It’s the moment of truth! With no Golden Buzzer available, the final round of auditions for “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars” was in the hands of the superfans. Who would they choose to send to the finals? Would it be a past winning act like poet Brandon Leake (2020) or singer/musician Kodi Lee (2019)? Or would it be a surprise act like comedian Josh Blue, a finalist in 2021? Or, even more surprising, the return of Sethward, a variety act who has appeared on the competition series more than any other contestant?
The stakes were high and the judges had a tough job deciphering between the acts. But one thing was for sure, the audience was on their feet and cheering for Kodi Lee, the Season 14 winner. He told judges Cowell, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel he came to compete “to win again, heck yeah!” and his soulful rendition of “Biblical” by Calum Scott moved the judges. “There’s no other word to describe what you do (other) than amazing,” Mandel said.
Brandon Leake also wowed with his words and his passionate delivery of a poem about a lesson learned from an interaction with a person experiencing homelessness. Simon Cowell admitted, “I never in my wildest dreams would’ve thought someone with an act like yours could win ‘AGT,’ but you won it because of obviously what you say, but also it’s the way you deliver everything. You are brilliant, absolutely brilliant!”
Comedian Josh Blue also returned to the “AGT” stage, armed with self-deprecating jokes that also included cracks about his cerebral palsy. His routine brought the judges and audience to their feet as Heidi Klum said, “I love you because you have such a sweet nature. What’s not to love about you?” Howie Mandel agreed, referring to the adage that laughter is the best medicine, telling Blue: “You are the cure. You are the medicine. You gave us what we need more than anything else.”
But the night also provided one surprise for the evening, which Simon Cowell deeply resented: the return of Sethward. The comedian has appeared on four seasons of “AGT,” dressed as a giraffe, walrus and peacock. This time he appeared in a goat getup. Cowell was visibly irked and when Sethward made his way to the judge’s table and began munching on a tangerine, Cowell said, “He’s spitting on me.” Cowell hit Klum and Mandel’s buzzers to give the act Xs and when Klum suggested Sethward could get the superfan vote, Cowell protested. “They’re not gonna vote,” he said. “He shouldn’t even be here.”
Thankfully for Cowell, the superfans did not place Sethward in their Top 3 acts of the evening. The acts most popular with the panel were Leake, Lee and Blue. The panel voted to send Lee into the finals. Leake placed second and Blue third.
It was an intense night of auditions and now the countdown is on for the finals. Who will win it all? Catch up on any ‘AGT: All-Stars’ episodes you’ve missed to find out!
Source: www.usatoday.com
