‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21 reveals first Live Show acts as Judges’ Callback Round lineup is set
‘America’s Got Talent’ has officially closed the curtain on its Season 21 audition rounds, and the race for the Live Shows is now taking shape. While close to 100 acts managed to earn enough “yes” votes during auditions to stay in contention, only 44 contestants will eventually perform live. The latest episode, which aired on July 28, finally revealed who has already secured those coveted spots and introduced a new twist for those still hanging in the balance. The first 10 places in the Live Shows had already been spoken for long before the judges gathered to make their decisions. This season, each judge, along with host Terry Crews, received two Golden Buzzers, giving them the chance to send their favorite acts straight to the next stage.
Those automatic qualifiers include ACRO Crew and the dance trio Royal Lasers (both backed by Crews), magician group Hundred Fingers and rapper Luke Taleno (Howie Mandel), singers Isaac Atkins and Mackenzie Sol (Mel B), singer Lai Noelle and parkour athlete Rubén Roldán Bustos (Simon Cowell), singer Lara D and aerialist Veronika Goroshkova (Sofia Vergara). With those 10 acts already guaranteed a place in the Live Shows, only 34 spots remained. That left the judges with some difficult choices as they reviewed every successful audition from the season. During deliberations, the panel first looked for contestants they all agreed deserved to continue. They first selected the acts that received unanimous “yes” votes from all four judges.
By the end of that discussion, 18 more acts had officially advanced. Those performers include singer Pynk Beard, magician Geno Ploeger, robot dance group Unitree, danger act Brad and Tracy, physical comedian Cesar Dias, choir The CommUNIITY ATL, magicians Young & Strange, dance group Come Here, singer Ashford Sanders, acrobatic duo Holland and Sienna, Jesse White Tumblers, aerial sword swallower Herwan Legaillard, singer Jesse Joe, danger performers Tyrone and Margo, singer and poet Guy Kelton Jones, comedian and impressionist Cameron Logsdon, reverse dancer Patrox, and singing group Larussell. Their advancement brought the total number of confirmed Live Show contestants to 28.
That still left 16 openings, but instead of making immediate cuts, Cowell proposed something viewers had not seen before. He suggested creating a Judges’ Callback Round. The idea allows each judge to invite back performers they feel deserve another chance before making a final decision. It gives several contestants one more performance to convince the panel they belong in the Live Shows. Cowell selected six acts for his callback group, choosing singers Nyjah Music & Zyah Rhythm, singer Travis Garland, dancer Sando, singer Elsie, dance group Elektro Dads, and comedian Akira. Mandel also picked six contestants to return, bringing back singer Nene Royal, ventriloquist comedy duo Naimana and Daniele, comedians Cris Sosa and Daniel Alvarez, singer and comedic impressionist Rynia Kando, and rock duo Bird and Byron.
Mel B made six callback selections of her own, inviting singers Butter and Grit, singer Bety, magician Joel M., comedian Lachlan Patterson, mentalist duo James and Marina, and singing duo Madelyn and Malachi to perform once again. Vergara rounded out the list with five choices, giving another opportunity to dog trainer Olivia Befus, singer Brook Lynn, magicians Darrell Moten and Kameron Marshall, and beatboxer Vahtang. In total, 23 contestants will return to the stage during the Judges’ Callback episodes. However, not all of them will make it through. Only 16 performers from that group will claim the remaining Live Show spots. The next two episodes, scheduled to air on August 4 and August 11, will focus entirely on these callback performances. Then the competition officially shifts into its next phase on August 18, when the Live Shows begin.
