America’s Got Talent Episode 2 Recap [LIVE BLOG]
On May 31, “America’s Got Talent” returned with a spectacular two-hour premiere of its 17th season. Host Terry Crews welcomed the judges of the series Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel back to the stage with performances from the first group of performance artists out of thousands who auditioned. The new season continued with the second wave of auditions on June 7.
As in the past, this season’s champion will take home the $1 million cash prize and the chance to show off their headlining talent in Las Vegas. The premiere’s first round of auditions was crowned with the Golden Buzzer selection of Terry, the saxophonist Avery Dixon. Will one of the judges send an artist of their choice directly to the live shows? Check out our “America’s Got Talent” Season 17 Episode 2 recap below to find out:
8:03 p.m. – First audition of night 2 was a chicken number The Bock and Roll group. The trainer, young Zoe, guided her chickens through an obstacle course, including through a high-rope traverse, on a swing and knocking down a band board. The act ended with a real flock of chickens playing instruments with their beaks. Howie received a standing ovation, saying his mind was blown, Sofia called them unexpected and Simon was impressed the chickens did everything right. The group started the evening well by winning four Yes votes to advance to the next round.
8:11 p.m. – Then there was a two-person group of another kind, the social media dance duo Funkanometry. Their selection of funk music immediately lit up the audience with smiles and Simon commented that he thought they had good personalities. Heidi said she was “worried at first” because TikTok dancing doesn’t always translate well on stage, but she, Sofia and Simon all loved the audition. Howie rounded out the support by saying their storytelling and choice of music really worked, leading the panel to what would be four Yes votes.
8:20 p.m. – One-man band Antoine Kafer wasn’t the judges’ pick with his bit of comedy, earning three red X buzzers. Waylon Napadogan on the keyboard fared no better with an original song he “wrote from [his] brain” although Sofia said she loved it. Fortunately, country music performer Drake Milligan got us back on track, backed by the support of his band. The judges made it clear they liked Drake’s original song, giving him a standing ovation with Howie saying he could erupt with that “particular song and that particular night.” Heidi liked that it was a full band instead of a solo singer, Sofia called them “amazing” and Simon called them the opposite of a mess.
8:35 p.m. – The audience was amazed when george took to the stage looking and sounding exactly like George W. Bush. He launched straight into his comedy number impersonating the former president, but Howie and the other judges didn’t think his comedy “hit”. They greatly preferred Aiko Tanaka who took time off from her work as a translator to give them a winning comedy routine. Her set played the translation of her name into English words and other nuances of her journey to citizenship and acclimatization in America. She had tears in her eyes as all the judges stood up to cheer her on, capped off by Sofia saying everyone in the theater enjoyed it and Howie saying her career was going to skyrocket. Obviously, the judges were okay with sending him to the next round.
8:47 p.m. – A gag that the producers added to the show was to plant a listener Maddie in the audience and a crew member “trying to find singers” among the crowd during stage resets. She was already singing “Amazing Grace” when Simon came back into the theater and Howie was directing Heidi and Sofia’s attention behind them to Maddie. When she finished, the crowd was roaring and the crew member led her to Simon who asked her to come on stage for a formal audition.
8:55 p.m. – With tears of joy in her eyes, Maddie sang the song again from the stage. Simon said that in all these years of having audience members sing, this is the first time they’ve brought someone on stage and she’s received a standing ovation is unbelievable. When Howie called for a vote, the audience began chanting “golden buzzer”, lifting Howie from his seat at the center of the dais where he agreed it was time to “do something”. He hit the Golden Buzzer, sending Maddie “from her seat straight to the live shows.”
9:07 p.m. – Japan Fusion brought together two separate groups who were rivals to create a supergroup ready to win the show. In their unique blend of martial arts and dance, the group created a “spectacular and powerful” performance that Heidi called one of the best dance groups she had ever seen on the show. Howie called it a “Vegas show” and Simon said they’re an example of something really unique. The judges were delighted to give them four Yes votes in order to move on.
9:17 p.m. – Before his hearing, marvin achi expressed nervousness about presenting his experience to the judges. The staging of his science experiment was just an incentive to put on what became a kind of striptease with him rolling his pecs and abs much to the delight of Heidi and Sofia. Simon clarified what exactly his talent was, to which Marvin replied that he was the only one who could do the “abs-clapping” trick he did. Although Howie said no, Simon went with the women and the audience giving him a third yes to get him through. Not to be outdone, Terry burst onto the stage to snatch his shift as well, but no abs were cheering there.
9:19 p.m. – Marvin was followed by an acrobat Viviane Rossi who explained that it was the first time she had performed since injuring herself doing that exact act. Viviana upped the ante by soaking herself in water from a bathtub on stage before soaring into the air while holding on to the aerial rope with one hand. In the end, she just spun by her neck over the tub, leaving the judges speechless. Sofia called it “sensational” and said the water made it “so dramatic”. Howie liked it was dangerous and athletic, Heidi was hypnotized and Simon said she was so much better than similar acts in the past. It was a “definite yes” from all four judges and so Viviana moved on.
9:28 p.m. – Jojo from AGT season 15 Resound returned this season with his niece as a duo JoJo and Bri. Their rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” had the energy and sound that Sofia was looking for. Heidi said they sounded great together, Simon called it “the definition of joy and magic” and one of his favorite auditions so far, and Howie said it would be remembered. them for this audition. The vote was a line-up of Yes four times in a row.
9:40 p.m. – The configuration for the zombie ballet the audition was worth it once the performers exited the stage, scaring the judges from behind in the process, but it was one buzzer X after another until the entire stage was lit up red with a resounding group No.
9:42 p.m. – Undead dancers were followed by equally strange dancers Zeno Sputafuoco who refused to speak to the judges before his hearing. At first the judges thought Zeno was going to swallow a large coil of metal, but instead of reaching for his mouth, he stuck one end into a nostril and rolled it out of his mouth. After bringing Heidi and Sofia onto the stage, he wrapped an equally large hook up his nostril, then connected it to a chain on a trolley and dragged them onto the stage. Heidi and Sofia admitted it was ‘not a gimmick’ and then Simon started the votes with a yes because of ‘disgusting originality’. Sofia, Heidi and Howie all followed with their own Yes votes.
9:53 p.m. – The two guys from MetaPhysic Synthetic Media explained that they use “artificial intelligence to create hyperreal content”. They brought their friend and contestant from season 13 Daniel Emmet onstage for help creating a “hyperrealistic” American Idol audition of Simon singing a ballad. Although it was Daniel’s voice, the projector screen showed Simon’s face with a mortifying clarity that made Simon scream and the whole theater cheered enthusiastically. Unsurprisingly, Simon called it “the perfect contender”, but Heidi also called it one of the best, Sofia couldn’t imagine the amount of work that went into this creation, and Howie acknowledged that “the talent could be anything”. He started the vote with a Yes and the rest of the panel continued with a unanimous set to move on to the next round.
Maddie was Howie’s favorite performer, but what is YOUR favorite number so far this season and do you think they can win the million dollar prize? Discuss the upcoming season in the comments below and with other fans on our reality TV forum. Also be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racing ratings.
