Simon Cowell broke one of AGT’s biggest rules and it surprisingly worked out well for other judges
Simon Cowell is certainly America's Got Talent's most honest judge; known for his unfiltered feedback and unapologetic confidence, he makes sure to relay his judgment without any filter. Cowell's sharp remarks often grab major attention, but he rarely pays attention to the criticism. However, it is also true that when Cowell likes an act, he goes out of his way to shower appreciation on the artists. In one such instance, Cowell was so impressed with a group's stellar act that he broke one of 'America's Got Talent's golden rules, which turns out to be a blessing for his fellow judges.
Cowell made a stunning move by using his second Golden Buzzer of the season during the second round of auditions in 'America's Got Talent' in June 2024. For context, the Golden Buzzer was introduced in Season 9 of 'America's Got Talent' as a way to "send the recipient act to the next round regardless of the other judges' votes," primarily to "break ties." As the seasons progressed, so did the button's power. In Season 10, it was upgraded to its current form, allowing judges to send an act "straight to the live shows," as per the America's Got Talent Wiki.
Notably, Cowell had already exercised his golden buzzer chance for singer Liv Warfield and then, for the second time, he used it for drone light show group 'Sky Elements,' which is against the rule. When Cowell hit the Golden Buzzer for a second time, the other judges immediately called him out. "You already did it!" Howie Mandel reminded him,"
Heidi Klum alerted the crew, "That's his second one!" Even someone from production stepped in to question Cowell’s move, as per Entertainment Weekly. Cowell defended himself by saying, "I just thought, why not? I mean, there's nothing in the rules that says we couldn't." However, he was quickly informed that there was such a rule. To resolve the situation, it was decided on the spot that all the judges would receive two Golden Buzzers, which surely made everyone happy.
Cowell explained the reason behind the extra Golden Buzzers, telling PEOPLE, "We are using more Golden Buzzers this year because there were so many brilliant, mind-blowing auditions. I know right away when I see an act that is Golden Buzzer-worthy. You feel it." Preston Ward from the group 'Sky Elements' shared his excitement about being part of the historic moment, saying, "I love that we were the 'first' second one. We have been the first of many things, so it's exciting to get to add this to our list of firsts!"
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For the unversed, 'Sky Elements' is a Dallas-based group made up of Preston, Brian, Phil, Tyler, Kyle, and Rick, who specialize in drone shows that merge technology and art. "Writing code is our talent," they said in their intro, sharing how they aim to "make it as big as possible." Their performance took place outside over the skies of Pasadena, where they wowed the judges and audience with a stunning night show using drones to form a rocket ship, the 'AGT' logo, and even Cowell in an astronaut suit, reaching up to 400 feet tall and 300 feet wide.