JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
America's Got Talent Season 19 Episode 1 Recap: From Golden Buzzer To Past Winner, Everything You Missed
Hosted by Terry Crews, America's Got Talent Season 19 is judged by executive producers Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel along with Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara.
Yet another season of the popular reality show America’s Got Talent kicked off this week on May 28. The two-hour premiere treated fans and audiences with an exciting episode featuring interesting acts including dance, stand-up comedy, singing, magicians, and a toddler mathematician. Hosted by Terry Crews, the show is judged by executive producers Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel along with Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara.
The first episode, the first audition of the 19th season did not disappoint emotionally either. Like every year, it had its own fulfilling and heartfelt moments when an Indiana janitor scored a Golden Buzzer. This season, each judge will get, not one, but two chances to hit the Golden Buzzers that let them qualify directly to the live around. From Golden Buzzer to past winners of the show, here’s a recap of everything you missed in the first episode of America’s Got Talent Season 19.
Indianapolis janitor grabbed a Golden Buzzer
Richard Goodall, the 55-year-old from Indianapolis’s Terra Haute who has been working as a janitor for over 20 years, took everyone by surprise when he sang Don’t Stop Believin by Journey on the stage. “Richard, you are my hero because that was special. Genuinely special. I think America is going to love you,” said Cowell after his performance.
“That was spectacular, that was fun. That was an amazing surprise. I think you were perfect to come to AGT because you made our night,” said Vergara while Mandel joked, “Maybe because you’ve been doing it for 23 years, but you just cleaned up.” He continued, “I imagine any kid that’s ever been in a school with you is just screaming. I just think you’re amazing.” And as Klum pushed the Golden Buzzer, she said, “Richard, Richard, Richard, you knocked me off my feet. We all had the best time with you up there on that stage. I really, really feel something when I see you up there and hear you up there. And now, this is what I’m going to do for you because I love you.”
After receiving the Golden Buzzer, an overwhelmed Goodall said this was the first time he traveled on a flight and that this was “just a dream come true.” He spoke about his childhood when he sat in his bedroom with the Radio Shack radio but eventually took up a job and became a janitor at a middle school three blocks away from his home. “I am not a fancy person. I take out the trash, wipe off the tables, sweep the floors. I’m just having fun and trying to make people happy.” He said it was his students who reassured him that he has “got talent” which motivated him to take the flight to California and audition for the reality show.
Zimbabwe’s Learnmore Jonasi grabbed another Golden Buzzer
Hailing from Zimbabwe, Jonasi grabbed the stories by winning the hearts of both judges and audiences with stories from his village and comparing them to how he perceives life in America. He performed a stand-up comedy show on the stage where he joked about cell phone services, traffic lights, and social media in his village and received a standing ovation from the judges and audience.
Howie then complimented him for coming to the show and succeeding despite the cultural barriers he had to overcome to tell his stories. While Vergara complimented that he is "good from top to bottom," Simon believes he's "one of the funniest people" they've ever met on the show. The audience erupted in enthusiasm as Crews cried, "hold up, hold up," and he descended the stage to join the judges as Howie started rolling the "yes" ballots down the line. Crews informed everybody that Learnmore was "taking 14-hour bus trips to go perform for five minutes and then having to take 14-hour bus trips back home," as he had stated backstage. Hitting the Golden Buzzer, Crews said, “you will never have to go back home again because you are here with us forever.”
Other contestants who auditioned in the first audition of America’s Got Talent Season 19
The first contestant to take the stage was a group of students from Los Osos High School who performed a dance routine to a megamix of Usher tracks. They got three “yes” from Vergara, Cowell, and Klum and a “no” from Cowell as they advanced to the next round.
Next, a two-year-old baby mathematician named Baby Dev accompanied by his father to impress the judges by solving math equations. The judges gave him three problems including a simple multiplication, a double-digit addition, and a more complicated multiplication, three of which Dev solved and earned four “yes” votes to qualify for the next round.
The third act was by Taiwanese magician Sam Huang who stunned the judges and audience with his ability to make his fingers disappear at will. Mandel described it as "crazy" and "unique," while Cowell termed it "the most crazy close-up magic." Huang was given the all-clear to proceed, and Vergara called down the line. This was followed by the season’s first dog act performed by Daisy May & Clifford from Chicago. However, they failed to impress the judges.
Other participants who qualified for the next round include ballet dancer Ashlee Montague from Washington, country singer Reyna Roberts from Nashville, 13-year-old flexibility specialist and contortionist Arshiya, and body performer Tonikaku from Japan.
Winners of America’s Got Talent in the past seasons
Premiered in June 2006, the NBC show gives a platform to any and everybody from across the globe who showcase their talents ranging from comedy, dance, singing, magic, stunts, gymnastics, and several other genres.
The winners from the past 18 seasons include singers Bianca Ryan, Neal E. Boyd, Kevin Skinner, Michael Grimm, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Grace VanderWaal, Kodi Lee, impressionist and comedian Terry Fator, American dog trick act Olate Dogs featuring father-and-son trainers Richard and Nicholas Olate, Japanese performance artist Kenichi Ebina, magicians Mat Franco, Shin Lim, comedian and ventriloquists Paul Zerdin, musician and comedian Darci Lynne, magician and singer Dustin Tavella, spoken word poet, educator and motivational speaker Brandon Leake, Lebanese all-female alternative precision dance group The Mayyas, and Romanian-born dog trainer in Italy Adrian Stoica.
Latest Articles
