‘America’s Got Talent’ 11 Goes Live: With Nine Golden Buzzer Finalists, Which Act Will Win? (Updated for the Semifinals)


America’s Got Talent went live Tuesday night for the first time in Season 11, and the show did so with more Golden Buzzer recipients than ever before. So with nine — yes, there are nine of them — vying for the coveted million dollar prize and a show in Las Vegas, which has the best chance of going all the way to become the Season 11 winner?

Last week with Louis Tomlinson of One Direction sitting in the Guest Judge’s Chair on the panel, a show recapped by Fox News, the last Golden Buzzer for the season was pressed, allowing singer Jayna Brown to advance automatically into the live Quarterfinals shows. She made the ninth to move ahead automatically, one more than in Season 10. The Golden Buzzer — which was pressed by all four America’s Got Talent judges (Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel), host Nick Cannon, and the four Guest Judges (Ne-Yo, Reba McEntire, George Lopez, and Louis Tomlinson) — delivered the buzzed act to the live shows without the judges having to deliberate over whether or not they were more qualified than the other acts. Needless to say, it was a much sought after award. And why not? In Season 10, four of the eight Golden Buzzer acts made the Top 10 Finale, three made the Top 5, and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, who got buzzed by Guest Judge Marlon Wayans, won it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMrYv4rC_pk

So who stands the best chance this season to win America’s Got Talent? Taking a glance at the line-up, it would appear that the singers have a good chance (but they look stacked to win every season, and did so in five of the ten seasons — but not in the last four). Of the nine Golden Buzzer recipients, five are singers. All four of the regular America’s Got Talent judges chose singers: Mel B (who hit the Golden Buzzer first) chose 13-year old opera singer Laura Bretan; Howie Mandel then chose 12-year old singer Grace VanderWaal; Heidi Klum buzzed through Sinatra-style singer Sal Valentinetti; and Simon Cowell hit the buzzer for pop singer Calysta Bevier.

As mentioned, Guest Judge Louis Tomlinson hit his Golden Buzzer for Jayna Brown.

The four remaining acts that received the Golden Buzzer bump were 90-year-old dancer Dorothy Williams (Nick Cannon), magician Jon Dorenbos (Ne-Yo), contortion aerialist Sofie Dossi (Reba McEntire), and Argentinian Malambo dance group Malevo (George Lopez).

There is no reason to expect Nick Cannon’s choice to go to the finale, which will occur within the next few weeks. (Note: America’s Got Talent will have an altered schedule this year due to the 2016 Summer Olympics.) Admirable though she might be to be dancing at 90 years of age, Williams just isn’t a million dollar act. The same goes for Judge Howie’s choice of Grace VanderWaal, who, though talented and quirky and original, will fail to make the final cut. And then there’s Judge Heidi’s stereotypical Italian-American Sal Valentinetti, who does a great lounge singer/Frank Sinatra but will likely fall by the wayside. Guest Judge Reba’s contortionist will likely fall to America’s votes as well.

So that leaves five Golden Buzzer acts that just might make the season finale. But do any of them have what it takes to capture America’s attention and the voters’ hearts? If we’re talking talent coupled with a great backstory, there’s Judge Simon’s singer Calysta Bevier, who is a cancer survivor with a truly beautiful voice. There’s also the phenomenally versatile Malambo group Malevo, a bunch of talented guys who quit their jobs in Argentina to make it on America’s Got Talent. (And how they never got the Golden Buzzer during their first audition and had to wait for Guest Judge George Lopez to send them through is something that boggles the mind.) And then there’s Jayna Brown (Louis Tomlinson’s pick), a 13-year-old from Atlanta whose family lost their home and were forced to live with neighbors.

Still, the Golden Buzzer crew have to contend with quite a few other America’s Got Talent acts that are shooting for that million dollars as well. Like the Japanese villager Hara, a master illusionist, who captivated the audition and the judges panel with his unique form of magic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuN1BgUtwEM

But if there is one act that will likely win it all, it just might be Malevo. During their first audition, Judge Simon Cowell noted that they reminded him somewhat of “Riverdance.” (Note: “Riverdance” is the stage performance show that preceded “Lord of the Dance,” which catapulted Irish-style dancing and Michael Flatley onto the world stage.) With the combination of synchronized drums, on-point step dancing, flying hair and bolas, the act has commanded the stage with an energetic and non-stop performance. That, as they say, is a million dollar act.

But can they do it? Can Malevo win America’s Got Talent? That remains to be seen.

America’s Got Talent starts its Quarterfinals phase on Tuesday, July 26 and 27. Acts that advance will perform in the Semifinals at the end of August. The performance finale and the results show will air at a time yet to be determined by NBC Television.

UPDATED for the Quarterfinals, Round 1: For those who may have missed it, three of the four Golden Buzzer finalists made it through to the Semifinals on Wednesday (July 27) night’s results show: Jayna Brown, Jon Dorenbos, and Laura Breton. The fourth, dancer Dorothy Williams, was eliminated. The other five “America’s Got Talent” Golden Buzzer recipients will perform in the next two Quarterfinals shows.

UPDATED for the Quarterfinals, Round 2: Three of the Golden Buzzer acts performed on Tuesday (August 2) for the second round, with pop singer Calysta Bevier possibly being the best of the trio. Regardless, all three made it through to the Quarterfinals, but unlike the three in the first round, Calysta was the only one to make it through on the follow-up results show (August 3) by popular vote alone. Standard singer Sal Valentinetti got through on the Dunkin Save vote and country singer Kadie Lynn Roberson was saved by the judges. Still, no matter how they got there, it’s looking good for the Golden Buzzer crowd. With two more acts — Malevo and Grace VanderWaal — to perform in the last Quarterfinals round and six acts already advanced, the Semifinals could very well see a third of the remaining finalists comprised of Golden Buzzer recipients.

UPDATED for the Quarterfinals, Round 3: With the Summer Olympics in Rio finally over, America’s Got Talent returned for its third and final round of the Quarterfinals. The judges were on their feet often Tuesday night (August 23), so you just knew the voting was going to be close for a few favorites. Malambo dance troupe not only got everyone in the arena on their feet (including all four judges), Judge Mel B couldn’t stop screaming, and Judge Heidi Klum said she could see these guys in Las Vegas and watch them for hours. Simon Cowell again compared them to “Riverdance” and admitted they were “hot,” which got him a hug from all eight of the Argentinians. When all was said and done, though, Malevo had to saved on live television with the Dunkin’ Save on Wednesday’s results show. Singer/songwriter Grace VanderWahl, the only other Golden Buzzer recipient in the third round, made it through with the first five (all receiving enough to secure advancement). So, with Malevo and the child ukulele player getting through, that advances eight of the nine Golden Buzzer acts to the Semifinals. The odds are certainly getting better that one of those eight will win Season 11.

[Photo by Frederick M Brown/Getty Images]

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