Simon Cowell Says ‘Chaotic’ New Season of ‘BGT’ Has Eight Golden Buzzers
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Series 16 of Britain’s Got Talent is set to premiere this weekend, and it sounds like fans are in for quite a chaotic time. In a new interview, Simon Cowell talks about new judge Bruno Tonioli and teases that they ended up with eight Golden Buzzers this year.
Simon Cowell Teases ‘Chaotic’ New BGT Season
Dancing with the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli joins the BGT panel this year, replacing former judge David Walliams. Cowell told The Mail, “The rule book’s been thrown out of the window with the chaos Bruno’s brought.”
Reports from the set earlier this year revealed that Tonioli made a few mistakes while filming auditions. That included hitting the Golden Buzzer while an act was still performing and later hitting it again for a second act, which is against the rules. However, Cowell decided to roll with it.
“The first time he pressed was when I realized he’d never seen the show before,” Cowell said. “Things got even more chaotic when he pressed the golden buzzer again, so I leapt at the opportunity and thought, ‘I’m going to make it even more chaotic now,’ and pressed mine again. Then the audience were all screaming for a particular amazing act so I thought, ‘Who cares? Let’s press it again,’ and we ended up with eight golden buzzers!”
Cowell shared his belief that “the show shouldn’t have too many rules” and “has to evolve and improve.” He added that the show’s audience “have been louder and more excited than ever” this season.
SEE ALSO: SIMON COWELL REPEATS CROSSBOW PRANK ON BRUNO TONIOLI IN LEAKED ‘BGT’ FOOTAGE
Tonioli Admits He’s Never Watched the Show Before
Tonioli told The Mail that being offered the judging gig on BGT is “the most unpredictable and incredible thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.” He added that it “happened to me almost overnight.”
He admitted that he had never watched the show before, adding that he also never watched Strictly Come Dancing, “because when you’ve been around a show for a long time it’s important to have a sense of watching it with fresh eyes.”
“When I do something, I have to do it my way,” Tonioli continued. “I know I messed up immediately because I had no idea you have to wait to the end to press the golden buzzer. Nobody told me!”
Tonioli said he was “amazed by the pool of talent out there,” adding that he was “like a screaming banshee” and lost his voice after filming the first couple of shows. Cowell told The Mail that Tonioli has “great energy.”
BGT Series 16 will premiere this Saturday and Sunday night on ITV1 and ITVX.
