‘America’s Got Talent’ episode 5 recap: Did ‘AGT Auditions 5’ include any Golden Buzzer acts? [LIVE BLOG]

“America’s Got Talent” continued season 18 on June 27 with a two-hour showcase of acts in “Auditions 5.” 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 has 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.

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 5 to find out what happened Tuesday, June 27 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.

8:03 p.m. – Going into the fifth set of auditions, Simon’s voice was still gone so his contributions to the commentary were a bit muted. The night kicked off with the Sharpe Family Singers, parents and their children from New Jersey who promised “big loud voices.” Tonight they performed “How Far I’ll Go,” impressing Sofia with their amazing sound, converting Howie into a musical theater fan, and giving Heidi something new to dream about for her own family. Through Sofia, Simon compared them to apple pie. With such praise, it was an easy decision for all four judges to vote “yes” to send them through.

8:12 p.m. – In order to assist in Simon’s inability to vocalize his thoughts, Terry brought him a sound board featuring some of his past Simon-isms so he can press buttons in order to speak.

8:13 p.m. – The next audition was from Adrian Stoica and Hurricane, a dog trick act all the way from Italy. Unlike many of the similar acts from the past, Adrian and Hurricane told a story with comedic elements beginning with Hurricane waking Adrian up from bed and then recreating a morning routine in the setting of a make-shift home. Heidi said that they are both “very good actors” in a “well done routine,” Sofia noticed how many different things Hurricane had to accomplish, and Howie called them one of his favorite dog acts in series history. He also noticed that Hurricane was able to perform even when Adrian left the stage briefly. Through his sound board, Simon called it one of his favorite auditions of the season and joined the other three judges to make it an unanimous set of “yes” votes.

8:24 p.m. – Heidi noticed “dangerous looking things” behind Chen Lei ahead of his audition before promising Simon that he’s the only person in the world that does what he does. In the act, Chen performed multiple acrobatic trips scaling higher and higher on balancing poles as the audition progressed. Howie called his performance “fluid,” Heidi was impressed by some of the tricks that incorporated body contortion, Sofia called it “perfection” and “insane,” and Simon closed out the critiques by calling it “on another level” and “one of his favorites.” The judges all agreed that Chen should perform again in the next round.

8:35 p.m. – Returning to music for the night, Trailer Flowers took the stage to show the judges why their country duo should advance. In the middle of their first song, Simon raised his hand to stop their performance. He asked them to play a second song instead and they opted for an original. Sofia was happy that Simon asked for the second song because she said “it was better.” Howie agreed, but considered them “good singers” that are doing something that should be “great” instead. Heidi liked that they harmonized really well and Simon thinks that the audience will love them. Howie held firm in his “no,” but it was a “yes” from the other three so the duo advanced.

8:47 p.m. – Self-taught dancer Erica Coffelt came to the show with a goal of showing her kids that she “didn’t give up.” The crowd thoroughly enjoyed her hip hop routine, standing in ovation at the end of the audition. Sofia called it “fantastic” and “surprisingly very good,” Simon told her that she exemplifies what the show is about, Heidi rocked out with the performance and wanted to see more, and Howie said that the “joy is contagious.” From there, the judges went down the line for four “yes” votes to send Erica through to the next round.

8:58 p.m. – 10 year old Ryland told the judges he was born with magical powers and has been performing in the art form since he was two years old. In the performance, Ryland used letters and numbers to show a predictive form of magic. Heidi said that it was indeed “magical,” Howie liked that Ryland is “funny and talented,” Sofia thought the whole act was “so much fun,” and Simon spoke into the mic showing that Ryland must be the one that almost gave him his voice back. Heidi started with the first “yes” and then three more followed to give Ryland the support to advance.

9:11 p.m. – The judges were not sure what to make of M when they walked out on the stage, but their fears were somewhat assuaged when they uncovered a piano on stage and began playing it. Sofia nearly jumped out of her seat when a second M appeared from behind her, ascending to the stage to dance as their partner continued to play. Though some of the audience seemed entertained, Simon and Heidi both hit their red X buttons. Heidi and Howie wondered “what else?” but Sofia said that she actually liked it. Sofia’s “yes” vote did nothing to combat the “no” votes from Howie, Heidi and Simon.

9:20 p.m. – Sporting an achilles injury, Barry Brewer Jr still managed to make his way to the stage in order to perform his keyboard comedy set for the judges. He used the music of the keys to underscore his storytelling brand of comedy. Sofia said that in her four seasons on the show she’s pleased to see a comic “mix it up with music” and Howie added that he’s “likable and charming.” Heidi “didn’t want it to end” and Simon found it “really clever” with the potential to make a “positive difference.” The judges all agreed to vote “yes” in order to see Barry perform again in the next round.

9:31 p.m. – Justin Jackson told Sofia he dreams of having his own show in Vegas before he showed the judges something new with his hip hop tap dancing routine. He took the audition to the next level by leaving the stage and performing right in front of the judges at their table. Sofia said that for her, Justin “made tap dancing sexy and funny and modern” Howie added that he made it more than just dancing, Heidi insisted that they need to see more of his unique talent, and Simon thought it was special that Justin was so surprised when the audience reacted so positively to him. The judges thought that Justin’s hard work was worthy of a trip to the second round so they all voted “yes.”

9:41 p.m. – Card magician Ryan Hayashi was not able to impress Simon in a talent that Simon generally doesn’t like. By the end, Simon called it “quite boring” but Heidi, who was on stage, gave him a “yes.” Howie agreed with Simon, saying that the showmanship wasn’t there and Sofia joined them to make three “no” votes. They instead preferred Sangsoon Kim from South Korea who brought a new brand of magic to the stage using shoes and boxes as his props. Simon explained that Sangsoon is “the opposite” of uninteresting and boring, making him everything they want to cast on the show. Sofia called his magic “fresh” and “very you,” Heidi said she can’t wait to watch his performance again on rewind, and Howie referenced how hard it is to impress them with magic at this point in the show, but he still did it. Going down the line from Howie to Simon, it was four “yes” votes for Sangsoon to advance.

9:52 p.m. – The final audition of the night came from Lachune, a singer from South Carolina by way of Texas who is both a student and vocal teacher currently. She explained to Simon that she’s always observed her family members singing and never embraced the moment to take the stage herself, but teaching helped convinced her to go for it and “take the initiative” because she realized she wasn’t practicing what she preached. Following her cover of “Yellow,” Simon said that she has a “beautiful, beautiful voice” and was tempted to ask her to judge herself. She told Simon she’d be clapping for herself and he offered the advice that she needs to carve out her own lane to go down. Sofia also loved the audition, calling it “perfect” and saying she wanted to keep listening. Heidi applauded Lachune for putting herself first, that she showed who she is and thinks that Lachune has only scratched the surface. Howie closed the critiques out with the first “yes,” predicting that Lachune changed the course of her life with the audition. Heidi, Sofia and Simon also said “yes,” sending her through to the next round as well.

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