AGT Fifth Judge: At-Home Auditions Bring Wild Energy, Strange New Acts

For the final round of auditions, the stage was filled with incredible and truly bizarre acts on "America's Got Talent," but they weren't performing to the usual packed house.

Instead, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had cleared the seats, and even Sofia Vergara's "Modern Family" co-star Eric Stonestreet -- filling in for Heidi Klum -- had to head back to his own life. That left one less seat filled in a venue filled with unfilled seats.

And then about two-thirds of the way through the broadcast, they weren't performing on the stage at all. "AGT" shifted to at-home auditions.

We have to say, the more relaxed banter between Terry Crews and the judges was even more fun than when they're on-set. Plus, it was great to have Heidi back in the mix -- plus she and Simon Cowell matching pajamas was just too much!

Let's just say, the strangest season of "AGT" was back on Tuesday night to wrap up the auditions before things get even stranger in ways we -- and producers -- don't even know yet as those live shows loom closer and closer.

With only three judges, Sofia often found herself caught in the middle between Howie Mandel and Simon, and tonight she let her absurdist side through, meaning there were some questionable and truly ridiculous acts that advanced.

All in all, producers lost the ability to mix and match auditions from throughout the season to maximize each episode. This one had to include auditions post-Eric and then post-theater for continuity's sake, meaning this may have been the most lackluster episode in series history, though there were a few highlights along the way.

For the purposes of this recap, if you only see three "Results," then that means those are acts that hit the stage before the show shifted to its at-home format while Heidi was out sick. As always, they are in the same order as the judges sit from Howie on the left to Simon on the right (from the stage).

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.

And just for fun, I'm gonna rank them from worst to first to see how my favorites do and whether or not the judges are getting it right (i.e. agreeing with me).

(stand-up comedian) With an awkward delivery to focus on all the chicken puns, Sam really didn't put together good enough jokes to make this schtick work. And it's one that could have worked had he been sharper, whittier and had a stronger, more committed-to-the-insanity delivery.

Result: Y, Y, N

(opera singers) We love a mashup but this mix of opera with fist-pumping dance music just didn't work on any level. On top of that, his vocals were straining audibly by the end on the upper note, warbling off and on the pitch. It just felt like some amateurish novelty act and the novelty wore off before he was even gesturing to the empty seats like anyone was going to stand up. It just didn't work. At all.

Result: N, N, N

(singers/dancers) These twins were adorable and we certainly enjoyed their banter before they started performing their original song. Then ... we wanted the song to be better. We wanted the singing to be better. We wanted the dancing to be better. Hell, if even one of them had been better we might want more of them. Instead, we were just left wanting.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(gymnast) Um, we're not really sure that the blindfold added much to a gymnastics floor routine. There was never any real danger that was created by her closing her eyes with no obstacles. Gymnasts work a lot from muscle memory and instinct once a routine is mastered. She didn't even do much in the way of aerial moves, it was all very much driven to the floor. So it was even less dangerous than it could have been. Add a bad landing before she even put on the blindfold and this just felt like she didn't really commit completely to her own act in an effort to truly impress.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(dancer) We felt like we were back at a sock hop in the Fifties with Tommy Socks trying to knock our socks off with his smooth sliding style. It's limited, sure, but he had a certain charm about him that made it fun to watch.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(dancers) This was probably more about how cute the kids were because, honestly, only the father and the oldest son really brought something cool with their popping and locking together. Admittedly, we only got a glimpse of the foursome in action, but it was more cute because it was cute than because it was talent.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(performance artist) We so desperately wish he was a better vocalist because his ability to sing backwards is pretty damned cool. When he played it back in reverse it was almost flawless. Howie got it immediately and Sofia voted him through, but Simon thought it was "parc." Then John corrected him on how to say "crap" backwards and we loved him even more.

Result: Y, Y, N

(country singer) Chris has a nice enough singing voice on country music. It wasn't groundbreaking in any way, but we can't get over his dog Sid joining him with howls throughout. We don't see a full act here because it would get painfully repetitive, but it was incredibly entertaining at least this one time.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(opera singer) We're not sure if we were supposed to take this seriously. She just did what sounded like some vocal warmups while sitting astride a horse. Is this an act? Is this real life? She has a lovely voice, but this was just so weird we've no idea how it could go up. But we'll all find out together.

