AGT's insane dance crew had Simon Cowell scrambling for Golden Buzzer — even if it meant getting ‘fired’
'America's Got Talent' has always seen participants trying to win the judges' approval as they try and progress to the next round. However, it has never been the case where the judges have fought amongst each other over who gets to award the coveted Golden Buzzer. Well, that is exactly what happened with Airfootworks' performance in the 'AGT' Season 19 quarterfinals. Formed by Takashi Jonishi, Airfootworks is an aerial dance group that blends various forms of dance styles that give the illusion that the performers are quite literally dancing in the air.
During the quarterfinal performance, the Japanese dance group gave a mesmerizing performance set to the beats of 'Celestial' by Ed Sheeran. The synchronized dance movements paired with the visual effects on screen created an immersive act that transformed the entire stage into a moving, living work of art. As a dancer hung from the pole, the visuals on the screen changed according to the movement he performed, which continued to immerse the audience even further. The visual changes were so alluring that they gave the illusion that the stage was moving with the beats of the dancers.
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That said, as the performance ended, needless to say, everyone was spellbound, be it the judges or the audience. When everything calmed down, Simon Cowell began to speak: "I am just about to get myself fired," as he got up from his seat and pressed the Golden Buzzer. As Cowell got up from his seat, Howie Mandell noticed what he was about to do he tried to stop him, but to no avail, as Cowell ended up slamming the buzzer anyway. Since Mandell was assigned the Golden Buzzer for the night, as reported by Billboard, he was trying to secure his right to press the Golden Buzzer.
As the camera panned out, you could see the judge's duo bickering as Mandell walked to the family members of the group and embraced them. As everyone ran around the stage, Terry spoke, trying to add to the friendly banter between the judges. "Okay, I've got to clear this up. Howie got there first. This is Howie's Golden Buzzer." Cowell and Mandell rushed to the stage, hilariously almost as if running to take credit for the dance group's achievement. It was clear that, apart from the friendly banter, the judges were just happy for Airfootworks and wanted to share the joyous moment with them.
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As reported by People, Airfootworks was founded when Takashi, one of the performers, sustained a back injury. He said, "During rehab, I remember watching a workout video. The guy was holding himself up in the air, and the idea of Airfootworks was born." That said, while the Japanese dance group didn't win 'AGT', they made quite a name for themselves, even bagging a Guinness World Record.