‘AGT: Fantasy League’ premiere recap: Which of the 10 Dream Team acts advanced from ‘Qualifiers 1’? [LIVE BLOG]

John Benutty
·8 min read
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“AGT: Fantasy League” premiered on January 1 with the first set of 10 performances in “Qualifiers 1.” The new spin-off series marks the return of former judge Mel B as she joins Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel in a head-to-head competition to mentor an all star ‘AGT’ act through the season to victory. Terry Crews is back once again for hosting duties.

Over eight weeks of shows, the judges’ Dream Teams of 10 will be narrowed down until only one stands as the newest AGT champion and takes home the $250,000 cash prize. That act will also give their mentor the first coach’s win in AGT history. In the four qualifiers, 10 acts perform with one receiving the week’s Golden Buzzer and five others advancing to the next round based on an audience vote.

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Monday night’s show featured performances from Billy and Emily England and Kodi Lee from Simon’s team; Jon Dorenbos, Maria Seiren, and Tape Face from Mel’s team; Hans from Heidi’s team; and Kristy Sellars, Kseniya Simonova, Shadow Ace and V.Unbeatable from Howie’s team.

Below, read our minute-by-minute “AGT: Fantasy League” recap of episode 1 to find out what happened Monday, January 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite acts on NBC’s reality TV show and who you think will ultimately become the newest AGT champion.

8:01 p.m. – The night began with Terry taking us back six weeks in the past to a drafting session he held for the coaches to pick the 10 acts they’d each bring back to compete this season. The acts the judges selected from came from a pool of artists that the fans nominated themselves.

8:05 p.m. – For “Qualifiers 1,” Terry entrusted the Golden Buzzer with Mel, noting that she can use the power to send any of the 10 acts, including her own, straight through to the finale. If choosing an act from another Dream Team, the Golden Buzzer would transfer that act to her team.

8:06 p.m. – The first performer of the night was Kristy Sellars, second place finisher from season 17 in 2022. In their rehearsal time, Howie told Kristy that the most important part is to “connect with this audience” and he also got to see first-hand how much hard work and planning goes in to creating her pole dancing pieces. Simon told Kristy that she’s “completely changed” the way he thinks about pole dancing and that she delivered the best one they’ve ever seen. Mel called it an “intense journey” that was “bloody good.” Howie knows that it’s “up to the audience,” but he thinks she gave a winning performance.

8:15 p.m. –  Next up was Mel’s card magician Jon Dorenbos from season 11. Ahead of his performance, Simon told Jon that all four coaches fought each other to bring him to their team because they believed in him that much. Mel told him that a key to his success this season will be showing the audience that he’s a family man with “family values.” After his up close card trick, Simon pointed out that Jon is an “amazing performer” and tonight he was at his “very best.” Howie appreciates what Jon has gone through in life and calls him “truly a champion” between of who he has become. Heidi added that she’s still mad that he isn’t on her team and Mel applauded him for being “incredible.”

8:27 p.m. – Self-proclaimed “international superstar” Hans from season 13 returned for Team Heidi with one goal in mind: finally impressing Simon. One of Heidi’s ideas for Hans performance was to bring in Liberace’s original piano for him to play “The Bitch Is Back” from. Mel said that her “cheeks are hurting” because he brings “so much joy to the stage.” Simon was “honest” in reminding Hans that he can’t sing and can’t dance, but even if it’s not his “cup of tea” it is still “very Heidi.”

8:37 p.m. – Next, Howie brought Kseniya Simonova back from “AGT Champions” season 1 to tell her story about “following your dreams” through her sand art. Howie called it “amazing emotional artistry” and Heidi added that it’s “incredible” how she can create emotions with sand. Mel admitted to being “lost at one point” and was not taken with her act as she has been in the past. Simon countered that no one else does what she does and that makes her an amazing talent.

8:49 p.m. – Howie also brought back V.Unbeatable as his first pick in the draft following their successful run as the winners of “AGT Champions” season 2. In rehearsal, Howie stressed that as exciting as they are as performers they’ll need to show the audience something they’ve never done before. To raise the stakes tonight, they brought in motor scooters to perform their tricks around. Heidi called them “incredible” and Mel was “screaming a lot.” Simon said that gave a “step up” from what they’ve showed before and that they were “world class.”

9:00 p.m. – Mel’s next act was the winner of “Japan’s Got Talent,” opera singer Maria Seiren. Mel wanted to make sure that Maria announced herself to the American audience with an elaborate costume and set. Simon called it a “surprise” and complimented Mel for a “very good choice of song.” Howie differed, calling it “very good” but not “great.”

9:08 p.m. – Brother and sister roller skating danger act Billy and Emily England were next representing Simon’s team. They said that Simon was “very involved” in their preparation and has been an asset to their return to the show after being eliminated as semi-finalists in season 12. Simon said that “this is what the show is all about” and Howie admitted that Simon is lucky to have them on his team because they are one of the most “dangerous, exciting, stand out acts” they’ve ever had. Mel said that it was really “spectacular” and even though Simon really likes them, she was more interested in bringing them over to her team by stealing them with her Golden Buzzer and sending them straight to the finale.

9:22 p.m. – Mel’s team returned to the stage with a new performance from season 11 finalist Tape Face that she advised should include making Simon “look silly.” After the performance, Mel called it “brilliant” because it featured Simon “standing there looking pointless” which prompted Simon to take a dig at the Spice Girls and Mel retaliating by spraying him with water.

9:33 p.m. – Team Howie’s final performer of the night was Shadow Ace, the hand shadow artist that became the most viral act from season 18 with a quarter of a billion views online. Howie advised him that he needs to come out of his shy personality and show himself more in order to connect with the audience. Simon called it “genius” to use Howie’s head as part of his act because it made it “even funnier.” He added that what makes his act great is that it can appeal to people of all ages. Mel said she couldn’t stop laughing and he brought her “so much joy.”

9:44 p.m. – The final performance of the night came from Simon’s second act Kodi Lee, AGT winner from season 14. Unlike his previous times on the show, Kodi decided to sing an original song that he had written himself and Simon knew that was the best decision. Mel said that she would have hit the Golden Buzzer for him if she still had it available because he was that good. Heidi liked that he gave “a different vibe” and Howie believed the audience would have an easy time choosing him as one of the five picks to advance. Simon closed with saying that he performed with “such passion” and showed that he’s a true artist.

9:55 p.m. – With Billy and Emily England already advancing to the finals, Terry brought the other nine acts back to the stage to reveal the five that would move on to the semi-finals. The acts that the voting audience chose to move on in the competition were: V.Unbeatable, Kodi Lee, Shadow Ace, Kseniya Simonova, and Kristy Sellars. That meant that all four of Howie’s team made it through to the next round.

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