Result: Y, Y, Y, N

(danger act) We really hope this wasn't a camera trick and he really caught that crossbow bolt because that's a pretty cool stunt. It's also the only stunt we got to see as he moves onto the next round. Hopefully, he can do a more traditional danger act then.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(insult comic) Alex had the challenge of not only following up a disastrous outing the last time he was here two years ago, he had to perform comedy in front of no audience. And yet, there is an art to the insult comic. He may have been a little too mean-spirited last time though Howie admitted he regrets hitting his button (Mel B and Heidi hated it though). With today's heightened sensitivity, this may become a lost art -- and many would probably say good riddance -- but there is something fun about being able to take a joke. There's a reason friends love to rib one another. That said, I'm not sure the longevity of this.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(marching band) There was a joyous energy from this high school marching band that never diminished as the routine went on. Sure, they could have used more polish on the music itself, but we loved that this was a whole-body performance, choreographed and full of such youthful energy and optimism. Theirs is a mission of hope for these kids from a difficult environment and it's evident that this program is touching their lives in so many ways.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(dancers) A lot of Latin flair and plenty of tight synchronicity and great energy were on display in the short bit we got. We agree with Simon that this kind of act would probably be a crowd-pleaser if and when we get to see it in its full glory.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(dog trainer) We love that this eight-year-old dog trainer put together a full routine in her backyard with some assistance from Mom. She was a performer in her own right, with some shimmies and even a one-handed cartwheel, but the dogs were absolutely adorable and rather well trained with several stunts we've seen before. But she has a likability about her that helps.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(puppeteers) This was a sweet story about love and acceptance told through puppets. All of the stiff awkwardness of the puppets was just a part of the deal in this artform, but there's no denying that the overall production was built for maximum emotional impact. On that score, it succeeded admirably. It was so well conceived, developed, designed and executed, we'd love to see what other stories they have to tell.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(mentalist) While Max was limited in what he could do through remote video connection, he nevertheless managed to wow the judges and pull off a pretty slick trick. The finger trick is an old schoolyard game, so we were kind of with Sofia on that one -- mind over matter. But there's potential in him as he had a slick and smooth delivery even in this format, so we'd love to see how he commands a stage.

Result: Y, Y, Y, Y

(stand-up comedian) Once again, a comic had to deal with no energy response from a large crowd, but John performed admirably. He's got a likable awkwardness about him and some of his material was quite fresh and memorable. We really enjoyed the wedding bit, but found ourselves slightly underwhelmed in other areas. He was actually stronger when he was performing off the cuff at times.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(daredevils) Both were incredibly entertaining individually when they auditioned in separate seasons in the past. With just a glimpse of how they've combined their crazy passion for danger -- on a highwire with a bicycle and a swing -- we're already on board for more of what they do. The judges passed them through, though we didn't get specifics on their votes.

Result: Advance

(singer) A silent introduction set up an emotional delivery of Billie Eilish in a way we imagine the songstress could appreciate. Sheldon's vibrato was a little rapid at times (think goat bleating), but his vocal tone was just beautiful when it stretched and lingered. Billie is hard to sing because it's so slow and so soft, but Sheldon really managed to make this feel like it was his story.

Result: Y, Y, Y

(country singer) What an incredible voice for country music. He has the warble, the vibrato, the nasally twang and all of it in perfect measure. He caressed the lyrics of two different types of songs extremely well -- though we'd have liked a little more heart on his a cappella ballad. But Kameron sounds like he's in a recording studio every time he sings and that's an incredible gift. He could use to get a little gritty and more confident but he's got an incredible instrument for his passion.

Result: Y, Y, Y

Next week's episode appears to be a larger retrospective of the season thus far, similar to what we got in the closing moments of this week's. Then, the Judge Cuts round has been slashed from four episodes to just one in light of COVID-19 challenges. That one airs July 28, followed by a 15th anniversary special August 4.

Then it's on to the Live Shows, expanded this season to four weeks with 44 acts total making it. Where and how they'll be shot is yet to be determined, as is whether or not a live audience will even be an option. But they've got almost a month to figure it out.

"America's Got Talent" continues Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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