'AGT' unveils new semifinal twist as Top 44 enter live stage — yep, even we didn't see this coming
The audition phase of 'America's Got Talent' Season 20 is finally over, and the competition now enters into its Live stage round. With the Top 44 contestants revealed, the competition is more intense than ever, as audience votes will now decide who stays and who goes. Adding to the excitement, a brand-new Golden Buzzer twist is set to shake things up even more, making this part of the show harder to predict and even more thrilling to watch.
Reportedly, the 44 live quarterfinalists on 'America's Got Talent' Season 20 include a diverse mix of talent, from powerful singers and high-energy dance troupes to cutting-edge technology-based performances and thrilling danger acts. Each of the four judges, Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara, Mel B, and Howie Mandel, along with host Terry Crews, selected two Golden Buzzer acts, allowing ten performers to skip the judge deliberation stage entirely, per Collider. Among them are standout names like the Birmingham Youth Choir, The Boykinz, and the Messoudi Brothers.
With the live shows broken into four weeks, the competition moves from judge-based decisions to audience voting, which places the power in fans' hands as the contestants battle for a place in the finale. Before that, 'AGT' will also kick off its 20th anniversary with a major celebration, which promises to be the biggest birthday party in the show's history. Additionally, the show introduces a brand-new Semifinal Golden Buzzer, which adds a fresh twist to the competition, per NBC.
Unlike the Quarterfinal Golden Buzzers, where each judge and the host has one, the Semifinal Golden Buzzer is shared among all four judges and can only be used once to send a single act directly to the Finals. This means only one act in the entire semifinal round will bypass both audience voting and further rounds. Because it's a live decision, the moment is expected to be intense, possibly requiring unanimous agreement or resulting in a race to hit the buzzer first.
It's a historic addition to 'AGT,' promising even more anticipation as judges compete among themselves to back their top pick. Notably, 'America's Got Talent' Season 20 kicks off its first Live Show on Tuesday, August 19, with the corresponding results show airing the next evening on Wednesday, August 20. Each week, two new two-hour quarterfinal episodes will air on Tuesdays at 8/7c, followed by one-hour results shows on Wednesdays at the same time, all on NBC.
The Finale performances are scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, with the grand Results Show airing on Wednesday, September 24. Viewers can also vote for their favorite acts through the 'AGT' app, the NBC app, or online at NBC.com/AGTVote, with voting open from 5 pm PT on Tuesdays until 4 am PT the following morning. This season, reportedly, features a dynamic Top 44 lineup, which includes standout performers like Boston Dynamics, The BoykinZ, Micah Palace, Jessica Sanchez, Crash Adams, the Benn Family Band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras, and many more across music, dance, comedy, and variety performance genres.