America’s Got Talent 2024 LIVE — Heidi Klum awards 9-year-old second Golden Buzzer after ‘unexpected’ Tina Turner cover
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
AMERICA'S Got Talent has already made good use of the new Golden Buzzer rule this season.
Judge Heidi Klum hit her second Golden Buzzer this season for nine-year-old Pranysqa Mishra during Monday's brand new episode as there are nine total Golden Buzzers to give out thanks to a new twist.
Mishra covered Tina Turner's River Deep Mountain High in her audition last night, leaving Klum baffled.
“Oh my gosh, I did not expect that. We expect a lot of things, but I did not expect that,” Klum exclaimed.
“My dream is coming true. I can’t believe it,” the girl said.
“You are absolutely incredible,” Klum told her.
America's Got Talent returns next Tuesday at 8 pm ET on NBC. Fans can also stream the show on Sling and Peacock.
Read our AGT blog for the latest updates...
Tune in next week!
Tune in next Tuesday on NBC at 8 pm EST for another round of America's Got Talent auditions!
Auditions will continue until August 13 when 55 acts prepare for their live performances.
Each week 11 acts will perform, and only two will move on to the next round.
The final 11 acts will compete in the finale for a chance to win $1 million and a residency in Las Vegas.
Menudo's divisive AGT audition
The "new" Menudo auditioned for AGT last night and generated mixed reactions from the judges and fans.
Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara liked the group, but Howie Mandel voted to send them home, adding that he "wasn't wowed."
Simon Cowell took a chance on the group but urged them to "radically change" and start finding their own way instead of mimicking the original band.
"Good to see Simon of all people tellin a boy band the cookie cutter shtick doesn't work anymore and the new Menudo should be themselves," a fan agreed on X.
Another pointed out, "If they are truly the new Menudo, why to they need #AGT? They should be set with marketing, recording, distribution etc."
Meet the 'new' Menudo
The revived Menudo consists of members Andés Emilio, Nicolas Calero, Alejandro Querales, Ezra Gilmore, and Gabriel Rossell.
They each auditioned for the project through a nationwide talent search.
Actor and television personality Mario Lopez is also a supporter of the group and helped curate the five members.
"Deciding on the final five was harder than we ever imagined because there was so much great talent to choose from," Lopez said in a statement to Billboard.
“The five boys we selected gelled together instantly, and the music they’ve created have exceeded all of our expectations. I think we have several massive hits, and I’m more excited than ever to introduce these boys to the world in less than three weeks.”
More on Menudo
Unlike most bands, aspiring members had to audition to be a part of Menudo.
Once a member reached 17 years old, they aged out of the group and were replaced.
Over 50 members were a part of the original band over their 32-year tenure.
Music executives have attempted to revive the group since 2004, but the new band has only since come to fruition.
Menudo's roots
Menudo auditioned for AGT on last night's episode.
The group is reviving a popular Latin boyband that was formed in 1977 in Puerto Rico.
Many members came and left the band during its tenure until they formally disbanded in 2009.
Latin pop sensation Ricky Martin was a member from 1984 to 1989.
Terry's predecessors on AGT
AGT has had several hosts throughout the years, including,
The host with the most
Terry Crews has returned as America’s Got Talent’s host for this season.
His parts in Everybody Hates Chris, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and White Chicks are well-known to audiences.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, That’s My Jam, and America’s Got Talent: Extreme are among his earlier hosting credits.
More on contestant Stephanie Rainey
Irish singer Stephanie Rainey made her debut last week, leaving a lasting impression on the AGT judges.
Stephanie earned a standing ovation for her audition and secured a spot in the next round with unanimous approval from judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum.
Vergara was visibly moved to tears by Stephanie’s musical performance, and Cowell, equally touched, joined Stephanie onstage to commend her, saying,
“That was what I call a moment. That song is so beautiful, thank you so much for coming over.”
Watch the TT Brothers audition
Acts that saw the red "X"
The following acts were not able to finish their routines as the judges pressed their "X" buttons to kick them off stage.
AGT fans question last night’s episode, concluded
"The judges cannot be serious. The TT brothers are awful. Nothing funny about them. Just annoying," another fan expressed on social media.
A fifth tweeted, "It’s weirdly stupid, you’d not pay to see that. I love a bad act, but that was just, not good."
"That was the worst opening set of AGT auditions ever!" another viewer added.
AGT fans question last night’s episode, continued
The third act of the night featured a man talking about goats and fish, which ultimately confused the audience.
Next up was the TT Brothers, a duo from Tokyo, Japan who had a unique comedy act.
The judges ended up liking the TT Brothers and voted to send them through, but fans weren't as convinced.
