The countdown to the finale of the 19th season of “America’s Got Talent” continues. The fifth live show of the summer will take place on September 11th. In this semifinal, 12 acts will be on stage. Only six will make it through and move on to the final next week, where they will compete against the Golden Buzzers from the four quarterfinal rounds: Hakuna Matata acrobats (selected by Sofia Vergara), aerial dance group Aerial footwork (selected by Howie Mandel), air duo Sebastian and Sonja (selected by Simon Cowell) and singer Dee Dee Simon (selected by Heidi Klum) And .
Among the dozens of artists who performed on September 11, six received the Golden Buzzer at their auditions: singers Richard Goodall, Pranysqa Mishra And Reid Wilson; dance group Brent Street; comedian Learn more Jonasi; and drone law Celestial Elements.
The other six semi-finalists are the band Ashes and arrowsAerial acrobat Kelsey JaneQuick-change artist Solange CardinalDog act Roni Sagi & RhythmSinger Alex Sampson and magicians Jung-Min.
SEE Where are the first 18 winners of ‘America’s Got Talent’ now: Find out what happened to your favorites
Follow our minute-by-minute recap of all the action from America’s Got Talent Season 19 Episode 17 on our blog.
20:03 – Terry explained that the plan for this round is for only six of the 12 acts performing tonight to advance to next week’s finals, all based on Americans’ voting overnight and without the possibility of a judges’ decision via the Golden Buzzer. First to secure a spot among the best was 10-year-old Pranysqa Mishra with a vocal performance of “High Hopes.” Heidi said of her Golden Buzzer performance at the auditions that she “gave us such a moment” tonight. Howie said she has “the voice of an angel” with “such power, such poise,” Sofia recognized her level of confidence for her age, and Simon called it “brave, brave, feisty” to carry a song like that all by herself.
20:14 – Next up was Texas dentist Kelsey Jane with her latest aerial acrobatics act. As she stood on her feet for the performance, Heidi said, “It took my breath away” because “there is so much poetry and grace in your movements.” Sofia agreed that it was “so beautiful, so elegant” and how “connected to the music” she was. Simon still couldn’t comprehend how well Kelsey masters this talent as a hobby while also managing her duties in a completely different profession. Howie echoed everyone else’s comments, adding how impressive it is that her talent is only part-time, which is a huge difference between her and everyone else in the competition.
20:24 – Simon coached singer Alex Sampson on song selection ahead of his semi-final performance. In the end, Alex chose his own song, “Wallflower.” Sofia called him “so adorable” and described his song as “beautiful.” Alex gave him a standing ovation and reiterated his prediction that he would “make it to the end” and be a big star after the competition. Heidi agreed with Howie, saying he “looks like a movie star.” Simon expressed his respect for Alex for choosing this show to introduce himself and Simon hopes the audience will vote him through even though it is not his favorite Alex song.
20:35 – Next up was magician Young-Min, who wrestled with many different ideas about what type of routine to do for this round before settling on the one he thought everyone would be talking about. Tonight, he used sand and lights in a visual magic number that ended with a quick change trick of his own. Howie called him “one of the most original magicians,” even though he was “confused” in some moments tonight. Heidi thought the previous performances were “a little stronger” and “the magic took a bit of a back seat today.” Simon said he liked him last time, but tonight he was “not very good” because it just looked like he was looking for a lightbulb in the sand. Sofia still loved it, calling it “mysterious,” even if it wasn’t perfect.
20:45 – The Ashes & Arrows boys said winning the show would be a “game changer” for them and planned to follow Simon’s advice and do something “more uptempo” this time, while also taking into account their fans’ wishes. In the end, they chose a song that Howie admitted was “the best performance of the night” and Simon “completely agreed” because he loved the song. Heidi called it their best performance this season and Sofia said they “sound great” and “look great”.
20:55 – Roni Sagi & Rhythm decided to use a prop for the first time this season because they thought it was the best way to show that they could challenge themselves. The prop of choice was a dance pole, which was only used at the very beginning of an 80s-style performance. The judges didn’t hold it against them, though. Heidi called it a “convincing performance”, Sofia thinks it’s “so perfect”, Simon explained his standing ovation by saying that their performance was better than anything they’d ever seen before and Howie said “it was better than the movie”.
21:05 – Reid Wilson said he listened to “over 300 songs” on a playlist before calling his buddy Travel keen for advice on choosing a Whitney song that could showcase his high notes. Reid took that advice and opted for his own, slower rendition of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” Howie called Reid’s voice “pure” and “beautiful,” but seemed unsure if he would make the top six. Sofia appreciated the choice of a difficult song, Simon praised him for not playing it safe, and Heidi said it had been “such a beautiful journey watching you blossom on stage.”
21:15 – Next up was the larger-than-life dance troupe Brent Street from Australia, with a hip-hop number that involved moving large blocks around the stage as props to create varied stages for the dancers. Another of Howie’s Golden Buzzer favorites, he was more excited than anyone, exclaiming that their energy and choreography “should win.” Simon called it “incredible” and “mind-blowing, mind-blowing, mind-blowing,” before apologizing for not giving them enough credit so far this season. Heidi was excited because they “keep reinventing themselves.”
21:25 – High school janitor Richard Goodall earned one of Heidi’s Golden Buzzers earlier in the season and got to sing “Eye of the Tiger” tonight. Heidi thought it was an “epic performance” and said he topped his previous performances. Simon called the song choice unexpected, but “it doesn’t matter because people love you.” Sofia also loved the song choice and acknowledged how much the audience obviously loves him. Howie mentioned how big Richard’s heart is and said they can feel his love.
21:35 – As the only comedian left in the competition, Learnmore Jonasi was under a lot of pressure to become the first stand-up comedian to win the series. In his performance today, he referenced American movies and dogs compared to African life. Howie called Terry’s Golden Buzzer performance “epic” because he “works hard” to make his performance seem natural. Heidi says Learnmore puts her in a good mood, Sofia thinks he deserves to be in the competition because he “keeps getting better” and Simon found it “so funny” and likes him as a person.
21:43 – For Sky Elements’ next performance, the drone artists wanted to tell the story of the daughter a member lost several years ago. Using the drones, they created images of a rose, butterflies, and a father who turns one of those butterflies into a phoenix with the touch of his finger. Simon was touched by the emotional narrative and had trouble finding words. Sofia called it a “surprise” and “heartfelt,” Howie called it “absolutely beautiful” and also a great tribute to 9/11, and Heidi said it was “absolutely amazing.”
21:54 – The final act of the night was Solange Kardinaly, who didn’t have as much time as the other acts to create a brand new production for the week, so she went for “good vibes” in her latest, fast-changing performance. Simon predicted she’ll have a “life-changing year” after the show, Sofia called it “spectacular” and thinks she’s “special,” Heidi said she “gets more amazing every time we see her,” and Howie concluded by noting how much work she put in to create something so amazing in just one week.
