Last night marked the beginning of the America’s Got Talent Quarterfinals for season 17, and viewers both at home and in the audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium were in for a whole new experience thanks to a different format.
The most-watched talent show in the nation kicked off it’s first episode of live shows with eleven of the 54 final contestants who had to fight for America’s vote to earn a spot in the semi-finals.
Unlike the last sixteen seasons, AGT decided to speed up the progression of the contest by going straight from first auditions to quarter finals. This newly aggressive and more competitive format puts the future of these performers riding on one live performance, hoping they get one of the two coveted spots over the other nine acts.
The first three acts were Amoukanama, and acrobatic group from West Africa; Ava Swiss, a singer who performed an emotional ballad dedicated to victims of her school’s shooting; and Amazing Veranica and Her Incredible Friends, a group of four dogs performing tricks in glittery dresses alongside their twelve year-old owner.
The judges were enthralled by the performers, with each act provoking its own emotional reaction.
Amoukanama showed off an impressive acrobatic dance routine in support of their families and friends back home, while Ava Swiss sang a heart-wrenching rendition of “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” by P!nk, in honor of the lives of her peers lost during a shooting at Oxford High School.
Amazing Veranica and Her Incredible Friends showcased the talent of four miniature poodles and their owner Veranica, who took the stage in matching dresses to walk on their hands, dance through hoops, and even complete multiple hidden outfit changes.
And even with men doing cartwheels onto each other’s shoulders, and dogs pushing one another in a stroller, we were not prepared for what came next.
29-year-old Ben Lapidus of Doylestown, Pennsylvania was brought to the AGT stage by his love of comedy… and cheese. His first audition began with a song, which soon proved to be a musical comedy about his need for more parmesan cheese.
As he belted about Big Parma, he was greeted with an X buzzer from all of the judges. But that didn’t stop Ben’s journey, as the audience’s support and Ben’s passion won over the judges and got him enough votes to make it through to quarter finals.
Ben’s performance last night started with a short video on his AGT journey so far, and ended with him telling the audience he would be focusing on more heartfelt and sincere songs for the remainder of his time on the show.
Ben took the stage with an acoustic guitar, and began a slow song about the world’s oyster and it’s missing pearl. He abruptly stopped after just a few lines, and asked for his guitar to be taken away. After apologizing to the audience and saying he couldn’t continue, Ben tore off his clothes to reveal a studded leather outfit as smoke and flames took over the stage. Ben began to sing a legendary rock rendition of “The Parmesan Cheese Song,” with the crowd boasting foam fingers and chanting for more parmesan.
Through his metal screams and rock n’ roll dance moves, Ben once again received buzzer after buzzer- from everyone except for Heidi. And though Howie claims Ben makes him “lactose intolerant,” and Sofia admits she “does not understand how [he] made it here,” Ben managed to create another performance that had the crowd roaring.
“I try to think about my life in a bird’s eye view, you know?” Ben told Celeb Secrets over Zoom in a media session after the live show. “Just a guy on a planet, a rock, frankly, floating through space. I think just having that kind of perspective is helpful in embracing absurdity and chaos and failure.”
His thoughts on the seven buzzers and continued disapproval from the judges? “Who cares. Just do what you want, have fun.”
Following a man singing about cheese, we were introduced to someone whose lyrics took a different direction. 24-year-old Drake Milligan from Nashville, Tennessee, grew up with a passion for music. Being both an Elvis fan and a country fan from a young age, Drake wanted to develop his own style of music to share with the world. He performed an original song during his audition, “Sounds Like Something I’d Do,” which quickly won over the hearts of all four judges and everyone in the audience. Following his audition, Drake’s song skyrocketed to No. 1 on the iTunes Country Album charts, proving that his sound was one that resonates with millions.
Drake was urged to take a step back from AGT following the success of his song, but it was never an option for him. Wanting to prove that he’s more than a one hit wonder, the singer took the stage once again for the quarter finals.
