‘America’s Got Talent’ Has Its First Golden Buzzer Winner Without An Audience
Season 15 of America's Got Talent has officially resumed on NBC with some major changes due to COVID-19. The biggest adjustment is that the show no longer has a live studio audience, which seems a little weird for a giant talent show.
But despite this, the hosts of AGT still managed to squeeze plenty of fun, feel-good moments for the viewers at home. But the biggest shocker of the evening came when Howie Mandel used his one Golden Buzzer of the season on a contestant with a talent never before seen on the show: Slam poetry.
On a program that celebrates acrobats, dance crews, magicians, and other extravagant acts, it's surprising that such a simple, quiet performance would advance straight to the live shows. But contestant Brandon Leake moved the judges so much, it really was the only option. Check out Leake's audition below:
It doesn't matter that there's no deafening applause at the end of his act. Rather, the lack of an audience only emphasized Leake's reading, allowing it to stand on its own. Plus, with no need to capture the audience's reaction, there's more of a focus on the performance on stage. It will be interesting to watch how this development drives the rest of Season 15. Perhaps it will give the smaller, more unconventional acts a leg up on its flashy competition. We'll have to wait and see.
America's Got Talent airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8pm EST.
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