'AGT' Season 21's Acro Canine Crew earns Golden Buzzer as adorable surprise guests steal the show
'America's Got Talent' returned to NBC with a brand new installment on June 2. Season 21 also brings back Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara, Mel B, and Simon Cowell to the judging panel as they prepare to witness a range of performances. The season kicked off with the audition round, and the highlight of the first episode was the all-female dance troupe known as the Acro Canine Crew from Edmonton, Alberta. The Canadian group featured 20 dancers, aged 7 to 21, all dressed in red. When Mel B asked what made the group different from others, one of the members shared that some of the members are sisters and cousins. "Some of us are actually family," she explained before asking, "Where are all the sisters in the house? Who has a sister in the group and cousins, too?" Many girls, including herself, raised their hands to prove the point.
Cowell followed by asking the group how they would split the prize money if they won the show. "I think we all agree that we want to update our studio, more studio space, we want to have a hangout area." The ladies then took their positions and began their acrobatic dance routine to a cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere' by Jennifer Cooke, Cr3on, and 3NRGY. Soon, the audience was over the moon when several dogs joined the dancers on stage and started performing tricks, including spinning, leaping, and running through the formations in perfect sync. Sofia and Mel began screaming with joy, and the group received a standing ovation from all four judges at the end of their performance.
Sofia, who was visibly moved by the act, declared, "It’s like my two favorite acts. Dancing and dog acts, and together, I really wasn’t expecting this. It was too much for me. It was amazing. You guys were so good. You were having fun. The dogs were having fun. It was the perfect idea to come to AGT." Mandel chimed in by saying he was blown away by the contestants. "I love the dogs. I love the way they are even dressed. I love everything about you," he said. But before he could finish, host Terry Crews walked over to the panel and said, "Acro Crew. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life." He then pressed the Golden Buzzer, and golden confetti rained all over the stage. The group is now guaranteed a spot in the live shows, which will begin in August.
The dog-obsessed Simon called it a "Golden Buzzer act" before heading towards the stage to meet the dogs. Sofia then held the Pekingese, her favorite dog. Mel congratulated the girls, many of whom cried tears of joy after the overwhelmingly positive reception. Terry then invited them backstage to celebrate their win. Mandel joined them soon after and said, "I’ve never seen an act like that, and I’ve been doing this for 17 years…and Canadian." "My wife just showed up, and I just said, 'You missed the best act of the season,'" he added. 'America’s Got Talent' will air new episodes on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The episodes can also be streamed the next day on Peacock.