Drake stepped onto the stage with guitar in hand, accompanied by a full band including a bass player, drummer, and even violinist, to perform another original. “Kiss Goodbye All Night,” off his forthcoming debut album Dallas/Fort Worth, got everyone on their feet, winning him another standing ovation and a crowd full of admirers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Z5Ozw2h8o
If Drake progresses to the semi-finals, it will mean a continuous juggle of his already hectic life.
From AGT, to going on tour, to gearing up for an album release, Drake isn’t letting a moment go to waste.
“I’ve been going really, really hard lately, juggling a lot of different things,” he admits to Celeb Secrets, as he navigates his newfound spotlight. “I love to spend time in the outdoors any time I can. I live just outside Nashville, kind of out in the woods, and I’m a big fishing guy, hunting guy. So I’m always outdoors, that’s kind of my time away.”
Being the final act of the night is a hard position to be in, but Avery Dixon delivered a show-stopping performance that truly gives meaning to the saying “save the best for last.”
The 21-year-old saxophonist took the stage by storm during his first audition, giving a performance so moving that host Terry Crews ran across the stage and onto the judge panel, hitting the golden buzzer for Dixon. This season’s golden buzzer moment left us with high expectations for Dixon’s quarter finals performance, and he met every single one of them.
Prior to his appearance on stage last night (August 9), viewers watched as Dixon explains the hardships he’s been through that have brought him to AGT.
Dixon explains that he was born prematurely, resulting in his vocal chords not fully developing. After spending months using a machine to assist his breathing, Dixon grew up to face even more challenges. Bullies tore him down at school for because of his different voice, and he wasn’t able to talk back. Dixon had to find his own way to cope, leading to his discovery of the saxophone, which created more words and emotions than he could ever imagine. He found his strength through music, and with his mom urging him to audition for AGT, that strength was shared with the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUq6IHlRvE
If Dixon could go back in time to his years of struggle, there’s a few things he would say to his younger self. “I’d probably stop myself when I was walking home crying that day, and I’d tell him, ‘things aren’t what they look like… better days are coming, keep your head up. Don’t stop pushing,'” he tells Celeb Secrets. “I’d tell myself that, cause at that time, the only person that was really telling me that was my family. I should’ve said that to myself. I wish I could.”
And while we can’t hit the rewind button, Dixon’s touching words and performances certainly inspire others who are struggling to find hope and strength in themselves. As for Dixon, he continued to move viewers with a touching rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” leading to a speech from Simon Cowell about his future as a “super star.” Cowell tells Dixon that he believes every dream he’s ever had is going to happen, admitting that that sounds a lot like what he once told a young Carrie Underwood on American Idol.
With just two of last nights acts making it to semi-finals, we’re left wondering — what exactly does it take to make it? From cheesy songs to touching saxophone, Heidi Klum, an AGT judge since 2013, shares her insight after being on the show for nine years.
“[It is] something that resonates with people. Someone that evokes emotions in you,” Heidi told us after the first episode aired. “I’ve met so many people, the parmesan cheese guy, for example. And the last time when he did the audition, there’s so many people that know the song, it’s insane.”
And while she’s the only judge showing her outwards support for “The Parmesan Cheese Guy,” more judges might find influence at home. “Even Eric, Simon’s son, came to the desk and he’s like, ‘The parmesan guy, I love the parmesan guy!'” Heidi shares, after Simon made his disapproval for Ben Lapidus clear with two X’s in a row.
“For me, this is the silliest, weirdest earworm of a song that he created. I think it’s quite epic, because it’s so silly, but it all resonates with us because we all want more parmesan on our pasta!”
“I think it’s a different kind of comedy, you know? Some people just stand there and they speak their comedy, he sings it… it’s hilarious to me. To me, this was more entertaining than a stand-up comedian for example, because it’s just different for me, a different kind of comedy.”
Heidi concludes by reiterating, “Who ends up winning is who resonates more with the people at home,” leaving it up to us to determine the fate of singing, dancing, and parmesan cheese.
Each performer’s fate will be revealed during the live results show later tonight (August 10) airing at 8PM ET/PT on NBC. The episode will feature a special appearance from Love Island’s host Sarah Hyland, which is now airing on Peacock.
What was your favorite moment from America’s Got Talent live show last night? Let us know by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
