‘America’s Got Talent’ episode 18 recap: 11 acts perform for America’s vote in ‘Qualifiers 4’ [LIVE BLOG]

This summer, “America’s Got Talent” returned for its 18th season with Terry Crews resuming his hosting duties and Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara once again making up the judges panel. As in the past, this year’s champion will take home a $1 million cash prize and be able to showcase their talent as a headlining act in Las Vegas. Only 55 acts get to perform in the “AGT” Qualifiers to compete for America’s vote and hopefully move one step closer to the finale.

Tuesday’s “Qualifiers 4” features encore performances from Golden Buzzer recipient Chibi Unity, plus magician Anna Deguzman, singers D’Corey Johnson, Roland Abante and Kylie Frey, chorale group Freedom Singers, dancer and contortionist Mariandrea, comedian Orlando Leyba, puppet act Puppet Simon & The Cowbelles, variety act Shadow Ace, and acrobat Zion Clark.

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In “Qualifiers 1” on August 22, Sofia’s Golden Buzzer singer Lavender Darcangelo and dog act Adrian Stoica & Hurricane were the two acts that America sent through to “The Finals.” The acts to advance from “Qualifiers 2” on August 29 were Howie’s Golden Buzzer dance group Murmuration and stand up comedian Ahren Belisle. Following “Qualifiers 3,” two more Golden Buzzer acts advanced: the audience choice Mzansi Youth Choir and Simon’s Putri Ariani.

Follow along with our season 18 episode 18 recap live blog of the performances and the judges’ critiques for “America’s Got Talent” Qualifier 4 below:

8:03 p.m. – The first performer of the night was Zion Clark, the strength acrobat that lives by the motto “no excuses.” Tonight he traversed an obstacle course that culminated with a drum set performance to emphasize the story he told about how music helps inspire him to push harder in life. Heidi called Zion a “force of positivity and strength,” Howie called him a treasure that inspires everyone, Sofia wants the show to give Zion even more hope about what he can achieve, and Simon said that he thinks Zion’s performance secured himself a spot in the finale.

8:14 p.m. – Puppet Simon & The Cowbelles is a comedy puppeteering act that pokes fun at Simon with their musical storytelling. Tonight they chose a Broadway-style song that did not cut it for Sofia, who hit her red X buzzer quickly. Later in the performance, Puppet Sofia made an appearance and got Sofia back on board for the act. Unfortunately, by that time, Simon had had enough and hit his red X buzzer as well. Simon said that the show “started well and got increasingly worse.” Heidi said she had “mixed feelings” and was mostly disappointed there was no Puppet Heidi. Howie tried to say that he doesn’t agree with hitting the red X at this point in the competition, but we know he did that to acts in previous Qualifiers so no one was buying what he was selling.

8:24 p.m. – Filipino fisherman Roland Abante’s first audition garnered 75 million views on YouTube before he came to the live shows to perform again. Tonight he decided to go big with his vocal rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” Following the performance, Sofia got to her feet to cheer Roland on and said he’s come a long way from doing karaoke. Simon also loved it, adding that people all over the world support him. Howie thought it was “the perfect song” with “the perfect voice.” Heidi appreciated the grit and texture in Roland’s voice and said that if she had another Golden Buzzer she’d push it for him.

8:35 p.m. – Tonight was Mariandrea’s birthday, but that didn’t stop her from aiming to give people nightmares with her contortionist dancing. Simon told her that she’s “very, very interesting,” but was disappointed because tonight’s routine wasn’t as scary as the first audition. Sofia and Heidi disagreed, saying that she “looked possessed enough.” Howie added that she delivered the scariest birthday party he’s ever been to.

8:44 p.m. – Country singer Kylie Frey impressed the judges with her songwriting in her first audition and also got a shout out from Reba McEntire on social media. Because the first song was so successful, Kylie decided to perform another original song, but decided to pick one that is catchy enough to impress Howie. It was in fact “a better song” for Howie, but he thought her voice wasn’t as strong and perhaps she was out of breath by overdoing the movement on stage. But Heidi thought she had great stage presence and Sofia appreciated the high energy of the performance, despite agreeing with Howie that “something was happening with her voice.” Simon concluded by saying that people will like her, but he called it “a manic mess” from where he was sitting.

8:57 p.m – The judges all agreed on their love for Chibi Unity with they awarded them the Group Golden Buzzer after their first audition. Following tonight’s performance, the judges stood in ovation to cheer the dancing group on once again. Heidi called them amazing and said they did not disappoint, Sofia said they were breathtaking, surprising and sexy, and Simon thinks they were very stylish tonight and had a great music choice. Howie said that “by far” they were the best act of the night.

9:08 p.m. – The dream and mission of Freedom Singers is to spread hope and connect people to the belief that they can achieve anything. Tonight they highlighted the powerful vocals of solo singers in the main verses and incorporated their harmonizing as a larger chorale group during the choruses on “Another Day in Paradise.” Sofia thought this was a step up from their first audition and it was “perfection.” Simon agreed, calling it a “massive” improvement and calling out the female singer that opened the song for her phenomenal solo moment Howie thinks that they represent something relatable and they’re heroes. Heidi thought that they all excelled, but also gave major kudos to the singer that opened the performance.

9:15 p.m. – Stand up comedian Orlando Leyba recalled having to follow Mzansi Youth Choir on his first audition day and how intimidating it was to come after a Golden Buzzer act. Having settled into his place in the competition, Orlando promised to use less storytelling in his set tonight and have more jokes. That being said, his jokes centered on his relationship to his wife and relied heavily on his delivery rather than punchlines. Howie called Orlando “a smart man” that is a natural on stage, but especially loves his plan to have a lot of jokes in his set. Simon agreed, thinking he listened to the audience and gave them great material. Heidi and Sofia both thought that Orlando was adorable, relatable and likable enough to be a good choice for the audience votes.

9:29 p.m. – Anna Deguzman had all of the judges join her on stage for her latest magic routine in order to achieve something she says no one has ever seen on live TV. In the act, she had each judge pick a single card at random and then place it back in the stack. Howie was the only judge to sign his card before putting it back in the stack. Once the stack was complete again, Anna flicked out four different cards one at a time and correctly had theirs, including Howie’s signed one hidden inside of a cake. Howie said that he loved her presentation and was thoroughly impressed with the magic. Heidi could tell how nervous Anna was, but thinks she kept them all engaged and performed well. Sofia had a good time to be up on stage with her and Simon loved her personality.

9:44 p.m. – The feedback D’Corey Johnson received during his first audition was “less is more,” meaning they enjoyed his a cappella song more than his over the top Broadway choice. D’Corey took that note to heart this week, but still remained true to his showstopper aspirations in his rendition of “Wishing on a Star.” Heidi couldn’t believe that he’s only 11 years old and thinks he was “even better” this time. Sofia enjoyed that he showed a different side of himself with this “sexy” song and Simon thought that D’Corey “controlled the song.” Howie thinks that he “went up nine levels” in raising the bar from his first performance.

9:50 p.m. – Shadow Ace scored raves from the judges and 213 million views on YouTube with his first audition because he brought something unique to the show. But that achievement set a high bar for him to exceed tonight as he performed again. Tonight his shadow art told the story of a performer that went through the trial of auditioning, but this time he brought his performance out in front of the screen so that the audience can see the magic of what he does with light and shadow. Simon called it “what a way to finish” and thinks that he proved he can make shadow art work in “The Finals.” Sofia was surprised that she actually loves his talent, Heidi thinks it is “so simple, but so creative,” and Howie agreed with everyone else that this was better than his first audition.

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