In episode 9 of season 18, which aired on Tuesday, August 1, judges Sofia, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell were offered a slew of performances from the hopeful acts.
- Aug 2, 2023
AceShowbiz - "America's Got Talent" returned with a new round of auditions after a week of hiatus. In episode 9 of season 18, which aired on Tuesday, August 1, judges Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell were offered a slew of performances from the hopeful acts.
Kicking off the night was Duo Acero, a married couple from Colombia that performed balancing and strength acts on a pole. Sofia was impressed, calling their act "beautiful and sexy." Howie praised the duo for their impressive moves, while Heidi thought they're "so graceful" and "truly unique." Duo Acero advanced to the next round after earning four yes from the judges.
Singer Summer Rios followed it up. She performed "Something in the Orange", earning praise from the judges. Howie called her tone beautiful, while Sofia dubbed her voice "spectacular." Simon also applauded Summer's great choice of song. Summer moved on to the next round after getting an easy "yes" from all judges.
Leonard Lee then took the stage for his third attempt to break the world record for "Most Slam Dunks by a Dog" in a minute. He had to dunk 19 to break the record, but unfortunately he only made 18 dunks when the time ran out. The judges said no to him.
The next act was large drumline group Pulse Percussion. Howie loved their "tremendous" and "thrilling" performance, while Heidi called the act "a lot of fun" because of the hip-hop choreography. Simon, meanwhile, dubbed the group "absolutely amazing." The group got another set of four "yes" votes from the judges.
While guitarist in a cow costume Rob Potylo and singer in a devil costume Dev the Devil failed to impress the panelists, Brazilian singer Gabriel Henrique got good comments from the judges for his performance of "Run to You". Heidi compared his vocals to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, while Howie loved his voice which unexpectedly sounded like a pop diva. Sofia called it perfect and hit her Golden Buzzer, sending Gabriel straight to the live shows.
Zion Clark, who has a "super rare" condition that led him to be born without legs, then took the stage to complete multiple strength-based exercises on stage. Heidi said it was "absolutely incredible," while Simon thanked him for coming on the show to "define the word inspiration." All judges got him yes.
Performing next was rock and roll group True Villains. Simon liked the fact that they came to the show to honor their moms, joining others to give the group a standing ovation. Howie noted that they have "great musicianship," and Sofia said that the performance gave "a lot of fun." Unsurprisingly, True Villains was sent to the next round.
10-year-old twins Twinjas later showed off their MMA talents and got four "yes" votes to move on to the next round. Also moving on were music producer and disc jockey H.B. Monte as well as Israeli trio Bomba Circus. Following it up was singer Kylie Frey who wowed Simon. The judge admitted that he "really, really" liked her as a writer and musician and that she's "the real deal." Everyone except Howie gave Kylie yes.
Rounding out the night was Texan singer songwriter Sunny Chatum. He revealed to the judges that he was inspired into learning the ukulele by Grace VanderWaal, but then got side tracked from his audition while showing the judges his dream board. Howie hit his red X button when Sunny further delayed his performance. Simon and Sofia followed suit, before Heidi eventually hit her red X button as well.
