the way you’re presenting yourself … the way you perform … the way you sound, you’re already there. You’re already a star. You’re already a winner.”
America’s Got Talent, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC