America’s Got Talent Season 21 returned on Tuesday night for the Semifinals, as 12 acts took the stage for their chance to make it to next week’s finale. Only six of them will move forward on Wednesday night thanks to America’s vote.
Which AGT Semifinals Acts Impressed the Judges?
Judge Simon Cowell was once again absent from the AGT panel this week as he recovers from surgery, so only Howie Mandel, Mel B, and Sofia Vergara were there to give their thoughts on the Semifinals performances. There were no Golden Buzzers to award, meaning the results of this week’s show are entirely up to viewers at home.
The show started with a fun performance from acrobatic dog act Acro Canine Crew, set to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. Mel B praised the group for being “so different” from other animal acts that have appeared on the show.
The judges were also impressed by magician Kameron Marshall, who had the judges choose a playing card seemingly at random and then revealed that he had that very card tattooed on his arm. Another magician who wowed the panel this week was Geno Ploeger, who showed off a similar knack for predicting things with some help from his school friends. Mel B called him “my favorite act of the night.”
Veronika Goroshkova also delivered an incredible aerial performance set to “Stupid Song” by Olivia Rodrigo, which Mel called “so elegant.” Another Olivia Rodrigo song, “Vampire,” appeared during Korean dance group Come Here’s performance, which Mandel called “perfection.”
Other acts who earned praise from the AGT judges included rapper Luke Taleno, whose original song “American Dream” had Mandel comparing him to Eminem; light-up dance group Royal Lasers, whose epic visuals had Sofia Vergara saying they’ve “gotten better and better”; and comedian Daniel Alvarez, whom Vergara called “so natural.”
Not every act from Tuesday’s AGT Semifinals show earned universal praise from the judges. Funny singer Cesar Dias performed “What a Wonderful World” while showing off physical comedy, but Mel B said she thought he “stepped it down” from past performances.
As for dog trainer Olivia Befus, Howie Mandel praised her talent but worried that viewers would compare her negatively against fellow dog act Acro Canine Crew. Magic duo Young & Strange’s funny routine had Mel saying it “did not cut it for me,” adding that she preferred their last performance.
The AGT Semifinals ended with a performance from Travis Garland, who sang “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish. Mel said the song started off “not very good” before picking up in the middle, but she still didn’t like the song choice. However, Vergara told Travis that his voice “gives me chills.”
Only six of the acts who performed on Tuesday night will make it into next week’s AGT Season 21 finale. Voting is open until 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday morning, and the results will be announced Wednesday night on NBC. Who are you rooting for to make it into the Finals? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
