The votes are in, and three acts advance to the semifinals after another tense results night on America’s Got Talent.
Ten acts came into Wednesday night still waiting to find out whether America had done enough to keep them in the competition. Nene Royal was the one performer who didn’t have to worry. Mel B had already sent her straight to the Season 21 finals with the Golden Buzzer following Royal’s performance of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” on Tuesday.
For everyone else, the decision belonged to the viewers.
By the end of the America’s Got Talent results show, Veronika Goroshkova, Come Here and Geno Ploeger had earned places in the semifinals. Seven other acts saw their run come to an end.
Three Acts Advance after the first cuts
There wasn’t much time for the contestants to settle in before Terry Crews began revealing the results. The 10 remaining acts were brought out in pairs, with one act from each matchup moving into the Top 5 and the other heading home.
Butter & Grit survived their matchup with Brad & Tracy, while Veronika Goroshkova advanced over LaRussell. Korean dance group Come Here moved ahead of Patrox, and magician Geno Ploeger earned more votes than brothers Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm.
The final matchup came down to Bety and Mackenzie Sol. Sol won that vote and grabbed the last spot in the Top 5.
That left Butter & Grit, Veronika Goroshkova, Come Here, Geno Ploeger and Mackenzie Sol still standing. Five acts had made it through the first cut, but only three semifinal spots were available.
Veronika Goroshkova gets the first semifinal spot
The first name called was Veronika Goroshkova.
Considering what she did during Tuesday’s quarterfinal, the result wasn’t exactly difficult to understand. Goroshkova had already shown what she could do earlier in the competition, but her live performance raised the danger and gave viewers something bigger.
Sofía Vergara had called her performance flawless Tuesday night, and she was clearly happy to see America agree. After Goroshkova advanced, Vergara said the voters had gotten it right.
That is one of the harder things to do on America’s Got Talent. An act can make a great first impression, but eventually the judges and viewers want to know what else is there. Goroshkova didn’t simply repeat what worked before. She pushed the performance further, and America rewarded her for it.
Come Here survives a difficult week
The second act moving into the semifinals was Come Here.
The Korean dance group had already dealt with a major obstacle before Tuesday’s performance. Their choreographer was delayed getting to the United States, leaving the group with very little rehearsal time together before the live show.
Watching them perform, you wouldn’t have known it.
Come Here delivered when it mattered, and America kept them in the competition. Mel B congratulated the group after the result and reminded the five remaining acts just how much they had already accomplished by getting this far.
Now Come Here gets another opportunity to show what it can do.
The challenge will be finding a way to raise the level again. Viewers already know the group can dance. The semifinals are where acts usually have to find something new if they want to separate themselves from everyone else.
Geno Ploeger grabs the final spot
Then there was one.
The final semifinal position went to Geno Ploeger, and his reaction made it pretty clear how much the moment meant to him.
Ploeger became emotional after Terry Crews announced the result. Howie Mandel praised his talent and talked about the kind of dream-come-true moment that America’s Got Talent has always tried to create.
Ploeger also had to earn it.
Magic acts face the same problem singers and dancers do once the live shows begin. What worked during an audition isn’t necessarily enough the next time around. The expectations rise, and the trick has to feel bigger without becoming so complicated that the audience loses the fun of it.
Ploeger gave viewers enough Tuesday night to make them want to see what comes next.
His advancement meant Butter & Grit and Mackenzie Sol had reached the end of their runs after surviving the first cut.
Bety, Brad & Tracy, LaRussell, Nyjah Music, Zyah Rhythm and Patrox were also eliminated during the AGT results show.
Three Acts Advance while Nene Royal waits in the finals
While three acts advance to the semifinals, Nene Royal is already one step ahead of them.
Her Tuesday night performance changed the course of her season when Mel B hit the Golden Buzzer and sent her directly to the finals. Royal’s version of “Black Hole Sun” gave her another chance to show off both her voice and her guitar skills, and the audience was loudly calling for the buzzer before Mel B finally hit it.
That means four acts from this week are still alive in the competition, but they aren’t all headed to the same round.
Veronika Goroshkova, Come Here and Geno Ploeger now prepare for the America’s Got Talent semifinals. Nene Royal can skip that round entirely and wait for them in the finals.
The competition continues with Quarterfinals 3 on Tuesday, September 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, followed by the results Wednesday, September 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes of America’s Got Talent are also available to stream the following day on Peacock.
You May Also Like:
