The brand-new Judges’ Callback Round began on the August 4 episode of America’s Got Talent. In the first installment, Simon Cowell and Mel B.‘s callbacks visited their houses for another chance to make the Live Shows.
After Auditions, 10 Golden Buzzers and 18 judges’ picks automatically made it to the Live Shows, leaving 16 spots available. The judges chose 23 acts to return for the Callback Round, which means seven will be eliminated before the Quarterfinals.
To help with the decision-making process, Mel B. was joined by fellow Spice Girls singer Emma Bunton, while Cowell asked for assistance from Normani and Poo Bear. Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out the fates of Cowell and Mel B.’s callback picks!
Lachlan Patterson
Mel B.’s first act to perform was Lachlan Patterson, a comedian. Mel recognized that comedians need a crowd, so rather than have him perform for her and Bunton at the house, she brought the group to her local pub so he could do his act in front of more people.
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“I could have done better,” Lachlan admitted afterwards, while fearing that the audience didn’t understand some of his jokes. “As long as I have that sort of feeling, then I have doubt.”
Butter & Grit
After showing their fun side in their audition, singing duo Butter & Grit wanted to show Mel a more raw side with a song about their friendship.
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“I feel really emotional,” Bunton admitted. She later privately told Mel, “I think they have very different voices, but managed to blend [them]. They blended like us!”
Joel M.
Joel M. returned to perform his magic act for Mel B. and Bunton. After recently leaving his job as a television presenter for a “very well-known show” in the U.K., Joel knew he had a lot riding on this opportunity.
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Mel and her bestie were floored when Joel threw one of Bunton’s rings into a haystack, then later pulled it out of a walnut that was inside an egg that came from inside a lemon. “Walnut” was also the random word Bunton scrolled to on her phone when AGT was typed into the search bar. “That’s nuts!” Mel gasped.
Madelyn & Malachi
Singing duo Madelyn and Malachi come from a small town and don’t have much experience performing in front of big AGT crowds. They chose “Shut Up and Dance” to sing at their callback, but Mel warned them to have backup options ready.
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The pair spent the night working, but admitted that nothing else “felt right,” so they went with their original choice, putting their own spin on the popular song. “That was a huge risk for them,” Mel told Bunton after the performance. “Don’t you feel like her voice is Dolly Parton-y? I wish she would’ve brought that out a bit more.”
James and Marina
Mentalist couple James and Marina wanted to take their act a step even further than they did in Auditions. The night before their performance, they asked Mel to gather about 10 personal items from around her house to use in the act.
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After Marina correctly guessed the phone percentage and background of Bunton’s phone, she went across the field outside to really put herself to the test. One by one, she correctly guessed the items Mel B. had gathered from her home the day before.
To conclude the segment, James and Marina put Mel B. and Bunton in the hot seat so they could really get a feel for the act. James gave Mel a series of Polaroid photos of AGT crew members. She selected one and, after touches on the forehead from James and Marina, Bunton was able to correctly guess the person in the photo: Leo.
“I am speechless,” Mel gasped, while Bunton added, “I am seriously in shock. I don’t even know. That was very, very brave of you.” She also later pointed out, “I don’t even know who Leo is!”
Bety
As the youngest one in Mel’s callback group, Bety was admittedly a bit nervous. She performed a stunning rendition of “Impossible” in two languages.
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“She really connected with that. She really felt it,” Bunton raved. “This is so difficult for you, Mel, because you’ve got some really good acts. And they’re all so different.” Mel B. said “that’s why she chose” the six she did, but now had to decide who was really ready for the Live Shows. Find out who made it at the end of the recap!
Sando
The first of Cowell’s callback acts was Sando, a viral social media dancer. Cowell urged him to do something bigger than he’d ever done before by adding additional dancers and drones to the performance.
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“Imagine this with, like, 10 additional people,” Normani suggested, while Poo Bear added, “I was going to say you could scale it even more. Brilliant!”
Travis Garland
Next up was Travis Garland, who sings on Dancing With the Stars and is ready to break out on his own. Cowell told Travis he felt he was “corny” in his audition and urged him to show his “real” self.
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For his callback, Travis performed Rihanna‘s “Love on the Brain.” Cowell told him, “You did good. Well done.” Poo Bear noted that Travis seems “seasoned,” while Normani agreed, “He can sing.” However, she also admitted, “It just felt technically correct, but the heart of it…”
Cowell felt the same, noting, “I wanted him to really connect with the audience. But see, I think he’s got a really great voice.”
Nyjah Music & Zyah Rhythm
Cowell noted that singing duo Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm were very nervous in their audition and said he needed to see if the timing was right for them to be on AGT this year. They attempted to prove they were ready with a rendition of Justin Bieber‘s “Daisies.”
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“I don’t think that’s enough,” Cowell muttered as they sang, while Normani added, “I want to see more movement in the body. More in the body.” Cowell stopped them in the middle of the performance and said, “That wasn’t great. It wasn’t working. Normani said you gotta use the whole stage. Let’s start again.”
After the second go, Cowell and his friends were much more impressed. “Night and day difference,” Poo Bear raved, while Normani noted, “They’re so young. There’s so much room for growth and improvement.”
Elektrodads
Elektrodads, a dance group and friends of more than 20 years, was next to perform. Cowell fell in love with the group because he felt viewers would relate to them, but noted that their technique itself was a bit “boring.”
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The guys performed with dolls strapped to their chests to really lean into the “dad” portion of their act. “That was a very smart, clever, cute performance,” Cowell gushed.
Akira
Cowell championed naked comedian Akira during his audition and told him he’s one of his favorite contestants. However, he urged Akira to show more of himself so the audience can get to know him better.
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“I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years,” Normani admitted, although she was cracking up throughout the performance. Cowell added, “We are honored to have you, as always.”
Elsie
Finally, Elsie got up in front of Cowell, Normani, and Poo Bear. Cowell felt her audition was very “polished,” but noted that he didn’t “feel” anything when she sang.
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Elsie said she “over-rehearsed” in her first performance, but came back for redemption with a rendition of “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran.” Cowell gave the performance two thumbs up and said it was “well done.”
“She just didn’t make the connection the first time for whatever reason, and this time, it was a completely different experience,” he added.
Who made the Live Shows?
For Mel B., the acts that made the Live Shows were James and Marina, Bety, and Butter and Grit.
Cowell selected Travis Garland, Sando, Akira, Nyjah, and Zyah, and Elsie. He admitted to being worried about Nyjah and Zyah’s lack of experience, but said he thinks the audience will “love” them.
Who was eliminated?
Mel eliminated Madelyn and Malachi, Joel M., and Lachlan. She said she felt Madelyn and Malachi “need more time,” and she told Joel, “The magic’s there, you just need to perfect it a little bit more.”
When it came to Lachlan, Mel admitted, “You delivered, but it’s almost like you don’t believe in yourself enough. I don’t want to put anybody through that’s not 100% ready, so I’m not going to put you through to the Live Shows. But go and work on it and come back.”
Elektrodads were the only act eliminated by Cowell. He told them, “I thought the performance was really, really creative. However, there are only a few spots available, so I am going to say no to this year. I want you to spend the next year getting better and come back so much stronger.”
Next week, Mandel’s six callback acts and Vergara’s five callback acts will perform again. There are eight slots left in the Quarterfinals, which means three more will be eliminated.
America’s Got Talent, Season 21, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC