America’s Got Talent – Season 19, Episode 7

By: Sammi Turano

We are in week seven of the “America’s Got Talent” auditions on NBC. Terry Crews hosts, while Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell judge.

There are nine Golden Buzzers this season, one for Terry and two for each judge. Simon, Howie and Heidi used both of theirs, while Terry and Sofia each used one.

Mia Soleil Sanchez: She is a teenage singer from New Jersey who does a rendition of Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish. It is a good cover of the song and she has amazing stat quality for someone so young.

The judges are quite impressed with her and unanimously send her to the next round.

Illya and Anastasia Strakhov: They do a hand balancing act with rollers. How they manage to do this, I have no idea, but it is incredible. They add several other objects, including plates, a bowling ball and glasses to the routine, making it that much more impressive. The ending involves a bottle balanced on rows of glasses. They then take the bottle and pour a drink…which they then chug. It brings cheers to a whole new level.

The judges think it is a fun act and send them to the next round.

The Jerusalem Youth Choir: They sing Phillip Phillips’s hit Home. Their goal is to ‘build bridges between people who are different from them,’ which is such a beautiful message. The act itself is sweet, moving and heartwarming,

The judges find them inspiring and send them to the next round.

Dian Rene: He came to America from Cuba in search of  a new life. He had a song prepared in Spanish, but since it didn’t clear in time for the audition, he had to sing the English version. He sounds super nervous, so Simon sends him away to prepare for an audition another day.

Joey and Jordan: They are best friends who began working together after dealing with breakups. They are sweet and adorable, but the vocals don’t seem to be working. The fact that they chose to sing Cotton Eyed Joe was an interesting choice, but I think it was fun.

The judges are split, so in a 2-2 vote, they get sent home.

Jabu and Cornelio: The former is a Julliard trained drummer, while the latter is a tap dancer. They collaborate to make one of the coolest acts I have ever seen. I love drumming and I love tap, so this is my favorite act of the night so far.

The judges think it is a good combination of classic and modern and send them unanimously to the next round.

Nasty the Horse: I remember him from several seasons ago and even interviewed him back in the day, I think he was just Horse back then. Anyway, he does a bunch of interesting things including putting his head in hot sauce and running a unicycle over his, um, anatomy…..which is quite….bold?

Sofia buzzes him, but the others decide to give him a chance to impress them in round two.

Mervin Mayo: He is a police officer who uses singing as an outlet for his stress. He also helps at risk kids since he was once one himself. He does a rendition of Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and WOW. I love Ed and I love this song, but Mervin took it to a whole new level. WOW!

The judges unanimously give him YESES!

The judges find him fascinating and give him four yeses.

Insane Shane Boyle: He is a TikTok star who can catch things with his mouth. People toss stuff tom the balcony and the judges join in the gun as well.

He gets four yeses.

Reuben Solo: He is an Australian comedian who wants to move to America. He uses a white board for his act and shows an x/y axis to show how funny he is….but gets buzzed off the stage.

Schumacher: They are a comedy duo who have been working together for over a decade. They hail from Japan and this is their first time performing in America.

They change into animal costumes and use props to keep changing into different costumes and animals.

Sofia loves it so much that she gives them her second Golden Buzzer!

Dian Rene: He returns with a different song and this time sings in Spanish as originally planned. The judges love him this time around and give him four yeses.

Forest of Haunts: The do a horror magic show which has Simon and Sofia participating. They choose balloons, with Simon’s being filled with maggots…..which end up on the judges table….all righty, then!

Heidi is not a fan, but the others out vote her and send them to the next round.