‘America’s Got Talent’ episode 10 recap: Who performed for the judges in the final night of ‘AGT Auditions’? [LIVE BLOG]

“America’s Got Talent” continued season 18 on August 8 with the final two-hour showcase of first round performances in “Auditions 9.” There are no changes to judges’ dais this summer with executive producer Simon Cowell and long-time judge Howie Mandel taking their place on the ends of the table. Heidi Klum returns as well, as does Sofia Vergara who took a break when “All-Stars” aired earlier this year. Hosting duties are entrusted to the lively Terry Crews once again.

In the audition phase of “AGT,” an act needs at least three of the four judges to give them a “yes” vote to advance to the next round. If two or more judges buzz the act, they are immediately eliminated. Each judge and Crews had one chance to hit the “golden buzzer” and send an act straight through to the live performances.

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In the season premiere, Simon led the panel in handing out the first ever Audience Golden Buzzer to Mzansi Youth Choir from South Africa. Simon gave the Golden Buzzer to 17 year old Indonesian pianist and singer Putri Ariani in episode 2. Then, in episode 3, Terry descended the stage to make a dream come true for Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy. Howie made his choice to send French dance group Murmuration straight to the live shows in episode 4. And in episode 6, Heidi fell in love with singer Lavender Darcangelo. Sofia finally used her Golden Buzzer in episode 9 when Gabriel Henrique took the stage to sing Whitney Houston.

The format will be the same as in previous seasons, with “America’s Got Talent” airing just on Tuesdays at first with the initial weeks devoted to the auditions that took place around the country. The live shows begin on Tuesday, August 22 with voting results shows following on Wednesday.

Below, read our minute-by-minute “America’s Got Talent” recap of Season 18, Episode 10 to find out what happened Tuesday, August 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite acts on NBC’s long-running reality TV show and who you think will ultimately join the AGT list of champions.

8:02 p.m. – Pianist and vocalist from Improv Everywhere had the audience in the palm of his hands when they heard that he tried out for the show at the urge of his niece, but they were much less impressed when he started singing. Howie hit his buzzer rather quickly and then Simon asked that he stop. At that point, a woman stepped up in the audience and began singing “Give him another chance” in medley and then other members of the audience stood up with microphones as well. It became quite clear that this was part of the act. In a big surprise, an entire section of the upper balcony also joined in the song and then the UCLA marching band came down the aisles to join them on stage in the final run through “Take a Chance on Me.” Once they declared themselves as the improv group, Howie admitted to seeing their work online, Heidi called “the whole thing fun,” Sofia liked the whole idea, but wasn’t that surprised because she says the acting was so bad. Simon differed, saying he was surprised and loved that it kept getting bigger throughout. The votes started with Simon and Heidi saying “yes,” but Sofia stuck with a “no,” leaving it down to Howie. Ultimately, Howie stuck to his guns and insisted that there’s nothing else they could possibly do in the future to surprise them so he maintained his own “no” and eliminated the group from the competition.

8:11 p.m. – Hailing from Cuba by way of France, balancing act Duo Dadiva came to the show with the hopes of earning the chance to live and work in Las Vegas. Sofia was the most enthusiastic about their performance, calling it “spectacular” while both Simon and Heidi called it “boring” with “mixed feelings.” Howie agreed with Sofia, adding “beautiful” and noting their coordination and the high difficulty. Heidi insisted that it could be difficult, but the “outcome is still boring.” Sofia and Howie said “yes” and Simon said “no,” so this time is came down to Heidi who decided to give them another chance so switched to “yes.”

8:15 p.m. – Stand up comedian Ahmed Bharoocha attempted a comedy set on ants, but the judges were split again with Simon dissenting with a “no” compared to the three “yeses” from Sofia, Howie and Heidi. Daragh and Dexter had a boring dog act according to Howie and Heidi, but Sofia and Simon voted “yes” to send them through. Heidi kept her “no,” so that put Howie in the hot seat again to switch his vote, but he stuck with “no” as well.

8:23 p.m. – A shirtless Donovyn Diaz took the stage to dance for the judges and a screaming audience, as well as to honor his mom who has been battling cancer since he was a baby. His routine had a number of audience members wiping tears from their eyes and left the judges with no choice but to offer a standing ovation. Sofia said his mom will be proud, Howie acknowledged the emotion that the audience felt from the “beautiful” and “athletic” dance, Heidi said he has style, and Simon liked that Donovyn “controlled the stage” and called him “a total star.” This time the whole panel agreed with an unanimous set of “yes” votes to advance.

8:33 p.m. – Chilean clown Papayaso delivered impressions of elephants, puppies, Jason Statham, David Attenborough, Jimmy Fallon, and Simon with an uneven response from the audience. By the end, most of the room was on Papayaso’s side though, with Sofia calling it “amazing” and “surprising,” Howie thought he provide “a moment” with his act, Heidi liked his reactions to his own impressions, and Simon was still laughing as he and Sofia started the votes to give him “yes” votes down the line.

