'America's Got Talent' 5th Judge: Simon Cowell Finally Gets a Singing Dog and Largest Act Ever Hits Stage

After countless years of asking, Simon Cowell finally got his first singing dog, and it was genuinely impressive. Who knew a dog could have pitch? And who knew a dance troupe could flawlessly incorporate martial arts into fluid choreography. Add some amazing singers, a head-spinning father-daughter duo and the largest act to ever hit the "AGT" stage, and we definitely got our money's worth this season.

Next up are the "Judge Cuts" next week, as we start to say goodbye to some of our favorite acts.

One act will get to skip that round, though, as Heidi Klum finally used her golden buzzer to send a very poised and impressive act straight through to the lives. Of course, producers made it the last audition of the night, which is just so stupid. Why not let those moments be surprises for the viewing audience, too?

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe. For this stage of the competition, it's just about getting through to the next round, so I'll give my vote alongside the judges. And just for fun, I'm gonna rank them from worst to first to see who emerges as my favorite each night.

(dog act) Pam has no idea why her dog started singing when she would play the piano, but amazingly he started howling as soon as she started up, and he was remarkably in key. It was astounding, though I'm not sure it was singing per se. He needa to learn his breathing, but it has to be possible to train him to tightening up what he's doing a little bit.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, N, Y

My Vote: Y

(rapper) This middle school kid has countless musical scores memorized and seems to be involved in every club his school offers. On top of that, he's been a songwriter since he was seven-years old. For his audition, he brought out a lyrical rap performance clearly inspired by "Hamilton," if not in content then in approach and delivery. Patches could serve to tighten up what he does as a rapper, but the writing was rock-solid throughout, with some clever wordplay and nice imagery. I'm not sure how deep his repertoire is, but he did enough here to earn a chance to show us.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

(singer) At only 12 years old, Angel had a lot of gravitas and maturity in his voice. Singing in Spanish, most of the audience had no idea what he was saying, but it didn't matter. Music is a universal language, and his passion and conviction shone through. It took him a bit to get into his confidence, but once he settled into it, it was a confident and beautiful performance. It was an unexpected song choice, but there's no denying the underlying talent.

Judges Votes: N, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

(design engineers) Everyone loves a good Rube Goldberg machine, and we've certainly seen them on the show before. But these guys incorporated music into their design, and some pretty neat tricks with physics and momentum. It was a little slow overall, but in the end, it all worked so credit where it's due. These things aren't easy to design and make visually interesting at the same time. Here's hoping they can go even bigger and more impressive.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, N, Y

My Vote: Y

(stand-up comedy) Like Puddles the Clown in a previous season, Oliver Graves brings a whole different approach to the stage. For one, he was very somber and gothic backstage, leaving me hoping he would be surprisingly funny. And he was. Like Steven Wright, his delivery is very staccato and he works in one-liners. But when those one-liners are clever, with fun twists and turns, it's easy to turn an audience to your side. Some of his material fell a little flat, but enough of it was good, I'd like to see him again.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

(singer) Simon Cowell made the absolute right call in stopping Hunter from singing Bryan Adams and pushing him to offer up an original song, because it was a beautifully-written country song that could play on the radio today. He sounded fresh and current, had clever lyrics that didn't just follow traditional melodic formulas. He had quick delivery on a few lines, lingered on a few others. He took us on a mesmerizing journey through words and song in an audition that truly stands out from just doing a karaoke cover song.

Judges Votes: N, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

(acrobatics) This father-daughter duo has been performing their act for nearly a decade now, since Sasha was six years old. It was an astonishing routine of acrobatics, balance and trust. The familial bond was beautiful to watch, even as Sasha was spinning on top of Sergei's head. The strength was astonishing, the control stunning. Honestly, these types of acts don't usually elicit an emotional response, but Sasha's joy was infectious even as the tricks were visually stunning.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

(singer) Makayla has a powerful instrument, but that wasn't what was impressive about her performance. It was the restraint she showed throughout, knowing just when to punch it to the next level that really made her stand out from a lot of other singers in this type of competition. The song was a power anthem suited well to her tender age of 15, and she sang it with true conviction, while still maintaining a youthful righteousness and innocence. She's a more nuanced singer than many much older than her.

Judges Votes: [Heidi's Golden Buzzer]

My Vote: Y

(choir) 160 people from diverse backgrounds make up this choir that already travels and sings for veterans and homeless groups. While it might seem overwhelming, and it certainly looks insane, they were absolutely astounding. I loved how they opened by creating a growing thunderstorm with just their bodies until they burst into a rousing rendition of Toto's "Africa." There were soloists spotlighted, great divisions of vocal parts and an overall feel-good vibe that permeated through the theater. This is a very, very good choir, and if they can bring that level of creativity and performance to other songs, they might well be a contender this season.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

(dance crew) I've seen martial arts incorporated into dance before, but Blue Tokyo may be the most impressive blend of the two. They never lose their sense of choreography and performance, even while performing tricks with rods and jump ropes. Even more impressively, they were so tight with their synchronicity, even during aerial maneuvers, which is incredibly difficult. The difficulty level was through the roof, and I could not take my eyes off of them.

Judges Votes: Y, Y, Y, Y

My Vote: Y

"America's Got Talent" continues Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET.