'AGT' Season 19: Former player turned magician Jon Dorenbos returns as guest act ahead of NFL kickoff
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: On Wednesday, September 4, three of the ten artists who had performed on the fourth night of 'America's Got Talent' Season 19 Quarterfinals were chosen by America to move on to the semifinals. The remaining seven saw their journey on the show come to an end. Plus, a familiar face from the franchise made a noteworthy return—sort of.
AGT's live results night began with host Terry Crews summarizing the show from Tuesday, September 3. Simon Cowell agreed that the performances earlier had fallen short of his expectations, though he acknowledged that the final acts of the evening had made the night memorable. With that, Terry proceeded to reveal the results
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After Terry announced the Top 5 of the night, there was a brief entertainment break featuring 'AGT' alum magician Jon Dorenbos, who performed some close-up magic with the Philadelphia Eagles. For those who don't recall, Jon participated in NFL training camp and made it to the finals of Season 11 of 'AGT'. Though he finished in third place, his performance left a lasting impression and earned him a spot on Mel B's Dream Team on 'America's Got Talent: Fantasy League'.
Even though guest acts are usually added to 'AGT's roster soon after auditions, it’s intriguing to consider why Jon Dorenbos was brought back. Our best guess? NBC might have had a hand in it.
The 2024 NFL season kicks off this week with a highly anticipated game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens on the night of Thursday, September 5, setting the foundation for an exciting season ahead, and what better way to start than with NBC putting the 'AGT' cameras up close to the players. It seems Jon might not be joining 'AGT' full-time, but NBC’s effort to bring together fans from different genres with his appearance is a clever move to boost their TRP.
Why did 'AGT' magician Jon Dorenbos stop playing football?
Jon was looking forward to his 15th NFL season, but instead, he received a call from a thoracic surgeon saying, "You're going to be in emergency open heart surgery probably in the next 48 hours; you're never going to play football again."
On September 7, 2016, it was revealed that Jon had an aortic aneurysm and required emergency cardiac surgery. The New Orleans Saints placed him on the non-football illness list that same day, and on September 9, he was released with an injury settlement, officially retiring from the NFL. 2016 was his final season in the league. Jon married Annalise in 2017, and this year they welcomed their daughter.
When is the NFL kickoff?
On Thursday, September 5, the 2024–2025 NFL season kicks off with a Super Bowl rematch between the Ravens and the Chiefs airing in prime-time on NBC, instead of Thursday Night Football. The opening weekend is full of exciting events, including the first-ever NFL game played in South America, which gets underway with the Ravens vs Chiefs game.
How to stream the NFL 2024 kickoff game?
On Thursday, September 5, the NFL season opener between the Chiefs and Ravens will air on NBC and be streamed live on Peacock.
Watch 'America's Got Talent' Season 19 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on NBC at 8 PM ET.