‘AGT’ Recap: Auditions Continue with Emotional Group Golden Buzzer
America's Got Talent via YouTube Reading Time: 3 minutes
America’s Got Talent Season 17 returned on Tuesday night with another round of auditions. This week, we got to witness a group Golden Buzzer from the judges and host. Judge Howie Mandel was out sick for part of the episode, but he later returned to the judges’ table.
Chapel Hart Earns AGT Group Golden Buzzer
Last week, there was no Golden Buzzer from the judges or host. Each of them has hit the Golden Buzzer individually in past episodes this season. However, Season 16 introduced the first group Golden Buzzer, which was awarded to young singer Victory Brinker.
This season, the group Golden Buzzer is back, and it went to country trio Chapel Hart. The group is made up of three Black women from Mississippi. They delivered a great performance of an original song called “You Can Have Him Jolene,” inspired by Dolly Parton’s classic song “Jolene.”
The group got emotional as the judges praised their performance, saying that “country music doesn’t always look like us,” and they’ve been trying to break into Nashville. Judge Simon Cowell said he would give them the Golden Buzzer if he could.
That inspired the judges and host Terry Crews to deliberate. They ended up agreeing that Chapel Hart deserved the Golden Buzzer, so they all hit it at the same time. This will send the trio straight to the live shows.
Jack the Whipper Gets Revenge on Cowell
Judge Simon Cowell got cranky about a few performances during Tuesday night’s show. That includes Jack the Whipper, a whip cracker who works as a news anchor. As Jack showed off his skills, Cowell hit his red buzzer.
Jack then shared that he had intended to perform a trick with Howie Mandel as a volunteer, but since Mandel wasn’t there, he’d do it himself. The crowd chanted for Cowell to be the participant, and he went along with it. Jack then cracked a whip at a target between Cowell’s legs. He ended up taking back his buzzer, and Jack was sent through.
At another point in the episode, Cowell pulled his classic request to sing another song on the choir Sing Harlem. They initially gave an energetic performance of “Free Your Mind,” but Cowell wanted to see something else. They ended up singing “Amazing Grace” a cappella, impressing the judges enough to make it through.
Later in the episode, Korean magician Yu Hojin showed off his act, making a feather appear and disappear. Three of the judges were mesmerized, but Cowell wasn’t as impressed. He received boos from the audience for disagreeing with the consensus but voted “no” nonetheless.
Howie Mandel Welcomed Back By Dance Team
Howie Mandel returned to the AGT judges’ table part of the way through Tuesday’s episode, and he received the perfect welcome back, as John Glenn High School Dance Team showed up with all the members dressed like him, complete with bald caps.
The group explained that Mandel doesn’t always love dance teams, and they wanted to change his mind. The members, who are between 14 and 19 years old, showed off a lively routine made even more fun by their matching costumes. Mandel loved it, and he even ended up getting on stage to dance with them afterward.
Cowell said he hoped they would dress up like him at some point, and they hinted that they had something planned for their next performance. They received four “yes” votes to move on, so hopefully we’ll get to see that.
