Season 18 Premieres with First Ever Audience Golden Buzzer

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Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit

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America’s Got Talent Season 18 premiered on Tuesday night with the first round of auditions, as a whole new group of acts took the stage for the judges. The night ended with an emotional performance that made AGT history with the very first audience-chosen Golden Buzzer.

Mzansi Youth Choir Earns AGT Audience Golden Buzzer

The final act of Tuesday night’s premiere was Mzansi Youth Choir, a group of singers from South Africa. They took the stage to sing “It’s OK” by Nightbirde (Jane Marczewski), a former AGT contestant who sadly passed away last year.

The uplifting performance clearly touched the judges, who gave the group a standing ovation. Simon Cowell was particularly moved, as he got choked up while telling the choir of Nightbirde, “I know how much this would have meant to her.”

The audience was also wowed by the performance, as they chanted for the judges to press the Golden Buzzer. That’s when Cowell suggested that they do something that’s never been done before — let the audience choose a Golden Buzzer act. The entire panel, plus host Terry Crews, did the honors, sending Mzansi Youth Choir straight to the live shows.

As Cowell said of the powerful moment, “This is for Jane.” Crews went on to describe the audience as the “fifth judge” on the show.

SEE ALSO: WHAT ARE ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ 2022, THE MAYYAS, UP TO NOW?

The Panel Was Impressed by This Week’s Acts

Several acts took the stage to wow the judges on Tuesday night’s premiere. One notable example was Three G, a trio of female acrobats from Ukraine who performed a dangerous balancing routine. They showed off some seriously impressive talent, but unfortunately they fell over a few times.

However, that didn’t negatively affect the judges’ opinion of their talent. The panel expressed admiration that they got up and tried again. Howie Mandel said their act was more dangerous-looking than previous acrobatic groups they’ve seen on the show. All four judges voted to send Three G through.

Later, the judges were wowed by Trigg Watson, a magician who incorporates technology into his routine. For his audition, he interacted with several online videos, including a few featuring Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Terry Crews. At one point, he removed Klum’s sunglasses and gave them to Mandel. Trigg received four “yes” votes to move on.

Other standout acts were violinist Philip Bowen, heavy metal band Steel Panther, kid singer D’Corey Johnson, shadow artist Shadow Ace, and standup comedian Orlando Leyba. The judges sent all of them through.

What was your favorite act from the Season 18 premiere? What do you think about the audience Golden Buzzer? Let us know in the comments below.

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