‘America’s Got Talent’ episode 19 recap: Last 11 acts perform for America’s vote in ‘Qualifiers 5’ [LIVE BLOG]

In the preliminary round of season 17 of “America’s Got Talent,” 138 acts were tapped by the four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofía Vergara — to move on in the competition. However only 55 are being featured in the five live Qualifiers. Among the 11 acts competing in Qualifier 5 on September 6 is Sofia’s Golden Buzzer, the dance group Mayyas.

Also in the hunt to be one of the two acts who get the most votes from America are three other dance acts: teenage soloist Max Ostler, pole dancer Kristy Sellars and acrobatic group urbancrew (Flyers of the South).

A trio of acts will raise their voice in song: 21-year-old Aubrey Burchell from Pennsylvania, 19-year-old Kristen Cruz from Texas and boy band Travis Japan from Japan.

Rounding out the roster of talent on “AGT” tonight are four variety acts: knife throwers Blade 2 Blade, comedian Jordan Conley, yo-yo performer Shu Takada and magician/rapper Mervant Vera.

Follow along with our season 17 episode 19 recap live blog of the performances and the judges’ critiques for “America’s Got Talent” Qualifiers 5″ below:

8:03 p.m. – Kicking off the final night of the Qualifiers round was Kristen Cruz with her cover of the Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson song “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.” She performed the track like a classic rock song and featured her raspy voice that sounded like she came from a different era of music. Heidi was up on her feet applauding Kristen, telling her that her “voice is ferocious” and she loves it, but Simon thought she chose the wrong song and that she was screaming it. Sofia congratulated her on branching out beyond TikTok and Howie said she looks like she’s been singing on stages for years.

8:15 p.m. – Bringing magic and rap together in one act, Mervant Vera sets himself apart from the other magicians that have graced (and succeeded on the AGT stage). Tonight he set out to prove that he’s still more than both of those things and is simply an entertainer. Tonight he had Heidi choose a random song from a book and Terry shuffle a stack of cards with words on them. He used that shuffled stack to freestyle rap and then cut the stack again to magically pair the words perfectly together, then to close out the performance he showed the underneath everyone’s seat was the song title that Heidi randomly chose, “Inspire.” Heidi appreciated the new style of magic that Mervant brings to the stage, Simon said that he liked this performance even more than the audition because he made his nervousness work for him, and Howie called him “inspirational and authentic.”

8:26 p.m. – The seven members of Travis Japan aim to perform their genre-spanning music across the world and that’s why they came to AGT. Tonight they sang an original song that they called a mix between a Japanese classic style and a boy band song. Despite crisp choreography, the audio of their voices was super low, leading to Howie hitting his red X early on in the performance. He explained that it felt like a parody or SNL sketch to him and Simon called the song “dreadful,” but finished by saying that he loves them because they’re fun and entertaining. Heidi liked the choreography and advised them to work on their vocals, which Sofia agreed with by calling the singing “bad.”

8:38 p.m. – Up next was Max Ostler with his solo contemporary dance routine. Heidi, Sofia and Simon all stood in ovation for Max with Heidi calling it “poetry in motion” and calling out his dedication at such a young age. Sofia said that he has something about him that people love and Simon answered that it’s his “talent” and “guts.” He added that he picked the right music and his choreography was incredible. Howie thought it was good enough to do live on stage at an Ed Sheeran concert.

8:47 p.m. – Comedian Jordan Conley was voted into the Qualifiers by America’s vote as the wild card choice. For his set tonight, Jordan began hyping up the crowd and then maintained a high energy as he went in on the theme about him seeming tough but not being tough in reality. Howie called him “lovable” and “relatable,” guessing that he did connect with the audience tonight. Heidi noted his physicality in his comedy, Sofia said he lived up to his wild card status and Simon said he did “brilliant” tonight because his comedy is original to him.

8:58 p.m. – Tonight pole dancer Kristy Sellars wanted to continue to make magic through her routines that incorporate digital videos to match her movement on the pole. She was the next artist to receive a near-full ovation from the judges (only Sofia remained seated this time). Heidi said that Kristy’s imagination is amazing and she brings so much into her show. Sofia called her fascinating because of the precision required for her act to work, Simon called it “unbelievable” as “one of the most astonishingly brilliant” acts they’ve ever had, and Howie took his moments to crack a joke about pole dancers.

9:10 p.m. – For tonight’s performance, Blade 2 Blade took it “to another level” with excellent pyrotechnic staging and incorporating so many of the traditional knife-throwing tricks all into one show. Sofia thinks that the “duel” aspect of their show makes them unique, Simon thought it was thrilling in the way a horror film is and noted that they got the biggest audience reaction of the night so far, and Howie likes that they’re the only danger act left in the competition. Heidi summed it all up by calling it exciting and terrifying all at once.

9:21 p.m. – Following their audition, urbancrew garnered over 11 million views on YouTube and became overnight sensations in The Philippines. Tonight they added hula hoops to their act, as well as an on-stage DJ that matched the beats with their perfectly synched acrobatic moves across the stage. They became the first full standing ovation of the night, with all four judges standing in applause as streamers rained down from the rafters. Simon said that their performance made him feel amazing because of the discipline and drive that they put into it. Howie called it the most exciting act of the night, Heidi said they’re a “jolt of adrenaline” and Sofia called it “perfect.”

9:33 p.m. – Aubrey Burchell chose “Loved By You” by Kirby, a song she’s been singing since she was 16 years old, for her performance tonight. She, too, got a standing ovation from the judges with Howie noting her bravery for growing and changing, but wondered if her song choice was too small for the moment. Heidi loved the song because it showed the range of her voice and Sofia said that she couldn’t detect any nerves. Simon said that she’s interesting and cool, but agreed with Howie that she could have gone with a more well-known song even though it might not matter because she has a “star glow.”

9:44 p.m. – Besides advancing to The Finals, Shu Takada was on a mission to impress Simon with his yo-yo act. Tonight he used his LED yo-yos amidst a neon-lit cityscape and a Lil Nas X song. Simon noticed that his son gave Shu two thumbs up and so was inclined to like him because of his appeal. Heidi said that he’s already a yo-yo superstar, Sofia said he makes the art cool, and Howie said that he’s the best yo-yo performer they’ve seen.

9:55 p.m. – Ahead of their performance, Mayyas said that they want to “make everyone believe in magic.” Once again they used a center angle to create movement through depth and perfectly timed arm movement and then spread out into a horizontal form to enhance the snake and plant imagery. The audience roared for the group and then Simon said that the performance will change their lives as a group and it is one that changes the world. Heidi called them “Vegas-ready” and Howie said they’re not a dance crew because they create beautiful and powerful creatures with their movement. He then called it the single best moment in AGT history.

Which season 17 act is YOUR favorite at this point in the competition? Do you think they can snag the $1 million prize? Sound off in the comments below and with other fans in our reality TV forum. Also be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds.