It was the second and final night of America’s Got Talent semifinals on Tuesday night and 11 artists – Angelica
Hale, Celine Tam, Christian Guardino, Colin Cloud, Diavolo, In the
Stairwell, Kechi, Light Balance, Mandy Harvey, Merrick Hanna and the Pompeyo Family – competed for the five remaining spots in the finale.
Celine Tam kicked off the night after getting a phone call from her namesake Céline Dion. The younger Celine performed “How Far I’ll Go” by Auli’i Cravalho.Simon Cowell told her, “This was a massive, massive step up. The song was perfect for you. Congratulations.” Mel B said, “Well done. You are 9 years old and you conquered the stage. Your voice is outstanding. I don’t think the song showcased your voice. I know you can go lower and higher.” Heidi Klum disagreed, adding, “I think you are a shining, bright star. You sang crystal clear and pitch perfect. On top of it, you are so cute.” Howie Mandel simply said, “I think you are adorable. I hope things go well and all your dreams come true.”
Colin Cloud talked about luck, coincidence and fate, but says that the truth is he leaves nothing to chance. His act incorporated all four of the judges in a performance that involved astronomical odds from tweets that were sent in from American viewers.
Mel B told him, “This is absolutely mind blowing. You predicted this for over a week. This is absolutely insane.” Heidi commented, “Whatever the magic forces have aligned, you have it spot on. You are a sneaky little bugger.” Simon said, “I have goosebumps on my goosebumps on my goosebumps. This was a massive step up. It’s one of the spookiest things.” Howie added, “I have never in my life seen anything like this. I am saying to America, ‘Vote, vote, vote.'”
Performing third was Christian Guardino, who was a Dunkin Save. As a result, he was nervous as he took the stage, wanting very much to make the finale. He performed Marvin Gaye‘s “What’s Going On.”
Howie told his Golden Buzzer pick, “You’re going on. You need to be here. You are beautiful inside and out and so inspirational. You’ve had so many hurdles. You are a great symbol of what we need to watch.” Mel B said, “That is how you kill it on AGT. Boom, boom, boom. You laid it all out there in this song. I felt every emotion.” Heidi added, “I think this is a great song choice. I love your voice, I love your story, and I would love to see you at the finals next week. Simon said, “Let me tell you how good that was. It was a perfect song choice.”
Following Christian were the men of the U.S. Air Force Academy a cappella group In the Stairwell. Tonight’s song was dedicated to all those serving, who are separated from their families. They performed Ed Sheeran‘s “Castle on the Hill.”
Mel B said, “Thank you for your service. As a group, you sing so well together. You practice so hard. You deserve to be here. You sound so incredible. Well done. I hope America votes for you.” Simon pointed out, “This is such an improvement from when we first saw you. This time I felt you meant it and you believe in yourself. I think we are going to see you in the finals.” Howie said, “I respect the Armed Forces. I told Simon, ‘I don’t really love them,’ and then you just did what you did and I loved it.” Heidi wrapped it up with, “You guys did the best you could. You gave 100 percent and you should be proud of yourself.”
Robot dancer Merrick Hanna talked about how his love of robots brought him out of his shell and enabled him to make friends with other kids on the playground at school. He took to the stage with one of his unique dance stories.
Heidi told him, “You have come so far in this competition. You really command the stage. When I think I have seen it all from you, you raise the bar like you did today.” Simon said, “What I like about you is you are a fun guy. We see a lot of dance acts. This is really different and it comes from you. I hope you are in the finals.” Howie added, “Hearing your story about not being able to communicate with other kids and now to see you showing expression is an amazing journey.”
Mandy Harvey may live in a world of silence but she makes great music for all of us to hear. She said that performing on the America’s Got Talent stage is her second chance at her dream.