8:43 p.m. – The second dog act of the night was Heather and Bogart who competed in agility competitions against other dogs despite having only three legs of his own. For their audition, Bogart proved just how agile he is as he moved with Heather through an obstacle course. Heidi predicted that they’ll be “a big hit” on the show, Simon predictably loved Bogart and the act in general, Sofia called them “heartwarming and inspiring,” and Howie agreed that they’re an act deserving of going on. All four judges agreed that this is a “yes” vote act that should go on to the next round.

8:54 p.m. – Londoners Morgan & Roxi only met a few weeks prior to their audition because Morgan had lost her partner to a job opportunity. For their act they performed a trapeze act using a large aerial ring spinning in the air. Howie thought it was amazing that they’ve only been working together for nine weeks, Heidi called them “beautiful” on stage, Sofia thinks it was “exciting” and they looked like they have fun, and Simon really likes them as people and he has respect for their story. Though Simon said it wasn’t perfect, he was willing to say “yes” along with the other judges for a complete set of positive votes in their favor.

9:05 p.m. – Extending the auditions further beyond the shores of America, Josh Alfred came to the show from Nigeria to promise something “very different” with his speed-reading talent. His claim was that he could read three full books in under three minutes, but visually it amounted to him flipping through the pages very quickly and mumbling words. Sofia hit her red X button. Simon called it “pointless” and Heidi wanted to know “how is this an act?” After four “no” votes, Josh insisted that they made a mistake.

9:08 p.m. – The next act was Titos Tsai from Taiwan who told the judges he’d be dancing with a danger act aspect to it. The danger came in the form of three swords danced with, balancing one of them in the crook of his neck and shoulder while spinning and flipping across the stage. He added a fourth sword later. Heidi thought it was “incredible” and Sofia could only imagine how much time Titos had put into perfecting the act. Howie admitted that he didn’t know how “beautiful” and “dangerous” would come together, but understood it after watching the performance. Simon thought it was “very dramatic and very exciting” and that he’s never seen anything like it. Helping Titos fulfill his dream, all four judges gave him a “yes” vote so that he’d perform again in the next round.

9:19 p.m. – 11 year old Eduardo Antonio Trevino had the whole room swooning when he took the stage in full regalia in order to perform his mariachi solo for everyone. For his performance he was joined by a five-piece band that played as he delivered the vocal on his own. Once the standing ovation sat down, Sofia noted how engaging Eduardo’s personality it, Heidi liked how extended his notes were, Howie appreciates that Eduardo brought his culture to the stage, and Simon closed out the commentary by saying he “absolutely loved” the audition because he’s a “proper lead singer” with natural talent. No question about it, the judges all voted “yes” for him to advance.

9:25 p.m. – Up next was Josh Alfred from Nigeria (in a new costume) promising to be the “fastest rapper in the world.” This time he did rap, and quickly, but without any coherence. This time Sofia and Heidi both hit their red X buttons. Simon said he didn’t understand “any of it” as Josh promised that if they could think fast they’d get it. Still, this time it was “no” votes across the board again.

9:32 p.m. – Magician Kevin Li hopes that his act brings families together in the same way that it did his, which is why he wants to have his own residency in Vegas. His routine used storytelling and the idea of shared memories at its center in order to underscore this connectedness. He, too, received a standing ovation from the crowd and judges and left Terry with goosebumps. Heidi said she loved everything about it, especially when he pushed a popcorn kernel out of his eye in front of her, and Sofia was moved by how emotional he was at the end because it was different from how in control he was during. Simon and Howie agreed that he’s cool, different, and that he’s worked really hard at his craft. This was another easy agreement to get four “yeses” for Kevin to advance.

9:44 p.m. – The next act was Josh Alfred, a magician from Nigeria. In his attempt at card magic, he ended up just listing off all the cards that he had in his deck. Howie hit his red X button this time before Josh could draw an 11 card in order to match Howie’s birthday month of November. When that failed, he tried to control Terry’s mind, but the control was done by just asking Terry to do things. In the end, the audience did start laughing, but Sofia thought it wasn’t funny enough overall and so she voted “no,” but Simon began to find him “really hilarious.” Simon tried to unilaterally vote four “yeses” for Josh, but the other three judges maintained their “no” votes.

9:52 p.m. – The final act of the audition phase was dance group Chibi Unity from Japan. Ahead of their performance, Chibi Unity referenced Mayyas for inspiring them to try out for the show themselves. They began their routine in a dark space using shadows against a sheet and then evolved into a full-on, high energy act showing synchronicity and group movement. Howie pointed out that the dance category this season is strong, but they “took it to another level.” He liked the speed and dexterity a lot. Heidi loved it because the music was unexpected and the costume changes which made it dynamic. Sofia said she got goosebumps and her heart was beating out of her chest and called the best dancing she’s ever seen. Simon noted that it was more than just dance because it was “so powerful, so original, and so incredible.” In order to do justice to their glowing praise, the judges called Terry down to the dais to deliver a special and unexpected Group Golden Buzzer to the dancers!

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