America’s Got Talent aired Judge Cuts Day 1 and it’s safe to say that there is a lot of talent this season. With acts like Aaron Crow, Duo Transcend and the incredible vocals of Christina Wells, the bar is set high for those who want to make it through to the next round.
This was the first episode used to slim down the number of contestants competing for the $1 million prize this season. 18 acts would perform during the episode, with only seven advancing to the live shows.
After each performance, during the Judge Cuts, the four America’s Got Talent judges would share their thoughts. There was also a celebrity judge along for the ride. Ken Jeong from The Hangover was on the panel.
They would not be revealing who had advanced until the end of the episode, creating a lot of suspense for the two hours. With 18 acts set to perform, there was very little opening filler before they jumped right into it.
Junior New System
The male dance group performing in heels returned for another number. Judges Heidi Klum and Mel B were very excited for it to get started.
Mel B stated that they were “incredible” and “amazing.” Heidi felt that their dancing was “explosive.”
Montage Acts
With too many acts to actually show all the performances to the viewers, the AGT producers began an early montage. More montages would come later, as a way to speed up the acts.
Acrobatic dancers Harold and Regan were shown first. This was the duo that had broken up but couldn’t decide who ended the relationship. The judges enjoyed them.
Lily Wilker was back to perform her animal sounds. This time she focused on jungle animals. The judges found her cute again.
Pam and her singing dog Oscar didn’t do that well this time around. She got buzzed by Mel, and Simon compared it to listening to the Spice Girls.
Singer Andrew Johnston performed Imagine. Simon didn’t feel that the song connected.
Us The Duo
The married couple, calling themselves Us The Duo, had some big news for the AGT judges. They are expecting a baby. They also performed an original song called (Stop) Just Love for the judges, as seen below.
As seen in the video above, they were, once again, very strong on the stage. Simon Cowell stated that they are “very good songwriters.” He ended his comments by stating that “I love you two.”
Kevin Blake
Magician Kevin Blake rapped for the judges the first time, but this time around, he was prepared to just do magic. He invited Mel to go outside to help with his trick, as seen below.
The trick was quick in its presentation and Howie Mandel spoke about how he enjoyed the originality of the act.
Mochi: Fantastic Diabolo Performer
Mochi took the stage with his diabolo again. This time, ramping up the tricks that he performed for the judges and the audience. He spoke about his family not really supporting his act until he appeared on America’s Got Talent.
The audience gave him a standing ovation. It was the loudest cheering of the night so far. Celebrity judge Ken Jeong made jokes about being able to do the act, but, in the end, stated that he saluted him for the skill. Simon called him a “great showman.”
Daniel Emmet
Opera singer Daniel Emmet came ready to perform this time. As a reminder, he performed two songs during his audition, with one at the request of Simon Cowell. This time, he would perform the Italian song, Caruso.
It was clear that Daniel had focused more on song choice. This song allowed him to really show off his vocal capabilities. He might have one of the strongest voices among the 2018 America’s Got Talent acts.
Voices Of Hope Children’s Choir
The impressive children’s choir was back for another performance. This time, they performed How Far I’ll Go, from Moana. As seen below, this may have been the perfect song choice for this act.
The audience and the judges were extremely impressed by the performance. Ken Jeong was the most impressed, pressing the Golden Buzzer to send this act straight to the live shows.
Aaron Crow
Another dangerous act was performed by Aaron Crow during the July 17 episode of America’s Got Talent. He invited Heidi Klum and Ken Jeong up to the stage. How they interacted with the performance is seen in the video below.
Howie called it “amazing” and Ken called it “intense.” Simon noted that he exuded great showmanship on the stage. He also noted that he would not be participating on stage if Aaron Crow advanced.
Carmen Lynch
The comedian was back to perform and it was the right night, with two comedic judges on the panel. Her performance can be seen below.
As seen in the video, the AGT producers cut out a lot of the act when it was presented. That made it difficult to really gauge, though Ken and Howie enjoyed the jokes.
Christina Wells
Singer Christina Wells was back to show off her singing chops. This time, she performed Never Enough from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. The nurse-by-day was hoping to continue furthering her singing career.
She absolutely owned the stage. The entire audience and all five judges gave her a standing ovation. Ken stated that she was no longer a nurse; she was a singer. Simon and Mel felt that she was a bit off-key, but that she had enough talent to move forward.
Patches
The 13-year-old rapper named Patches was back for another performance. He sped it up this time, as seen in the video below.
This time around, Patches came up with a catchy tune that even had fellow contestants singing along. One thing is for sure: everyone knows his name now. Heidi felt it was a step up from last time.
Celina and Filberto
The elderly dancers were back for another performance. The married couple was ready to bring more passion and fire to the stage. They certainly brought “something” to the stage, as seen in the video below.
The judges still don’t know what to make of this dancing duo. They got a standing ovation from Howie and the audience, though.
Duo Transcend
The married acrobatic duo from Utah was back for another performance on America’s Got Talent. The performance, as seen below, was certainly one that viewers will be talking about.
They asked for a chance to do the failed trick again, but the judges didn’t let them do it. Their performance would now be in the hands of the judges. Would they be advancing to the live shows?
Judge Cuts
Only seven acts could advance. Voices Of Hope Children’s Choir was already moving forward, thanks to Ken Jeong’s Golden Buzzer. That left just six spots to advance to the live shows. Us The Duo and Junior New System were the first to receive the good news. Mochi got the good news next. The final three acts to move on to the live shows were Aaron Crow, Duo Transcend, and Christina Wells.
The next episode will be the second Judge Cuts installment of America’s Got Talent. It will air on July 24, as more acts try to make it to the live shows.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays on NBC at 8/7c.