Heidi Klum Turns 'AGT: Fantasy League' Into a Wrestling Match

Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel

As previously reported, it isn’t just the acts that are competing on the new version of AGT: Fantasy League but also judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Mel B, who serve as mentors for their hand-picked teams on the new format.

Similar to a fantasy sports draft, the judges will choose a roster of their favorite acts from Got Talent franchises around the world. Then, they mentor the acts throughout the competition with the hopes of seeing an act from their team crowned the champion of AGT: Fantasy League—and it turns out that the judges may actually be fiercer competitors than their team members to earn bragging rights

“I sit besides a ruthless, fierce competitor,” Howie told Parade, commenting on fellow judge Heidi Klum.

“Yes, well I took Howie down at one point because he wanted to steal the Ramadhani Brothers from me, which he actually did in the end,” Heidi adds.

“Physically,” Howie continues. “She actually wrestled me. You don’t do that in the workplace.”

“I wrestled him to the ground,” Heidi brags. “I was standing in front of the Golden Buzzer and there was no way around, so I took him down.”

“This was full contact Got Talent,” Howie adds.

Related: AGT Reveals Its New Format: AGT: Fantasy League and the 40 Acts Competing

That said, the judges are enjoying the new format because it gives the show a fresh feeling, making their jobs a little different than the summer version of America’s Got Talent.

“It was a lot of fun,” Heidi said. “Sometimes it was very frustrating because not everyone always did what one was suggesting.”

Then Howie teases her, “Not everyone wants to be bedazzled.”

“No, it has nothing to do with the bedazzling, because I bedazzled everyone,” Heidi says. “But apart from the bedazzling, talking about just the act itself, sometimes people had a very strong idea on what they wanted to do.”

“But this was more fun than just regular AGT because rather than just commenting we got to be involved,” Howie adds.

And Heidi agrees but feels the mentoring can provide constructive criticism.

“Sometimes it’s good to tell the things that you would change before rather than when it’s already too late and then you give negative comments towards something. It’s better to hear it before because then you still have the opportunity to change.”

Related: Simon Cowell Reveals Which Fellow Judge from AGT: Fantasy League Is On His $#%^ List

“But we had input,” Howie says. “I was telling everybody what we do on the regular AGT is what people do at home on the couch in their underpants. ‘Why would they choose that song? That’s stupid, I don’t like that.’ That’s what we do professionally a lot better than they do on their couches. But now we get to compete with each other, we could possibly win, and we can mentor and add. What they’re doing on stage sometimes has a little bit to do with what we told them.”

The surprising thing that Heidi revealed about Fantasy League is that Simon didn’t get the first choice of talent. Rather, they drew straws for the order that they drafted their teams.

“Simon was angry from the very beginning because he had the shortest stick,” Heidi shared. “It went from long to short. I had the longest one. Howie had the second longest one. Mel the third, and then Simon. You could tell he was upset. He got to pick last, so that was sad for him but good for me because I had the longest one.”

America's Got Talent: Fantasy League rings in the New Year on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and next day on Peacock.

Next, NBC Reveals Winter Premiere Dates