Sofia Vergara felt uneasy about Mel B joining 'AGT' — but not for the reason you'd expect: 'She has...'
With the premiere of 'America's Got Talent' Season 20, the rumors of animosity between Sofia Vergara and Mel B are also circulating with lightning speed. However, it looks like all is well between the two ladies, as Vergara recently opened up about her bond with Mel B. In a surprising twist, Vergara also admitted to initially being intimidated by Mel B. Adding to the buzz, fellow 'AGT' judge Simon Cowell shared his thoughts on Mel B rejoining 'AGT,' and how her unpredictable judging makes for a great show
For the uninformed, 'America's Got Talent' Season 20 marks the return of Mel B to the judges' panel, replacing Heidi Klum. This was the first time Vergara worked with Mel B, and in a chat with Deadline, she opened up about how it initially made her feel a little uneasy. "At the beginning, I was a little worried because I had never met her in person," Vergara admitted. The 'Modern Family' actress further added, "Of course, I knew who the Spice Girls were. I loved her, but I was working with Heidi for the first five seasons. So I was a little bit scared."
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However, Vergara's concerns were quickly put to rest. She explained, "But the moment we started filming the first day, I realized that because she’s done it before, she's approachable. She already has a relationship with Simon, a relationship with Howie, and a relationship with everybody in the group. So it was very easy for her to melt into everything that we were doing before with Heidi. It’s been a great experience with her."
Cowell also opened up about working with Mel B again on 'America’s Got Talent' Season 20, describing her as a thrilling and unpredictable presence on the panel. "Working with her is like sitting next to a firework and not knowing if someone’s going to light up the firework, because when the firework lights up, you feel it big time," Cowell said. The TV personality further continued, "She’s so unpredictable. Genuinely, I have no idea what she's thinking."
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Cowell explained how her unpredictability often plays out during judging, saying, "There were times when I should love something, Sofía would love something, and we could throw to Mel, and she'd be sitting with her arms folded, saying, 'I don't like it. I don't understand it.' I'm like, 'What'?" Despite the surprises, Cowell expressed confidence in her return as he said, "But I think [that] is why it was good for her to come back. I think it's always difficult when you're swapping people, but as Sofía said, she's a good friend of mine. I had a feeling the two of them would get on well, and it kind of worked. I could feel it from day one."
True to Cowell's words, Mel B made a fiery return to 'America’s Got Talent' in Season 20. During the premiere, after dance group Team Recycled delivered a performance that wowed Cowell, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara, Mel B offered a starkly different take, as per TV Line. "Who does the choreography?" she asked. "I have a problem with you. The choreography at the start was so boring! If it weren’t for the switch around, I would have just literally turned off."
Despite facing boos from the audience and protests from her fellow judges, Mel B didn't back down. "Can I speak?!" she snapped, standing her ground. Ultimately, Mel B was the only judge to vote "no," while the others gave enthusiastic "yeses." Cowell, clearly baffled, quipped, "Back to planet Earth, that deserves 4,000 yeses," and cheekily dubbed Mel B "Ms. Kill-the-Mood."
