Turns out you don’t have to be a musical maestro to win over Simon Cowell on “America’s Got Talent.”
The 82nd Airborne Chorus, a military-based acapella group from North Carolina, blew away Cowell and judges Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Heidi Klum during the sixth round of auditions Tuesday night.
Marching onto the stage in uniform precision, the group kicked off its performance with a stern marching processional before launching into a soulful cover of “My Girl” by The Temptations. The choir, which dedicated its audition to one of its late members, dazzled with lively vocal harmonies.
“You sound great together. The harmonizing is amazing,” Klum said. “It was beautiful.”
Cowell praised the group for its heartfelt performance.
“My favorite auditions actually are people who aren’t professional singers, who do something else, but they have a passion for something else,” Cowell said. “It was the perfect tribute to your friend who you lost.”
The 82nd Airborne Chorus will continue its march toward “AGT” victory, as the group earned four yeses.
Here’s what else happened on Tuesday’s episode.
Japanese girl group MOS stuns Simon Cowell with ‘magical’ audition
MOS proved that the tune of girl power never goes out of style.
The all-girl instrumentalist quartet from Japan rocked the “AGT” stage with an explosive rendition of “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, revamping the soul-pop banger with horn instrumentation and sleek choreography.
“It was magical to see you guys transform into these crazy musicians with these instruments,” Vergara said. “It was fantastic.”
Cowell was floored by the group’s charisma and inventive musicality.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine a girl group to come on and play that song with those instruments,” Cowell said. “It’s just so unique. … The four of you are just so cool.”
Lucky for MOS, they’ll have another shot to shake things up. The group scored four yeses.
Did firefighter Trent Toney win back ex with romantic ballad?
For Trent Toney, true love can always get an encore.
The Oregon firefighter dedicated his performance of an original ballad, titled “Always and Lately,” to ex-wife Faith. “We both made a lot of mistakes, but I don’t think getting married to her was one of them,” Toney said. “I’m still in love with her.”
Prior to starting his audition, Toney called Faith over video call with the help of Klum, who positioned Toney’s phone on the judges’ table so his ex could watch his performance. The 30-year-old singer-songwriter won over the judges with his vocal prowess and heartfelt vulnerability.
“Obviously, this meant a lot to you, and we felt that it meant a lot,” Mandel said. “You could feel the emotion in your voice, and I could tell just by looking at her and seeing how she’s reacting to it. That was absolutely beautiful.”
Cowell echoed Mandel’s praise. “That was very brave, actually, to tell us all of that,” he said. “People are going to like you, and I think you’ve got a really, really good voice.”
Toney struck the perfect chord, as the singer earned four yeses, but his performance failed to reignite sparks with ex Faith. “Faith enjoyed Trent’s song…but they are still not together,” an onscreen message read after his audition.
Aerial duo makes Heidi Klum sweat with high-flying act
Duo Desire showed that a strong love can take life to new heights.
The aerial gymnast couple stunned the judges and studio audience with their airborne performance as they gracefully alternated between sweeping spins and intertwining their bodies mid-air.
“As somebody who has seen a lot of aerial acts and is very jaded, that was one of the most impressive things I have seen in a long time,” Mandel said.
Klum and Cowell gushed over the couple’s thrilling performance. “My palms are so sweaty. You were flying so fast up there,” Klum said.
“It really felt to me you were putting everything on the line for this,” Cowell said. “And you know what? It paid off.”
Duo Desire soared into the next round of the competition. The pair earned four yeses.
‘You really have magic powers’:Simon Cowell regains voice on ‘AGT’ during magician’s act
Heidi Klum awards Golden Buzzer to blind, autistic singer
For songbird Lavender Darcangelo, heartstrings are the greatest instrument.
The 27-year-old singer, who is blind and autistic, moved the judges with her stirring rendition of Irene Cara’s “Out Here on My Own.”
“That was spectacular,” Vergara said. “I forgot that I was judging you, and I was just enjoying your voice. That was beautiful.”
Klum was left awestruck by Darcangelo’s emotional performance.
“I feel like I just fell in love,” Klum said. “This ‘AGT’ journey is an amazing journey, and I would love to be your cheerleader and hold your hand all the way till the finish line.”
Keeping true to her word, Klum hit her Golden Buzzer button, sending Darcangelo straight to the “AGT” live shows.
Darcangelo was overcome with emotion as a cascade of golden confetti showered her onstage.
“I don’t know if this is a dream or if I’m really awake,” Darcangelo said.
‘AGT’:Howie Mandel awards Golden Buzzer to blindfolded dance troupe Murmuration
