'AGT' Season 18: Sofia Vergara devastated as her Golden Buzzer pick Gabriel Henrique fails to make it to finals

Sofia Vergara chose Gabriel Henrique as her pick for the instant save wildcard but was disappointed once again
Sofia Vergara was visibly disappointed as Gabriel Henrique was eliminated (@sofiavergara/Instagram)
Sofia Vergara was visibly disappointed as Gabriel Henrique was eliminated (@sofiavergara/Instagram)

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: 'America's Got Talent' Season 18 completed the second level of the competition this week, known as Qualifiers. However, not only were spectators stunned by the results of the fifth and final qualifier but one of the judges was also quite unhappy.

On the night of September 20, host Terry Crews revealed which four artists will compete in the Instant Save. Fans had only five minutes to vote on the act they wanted to see at the finale next week after Terry delivered word. The results were revealed at the end of the episode.

Sofia Vergara looked saddened when Terry announced that the Ramadhani Brothers had made it to the finals with only one seat left after the 82nd Airborne Division Chorus got America's vote. However, she had an opportunity to put up Gabriel for the instant save wildcard.

Chioma and the Atlanta Drum Academy were Simon Cowell's choice. Herwan Legaillard was picked by Heidi Klum. Howie Mandel chose Avantgardey as his wildcard selection. Fans had less than five minutes to select their wildcard instant save choice. Avantgardey made it to the finale, completing the top 11, just after the voting concluded.

Gabriel Henrique with 'AGT' judge Sofia Vergara (Instagram/gabbrielhenrique)
Gabriel Henrique was 'AGT' judge Sofia Vergara's instant save candidate (@gabbrielhenrique/Instagram)

Trolling Sofia's reaction, some users tweeted, "Sofia after Gabriel made the top 5: America always gets it right! Sofia after Gabriel got eliminated: *makes a face that says “I take that back; they didn’t get it right this time!”*

Another person quipped, "I am so happy the Japanese Ladies made it. Thrilled America didn’t vote for Sofia’s golden buzzer."

A third person chimed in, "It was obvious who Sofia was going to choose." A fourth user sighed, "Sofia chose her golden buzzer as her wild card." 



 



 



 



 

On X, one fan of the show wrote, "I think Gabriel missed some X factor or special moments in his performance, good but not great... If you put Gabriel & Putri Ariani together, you know what I'm talking about."

Some also wrote, "I did not watch the results but reading that this Gabriel SANGER not making the finals puts a smile on my face." 



 



 

Where is 'AGT' singer Gabriel Henrique from?

Gabriel is a Brazilian musician. He had always desired to visit America and appear on the 'AGT' stage. His father pushed him to start singing when he was three years old because several members of his family worked in the music business.

Gabriel has been a local star ever since he first attracted national attention by competing on a Brazilian show, where he exhibited his powerful voice and vocal range.

'AGT' fans compare golden buzzer winner Gabriel Henrique to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston (Instagram/gabbrielhenrique)
'AGT' fans compare Golden Buzzer winner Gabriel Henrique to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston (@gabbrielhenrique/Instagram)

When will 'AGT' Season 18 finale air?

Mark September 26 and 27 on your calendars for the 'AGT' finale. The top 11 performers will compete for a grand prize of $1 million and a sought-after Las Vegas performance.

'AGT' Season 18 judges (Instagram/agt)
'AGT' Season 18 judges (@agt/Instagram)

Who will compete in 'AGT' Season 18 finale?

After September 20's episode, the top 11 acts to perform on 'AGT' finale on September 26 are as follows:

Murmuration

Adrian Stoica & Hurricane

Ahren Belisle

Mzansi Youth Choir

Avantgardey

Putri Ariani

Lavender Darcangelo

Ramadhani Brothers

Anna DeGuzman

Chibi Unity

82nd Airborne Division Chorus

'AGT' Season 18 judges (Instagram/agt)
'AGT' Season 18 judges (@agt/Instagram)

'America's Got Talent' Season 18 airs every Tuesday and Wednesday on NBC at 8 pm ET.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

A dangerous former client targets top divorce attorney Allura Grant with a series of escalating attacks before holding her hostage at gunpoint
2026-11-05T08:27:49.000Z
Joe Miñoso left 'Chicago Fire' in the procedural's momentous 300th episode
2026-11-05T07:53:12.000Z
‘Chicago Fire’ honors a fan favorite character in its 300th episode
2026-11-05T05:51:40.000Z
‘Chicago Med’ focuses on Dr Wu’s pursuit of the Chief Resident position in its latest episode
2026-11-05T04:50:53.000Z
Tomlin risks Cruz’s job to convince Severide in the latest episode of ‘Chicago Fire’
2026-11-05T03:47:56.000Z
The untitled Hulu series follows Leavitt and her family as she handles new fame and career ambitions
2026-11-05T03:29:58.000Z
The ‘All’s Fair’ cast return for a second season of divorce cases and personal drama. Here’s when new episodes arrive, where to watch and what to know about before the finale.
2026-11-04T16:46:27.000Z
'Batman: Knightfall Part 2' unveils a first-look clip as Azrael takes up the cowl after Bruce Wayne is left paralyzed by Bane.
2026-11-04T16:27:06.000Z
Owen Wilson returns to the green in ‘Stick’ Season 2. Here’s your guide to Apple TV’s weekly episode rollout, streaming details and finale date.
2026-11-04T15:48:30.000Z
'Trinity,' starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Richard Madden, follows a naval officer who suspects the US Secretary of Defense is at center of a conspiracy.
2026-11-04T15:21:56.000Z