‘AGT’ judges thought they were getting football tricks — but this NFL heartthrob had a surprise in store
Thomas Day, now 23, appeared on AGT's stage in season 15 and introduced himself as a student in Junior High School in Brentwood, Tennessee. The young singer also shared with the judges that he was currently in the recruitment process for the NFL, which earned him a roaring cheer from the audience. However, when Day told the judge that he was going to "sing" for the audition, Simon Cowell exclaimed, "Oh," totally surprised by his multi-faceted personality. Even Heidi Klum remarked, "Ok, I didn't guess that." She then asked Day, "What song will you sing?" "'Break My Heart Again', by Finneas," Day promptly replied.
When Klum asked what made him choose the song, the young singer said, "It comes from like a really emotional part of my heart that I don't like to expose, but the only way I can expose it is with this song." His story instantly drew heartfelt 'awws' from the audience, but this was only the beginning. Throughout the performance, the camera caught several swoon-worthy moments from the girls in the audience. Turns out it wasn’t just the crowd that was visibly moved. By the end of the song, the judges were also on their feet, giving Day a well-deserved standing ovation.
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Sofia Vergara went first, "I think you are very handsome and it's great that a guy like you is into sports also, into your music, I imagine it's very different from what your other teammates do, so for you to explore that sensibility is amazing. I loved it." Howie Mandel added, "You have a great charisma, I think you've got a great tone in your voice," however, he also noted that his performance appeared a bit "nervous" and "stiff," and got instantly booed down by the audience. Even Cowell turned his head side to side in disagreement, whereas Mandel held the ground and said, "They don't have to agree."
Klum jumped in and said, "Hey, I love a young man who is not afraid to sing a small song, so I'm gonna start the voting with the first yes." Cowell also defended the singer and said, "I think it was a really, really good first audition, judging by the reaction in the room." After much thought, Cowell, too, ended up giving him a yes. But Mandel resisted. Day went on to the next round; however, as reported by GoldDerby, the singer left the show ahead of his Quarterfinals performance without any explanation.
Later, he revealed the reason for his abrupt departure via a cameo to one of the fans. He said, "So what happened was, I withdrew because I couldn't make it because of football." He added, "I am still pursuing music and in college I'm gonna be pursuing music," Thomas added on Cameo. "But that's the truth. I wish there was something more to it ... It makes me so sad that I can't perform, it does." To everyone's surprise, Day appeared back on the show via Wild Card entry alongside other semifinalists, but he didn't make it to the finals, as reported by Yahoo.