'AGT': Howie Mandel Jokes He Was 'Moved by So Many Strange Hands' Before Hitting His Golden Buzzer (Exclusive)

Warning: this story contains spoilers from Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent.

Howie Mandel may not enjoy touching other people's hands — but he certainly has no problem watching them!

During Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent, Howie pressed his Golden Buzzer for Murmuration, a 64-person dance group hailing from France.

"I am so excited about the irony and talent of my Golden Buzzer," Howie, who has been open about his OCD and germaphobia, tells PEOPLE about the big moment. "For a guy who spends 90 percent of his life wanting to avoid everyone’s hands, I never would have dreamed I would be so moved by so many strange hands."

Prior to the Golden Buzzer moment, viewers were introduced to Murmuration and its temporary leader Jibril Maillot.

In their intro package, Jibril explained that the group's creator, leader and choreographer Sadeck Berrabah fell ill prior to the audition and was unable to travel, so he asked his best friend Jibril to take his place.

Jibril was up for the task and accompanied the mega-troupe, all clad in black turtlenecks and pants, onto the AGT stage before they mesmerized the crowd and judges with their blindfolded performance.

"Wow, you guys were so amazingly in sync even though you couldn't see anything," judge Heidi Klum said. "It was so elegant, with so much grace. I thought it was fantastic."

Fellow judge Sofía Vergara pointed out that the performance reminded her of last season's winner.

"That kind of synchronization is amazing to me, it's spectacular ... [it] reminds me of my Golden Buzzer last year, The Mayyas — but you guys have your own style, and I thought it was magnificent," she said.

But Howie was beyond enthralled by the act. "I was mesmerized, I find what you do hypnotic," he noted. "I think it's very original, I find it almost more magnificent when you get a large group of people and the movements are smaller but perfect ... it blew me away!"

"Even sitting here, you wanna do something, you just want to do something," he continued, before standing up and pressing his buzzer.

Jibril admits he did not expect to earn one of the coveted buzzers.

"I think you could see that I was completely shocked," he tells PEOPLE. "Time stood still on stage, [it was] one of the most beautiful moments of my life by far."

"It's really weird but suddenly, in my head, time really stopped," Jibril adds of watching Howie press the buzzer. "I was in shock, I couldn't think, I couldn't speak or even move. We obviously had the Golden Buzzer in mind, but the No. 1 objective was to make Sadeck and our loved ones proud."

Sadeck was equally thrilled, telling PEOPLE, "I was so happy for all those who worked on this project, to know that I managed to convey my message and my emotions through this murmuration concept. And that it was received with a Golden Buzzer, it's magic."

Though it was difficult not having Sadeck with the group, Jibril says his absence provided an extra sense of purpose when they took the stage. "I had this weight on my shoulders, I wanted the 64 dancers on stage to have fun and enjoy the present moment above all, but on the other side, we worked a lot to represent his project, and to make him proud, so ... the motivation was much greater."

Fans might also be shocked to learn that Murmuration was not, in fact, influenced by The Mayyas, despite their similarities. "I was not inspired by the Mayyas," Sadeck shares. "The Mayyas started in 2019, while I have been developing this concept since 2015."

"It's a concept of precision work discipline, it's hours and days and weeks to achieve a perfect result," he adds. "It's a concept that brings people together [and] I want to share it with as many people as possible and of course, touch the hearts of Americans."

As they look ahead in the competition, Jibril and Sadeck are both excited to take Murmuration to the next level.

"I'm most excited to introduce our project to the United States, and also to be able to compete against the greatest talent in the world," Jibril says.

Adds Sadeck, "I'm most excited to see the Murmuration concept grow and take its place on [one of] the most beautiful American stages."

Murmuration is the latest act to earn a Golden Buzzer on season 18 of AGT.

Last week, Atlanta Drum Academy earned host Terry Crews' Golden Buzzer. Prior to that, blind singer Putri Ariani earned Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer and Mzansi Youth Choir, a group of singers from South Africa, earned the show's first-ever Audience Golden Buzzer after performing a touching tribute to late AGT season 16 singer Nightbirde.

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America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.