An ‘AGT’ First & 7 More Memorable Auditions Without an Audience (VIDEO)
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“This is what an audition is actually like,” Simon Cowell notes as America’s Got Talent‘s auditions take place in an empty auditorium due to the pandemic.
With Heidi Klum still under the weather, Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet returned to join judges Cowell, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara in the sixth night of Season 15 auditions. It was a night filled with comedy, music, and an AGT first that led to a big moment for one act.
Scroll down to relive the most memorable performances of the night.
Wildcats
The cheer team, with ages ranging from 13 to almost 30, started their act with flips and never slowed down, jumping and twisting through the air. “You are just affirmation that cheerleading is not some appetizer at a sporting event. You are a main course,” Stonestreet said. “There is nothing more exciting than when you see a group of people who are unbelievably talented,” Cowell added before the judges all said yes.
Jacob Velazquez
The 12-year-old musician, who has been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder — Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), uses music to express his emotions, and he brought his vision board onstage. He got the standing ovation on it with his performance of an original song on the pianos and drums. “It was spectacular. It was surprising. It was so beautiful and romantic and heartfelt,” Vergara said, and Cowell thought he’d inspire people. The judges sent him on to the next round.
Michael Yo
The stand-up comedian had interviewed the judges as a news reporter and had them laughing with his jokes comparing people in their 20s to people over 35, from waking up sore to preferring predictability to workout routines. “Your rhythm is great. Your voice is great. Your passion is great. You’re lovable and relatable and likable,” Mandel said before he was sent on to the next round.
Shevon Nieto
The Olympian retired after her then-boyfriend was paralyzed in a high-jump accident. She found comfort in music and performed a song she wrote for her now-husband, “Through the Good and the Bad.” Mandel called it “a wonderful, real, moving performance,” while Cowell said this audition was “in a different class.” She’s moving on.
Kenadi Dodds
Her family has retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an eye disease that causes the loss of sight, and her younger sister wanted to see the 15-year-old musician on the biggest stage in the world before it’s too late. She sang an original, “One Way Ticket to Tennessee,” about all the support her parents have given her in her pursuit to be a country singer. “This is just the beginning for you,” Mandel told her. “Your future is already set in stone from this moment.” Cowell thought they could help her get where she wants to go. She got four yeses.
Crystal Powell
The comedian left her small town for Los Angeles to pursue a career in stand-up. “This is a career-changer for me,” she said before an act about needing different friends that had the judges laughing. “You make people smile,” Mandel said, while Stonestreet liked her “unique” routine. The judges all said yes.
Wesley Williams
He’d watched AGT with his grandmother, who told him to dream big and died of brain cancer. The “one-wheel wonder” thought of himself as a “more modern, extreme daring type act,” and his performance proved that to be an apt description. Hopping on a table in front of the judges was just the beginning, and he introduced juggling knives and taller and taller unicycles to his performance. “You took it up a notch,” Mandel confirmed, and Cowell, who recognized him from Britain’s Got Talent, told him he had “real guts.” The judges said yes.
Brandon Leake
The community college counselor let his frustrations out through creativity. With the goal of turning his art into his full-time work, he took the stage as the first spoken word artist. His poem was an ode to his sister, who died. “There is something more raw in [spoken word]. It’s like singing and talking and just being a human a cappella. No music. No nothing. Just a raw heart beating in front of us,” Mandel said, and Brandon moved him to hit the Golden Buzzer.
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