"This season sucks," one viewer admitted admitted. "The good acts are bad and the bad acts aren't even funny bad it's just sad bad."
"Rough start," agreed another.
AGT fans question last night's episode
AGT fans were annoyed that producers kicked off last night's show with the "worst" acts.
The show began with several auditions that received an X from the judges.
The first act was a man dressed in an owl costume who went by the name, Owl Man.
The second act featured a woman dressed in a tiger onesie who told jokes that left the crowd rolling their eyes.
Watch AGT contestants Roni and Rhythm's audition
Breaking down the America’s Got Talent universe
Because of AGT’s popularity, several spin-off shows have been made, some airing with success and some without.
Here are the spin-offs from AGT:
- America’s Got Talent Live
- America’s Got Talent: The Champions
- AGT: Extreme
- America’s Got Talent: All Stars
- America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League
Origins of America’s Got Talent, concluded
After the altercation between Paul O'Grady and ITV, Cowell put the British edition on hold and focused on establishing the format in America.
Cowell obtained an offer from NBC to develop the competition for their network and agreed to produce fifteen episodes for the 2006 summer season.
Cowell collaborated with Fremantle and his company Syco Entertainment but opted not to be a judge on the new show, instead serving as executive producer.
Regis Philbin hosted the show, with David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood, and Piers Morgan serving as judges.
Origins of America’s Got Talent, continued
Britain's Got Talent was deemed a success after its pilot episode.
The initial intention for the show was to develop and broadcast a British edition between 2005 and 2006, presented by British television star Paul O’Grady, who had assisted with the pilot (before Cowell proposed the model for American television).
However, while working on the new show, O’Grady had a disagreement with ITV, eventually canceling his contract with them and defecting to another British network.
Origins of America's Got Talent
America’s Got Talent originated by The X Factor founder and Sony Music executive Simon Cowell, who wanted to establish a talent competition considerably greater than those shown on television.
He initially pitched it to the British television network ITV in 2005 as a tournament where participants of any age and region could compete with various talents.
The network liked the idea and approved the production of a pilot episode to test the model, with Cowell creating a panel with two other judges (including Piers Morgan).
More on last year's winners
The season 18 champions of America’s Got Talent were Italian dog trainer Adrian Stoica and his lovable dog, Hurricane.
The duo wowed audiences and beat out the Ramadhani Brothers, Putri Ariana, Anna DeGuzman, and Murmuration to win the $1 million cash prize.
Hurricane performed amazing tricks with Adrian to upbeat songs, including a Meghan Trainor tune.
The duo dedicated their final performance to Adrian’s other dog, who died shortly after the qualification round.
Current AGT judges
America's Got Talent judges
THOUSANDS of hopefuls have graced the America's Got Talent stage to showcase their abilities.
Here is some more information about the A-list judges.
Simon Cowell - On October 22, 2015, it was revealed Simon was replacing Howard Stern on the AGT judges panel. He became a judge during the program's 11th season and has since remained a series regular.
Heidi Klum - In March 2013, Heidi was announced as Sharon Osbourne's replacement on AGT. After a few seasons off, she returned during Season 15.
Sofia Vergara - On February 27, 2020, NBC revealed Sofia was replacing Gabrielle Union for AGT season 15.
Howie Mandel - Out of all the panelists, Howie Mandel is the longest-tenured judge on America's Got Talent. Howie joined the hit reality series during the show's 5th season replacing David Hasselhoff.
A look at past AGT judges
AGT has had its fair judge rotation throughout the years. Here are the celebrities that have sat on the panel,
Recapping Golden Buzzers
There are now nine Golden Buzzers up for grabs this season.
The following is a breakdown of the acts that have already earned a Golden Buzzer,
- Heidi Klum
- Richard Goodall (singer), Episode 1
- Pranysqa Mishra (singer), Episode 5
- Terry Crews
- Learnmore Jonsai (comedian), Episode 1
- Simon Cowell
- Liv Warfield (singer), Episode 2
- Sky Element (drone show), Episode 2
- Sofia Vergara
- Legion Dance (dance group), Episode 3
- Howie Mandel
- Brent Street (dance group), Episode 4
Tune in next week!
Tune in next Tuesday on NBC for another round of AGT auditions.
The live shows will begin in August after the judges select 55 acts to take the stage again.
Heidi Klum presses her Golden Buzzer for Pranysqa!
Heidi Klum told Pranysqa to call her grandmother and tell her that she just won a Golden Buzzer.
Before Sofia, Simon, or Howie could even give their feedback, Heidi pressed her Golden Buzzer and Pranysqa broke down in tears.