‘AGT’ Judges Struggle to Narrow Down the Top 44 as Auditions Conclude

The Season 21 Auditions on America’s Got Talent concluded with the Tuesday, July 21, episode. More acts took the stage to perform for Simon Cowell, Mel B., Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel, and the judges voted on whether or not they would move forward for a shot at the Live Shows.

With no Golden Buzzers left, no acts automatically advanced to the live portion of the competition. Instead, the acts that received three or more yeses in Episode 7 joined dozens of others who previously advanced, and the judges then deliberated and decided which 34 of those will actually move on with the 10 Golden Buzzer picks.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out who has a shot at being in the Top 44 that  advances in the competition!

Howie Blandel

The first act to take the stage was “Howie Blandel,” a Mandel look-alike who Cowell pressed his red buzzer for before he even opened his mouth. Mel then pushed hers, as well as Vergara’s and Mandels, sending Howie Blandel off the stage.

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However, the audience and Mandel begged the look-alike to come back, and he performed a comedy routine as the longtime judge. Vergara and Cowell wasted no time hitting their red buzzers again, but Mandel gave a few chuckles.

Mel B. then chimed in with her red buzzer as the audience booed, and then Mel hit Howie’s red buzzer once again, so the imposter was sent packing.

The Sound

Next up, a singing family trio called The Sound hit the stage. They performed John Denver‘s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” showing off their incredible harmonies.

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“I’m not really that big of a fan of country music, but this made me so happy,” Mel said. “Your harmonies were just perfection.” Mandel agreed that he “loved it,” and Vergara called it “amazing.”

Cowell concluded, “I think everybody’s going to like you. How could you not? Being honest, that was a very safe and nice audition. That’s the riskiest thing you could do. If you make it through to the next round, I think you should sing a song that you make into a country song. We have to move beyond safe.” Cowell still said yes, and so did all the other judges.

Cat Williams

Next up, another standup comedian, Cat Williams, dressed as a cat and performed a comedy routine filled with cat puns.

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Mel B. and Vergara hit their red buzzers, while the audience groaned and booed. Cowell appeared bored and had a snack while he basically ignored what was going on.

“I think you’re the same person who came out as Howie,” Mel theorized, which Cat denied. Mandel insisted he “loved it” and that the comedian was “funny,” but it was ultimately a no for Cat.

Los Servidores

Los Servidores, a group of Californian law enforcement workers who sing for their community, were next to perform. Vergara was immediately excited about their mariachi performance.

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“I thought it was just going to be a choir, which we’ve seen a lot of, but then you started to play, and I thought, ‘This is very happy music,’” Cowell pointed out. “Most importantly, the audience loved this audition, I could tell.”

Mel B. loved how they made “Walking on Sunshine” a mariachi song, and Vergara said she was “really excited” by the performance. It was four yeses for the group!

Manramp

Manramp, a carpenter who builds things, brought out a wooden box that he built, and showed how he was able to turn it into an entire skatepark. As skateboarders whizzed by on the stage, he pulled out different ramps and obstacles for them to jump over, proving that he himself is the “man ramp.”

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Cowell was confused by the “human, portable ramp,” but admitted that he thought it was a “pretty good audition.” Meanwhile, Vergara pointed out that they’ve never seen a talent like this on the show before.

“At first I thought it was comical, but actually, it’s very practical!” Mel admitted. All four judges said yes, which means Manramp has a chance at the Live Shows.

Sarah Hardwig

Sarah Hardwig, a 23-year-old blind singer, was next to perform. Her performance of Lainey Wilson‘s “Heart Like a Truck” moved the judges and the audience.

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“That was beautiful and heartwarming and you are the epitome of resilience,” Mandel gushed. Mel B. told Sarah she has a “really good voice,” but admitted, “I feel like you could’ve given us so much more. I feel like you could’ve went with an even bigger song because you can do it.”

Vergara disagreed, telling Sarah she “wouldn’t change a thing.” Cowell revealed he understood where Mel was coming from, but in the end, it was a yes from all four judges.

Aidan Corcoran

The next act was 19-year-old magician Aidan Corcoran. Aidan got both the audience and judges involced with his performance.

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“What just happened?!” Mel B. wondered. “We’ve had a lot of incredible magicians this season, but that’s crazy. That’s magic and mentalism and it was incredible.”

Vergara agreed, adding, “This is just the beginning for you,” and she told Aidan he’s going to be a “superstar.” Cowell was especially impressed by how Aidan performed so well at such a young age. All four judges voted for Aidan to move forward.

Lou

The next audition was from Lou, the same guy who dressed as Howie Mandel and a cat earlier in the night. However, he continued the bit that it was his first time on the stage.

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Vergara clocked him right away, but this time, the judges let him do part of his standup routine before buzzing them off. This time, he was dressed as the devil, and made various puns related to his costume.

Finally, he received a round of applause. “Maybe I’m just tired, but I actually quite liked the devil,” Mel admitted. Cowell hit his red buzzer, but the other three judges chose to let Lou move on.

Maria

Maria came to AGT all the way from Germany to perform her act. She was previously paralyzed and spent two years in a wheelchair, but persevered and is now an incredible contortionist.

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Mel B. was so freaked out by one position that Maria put herself in, she even had to look away for a second! “I was not expecting that,” she admitted. Mandel referred to Maria as a “cute little pretzel.”

Meanwhile, Cowell called the whole thing “actually brilliant.” It was undoubtedly a unanimous yes for Maria.

Pynk Beard

The final act from the Auditions was Pynk Beard, a country artist who previously gave up his career of being a singer. After years as a songwriter for artists such as Alessia Cara, though, he was ready to put himself in front of the microphone.

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The upbeat performance earned Pynk Beard a standing ovation. “This is not my normal go-to music, but you got me falling in love with this genre of music. You made me feel really happy,” Mel B. raved.

Vergara said she “loved it, loved it, loved it,” and praised Pynk Beard for bringing energy and joy to the show. Mandel added, “I believe we just heard a hit,” and Cowell said, “That was really, really fantastic.” All four judges voted Pynk Beard to move on.

Next, the judges began their deliberations to decide which 44 acts would make the Live Shows. There were “about 100” acts to choose from, and with 10 Golden Buzzers, only 34 more could make the cut.

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It became too difficult to narrow things down, so Cowell suggested the new Judges’ Callback Round. He came up with the idea that each judge would select about five or six acts to see perform again. These acts will have another chance to win the other judges over in two weeks before the final decisions of who makes the Live Shows are made.

America’s Got Talent, Season 21, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC

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