HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'AGT' judges couldn’t explain what just happened — but this dad’s sweet and spooky magic had them cheering

"That was amazing. I mean, I love the whole story that you created around your magic and to see your family," Sofia Vergara shared.

'America's Got Talent' is back with a bang! During the premiere episode of 'AGT' Season 20, which was released on May 27, 2025, Zak Mirz, a magician from Dallas, Texas, stunned the esteemed judges Mel B, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell, as well as the fans of the show, with his unique magic tricks. Through his act, Mirz took everyone on a sweet journey that involved his kids' toys and colors. During his performance, Mirz was able to complete a random sort of tasks magically. At the end of his magic trick, Mirz revealed a big red stuffed bear for his 2-year-old daughter, Layla.

Mirz's magic act was too cute for words, and the fans of the NBC talent competition couldn't stop praising him and his unique magic tricks online. One social media user took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote, "Zak Mirz delivered the first truly great performance of the night, and what an incredible magician! #AGT" Another one penned, "Great stage presence, fun interaction, and our whole household landed on the red bear! Congratulations to Zak Mirz! #AGT."

Followed by a third user who quipped, "Did Zak catch your attention on #AGT? It's 4 yeses from the judges! Congrats, Zak, as you continue on Season 20 of this talent show!" Another netizen went on to say, "Zak is amazing!!! What a great act!!! #agt." Another user echoed the same sentiments by writing, "Zak Mirz was amazing; I definitely see him moving on to the next round #AGT." A netizen chimed in, "This is an amazing performance by zak mirz #AGT." Another social media user noted, "Definitely one of the best of the night! @ZakMirz had great storytelling, and I’m excited to see where this goes next! Potential to be a finalist, IMO! #AGT."

As per Gold Derby, when Vergara was asked to offer her feedback on Mirz's performance, she exclaimed, "That was amazing. I mean, I love the whole story that you created around your magic and to see your family. It's great that this means so much to you because we can feel it here on the desk. It was great." Soon after, Cowell said, "I mean, I was literally doing this, doing that, doing that, and I was thinking, 'No, I'm going to do the exact opposite of what you're thinking,' and then we ended up pointing at the bear. It just happened. I mean, that was spooky."

While sharing his viewpoints on the magic act, Mandel said, "We have had three magicians win America's Got Talent, and you took that bar and went above it." Eventually, Mirz received four yeses from the judging panel and advanced to the next round of the beloved talent show. After Mirz left the stage, Mandel turned towards the studio audience and asked them, "You were all pointing at it, right?" to which the crowd replied by saying, "Yes." On the other hand, Cowell shared, "Hey, after the magic happens, they always go, 'You were in on that.' I went, 'No, I wasn't,' and if it would have gone wrong, she wouldn't have gotten a birthday present. Shortly afterward, the other judges burst out in laughter.