‘America’s Got Talent’ episode 6 recap: Did ‘AGT Auditions 6’ include any Golden Buzzer acts? [LIVE BLOG]

“America’s Got Talent” continued season 18 on July 11 with a two-hour showcase of acts in “Auditions 6.” There are no changes to judges’ dais this summer with executive producer Simon Cowell and long-time judge Howie Mandel taking their place on the ends of the table. Heidi Klum returns as well, as does Sofia Vergara who took a break when “All-Stars” aired earlier this year. Hosting duties are entrusted to the lively Terry Crews once again.

In the audition phase of “AGT,” an act needs at least three of the four judges to give them a “yes” vote to advance to the next round. If two or more judges buzz the act, they are immediately eliminated. Each judge and Crews has one chance to hit the “golden buzzer” and send an act straight through to the live performances.

In the season premiere, Simon led the panel in handing out the first ever Audience Golden Buzzer to Mzansi Youth Choir from South Africa. Simon gave the Golden Buzzer to 17 year old Indonesian pianist and singer Putri Ariani in episode 2. Then, in episode 3, Terry descended the stage to make a dream come true for Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy. Howie made his choice to send French dance group Murmuration straight to the live shows in episode 4.

The format will be the same as in previous seasons, with “America’s Got Talent” airing just on Tuesdays at first with the initial weeks devoted to the auditions that took place around the country. The live shows begin on Tuesday, August 22 with voting results shows following on Wednesday.

Below, read our minute-by-minute “America’s Got Talent” recap of Season 18, Episode 6 to find out what happened Tuesday, July 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite acts on NBC’s long-running reality TV show and who you think will ultimately join the AGT list of champions.

8:03 p.m. – The first act of the night was 14 year old Mariandrea from Mexico with her dance routine that she hopes will inspire young Mexican women to “know that they’re limitless.” After her contemporary dance routine that incorporated rhythmic elements of elegant body contortions, Sofia called it “dancing and acting at the same time” with “passion and intention.” Heidi agreed, saying that she can hold her own dancing against grown ups in the competition and Simon said she chose the music well and she “has a presence about you.” Howie closed up the comments saying “It was like magic watching you” because she owned the stage. Needless to say, the judges gave her four enthusiastic “yes” votes to advance to the next round.

8:11 p.m. – Next up was the 82nd Airborne Chorus from North Carolina who dedicated their cover of “My Girl” to a recently fallen soldier from the U.S. Army that they represent. Howie called it “beautiful” and loved their song choice, Heidi said they have amazing harmonizing, Sofia thinks it was “very different” from what they’re used to seeing on the stage, and Simon appreciates that they’re professional singers that have “a passion for something different.” Simon anticipates that they’ll be strongly loved by the audience and so he joined the other three judges with “yes” votes to send them through to the next round.

8:22 p.m. – Magician Artem Shchukin used his Uncle Fester looks and the “Addams Family” theme music to play up a comedic magic routine that entertained the entire auditorium. Simon summed it up with “magical, weird, hilarious” and led the panel into four “yes” votes to send him through.

8:25 p.m. – The four members of musical group MOS came from Japan to “AGT” to play an instrumental of the pop song “Bang Bang” on saxophones and horns. The crowd loved the group and gave them a standing ovation, contributing to the raves from the judges. Howie liked their choice of music and the choreography, Sofia thought they “transformed into crazy musicians,” Heidi appreciates that they’re an all girl group playing instruments, and Simon got some boos from the audience when she said that it didn’t sound great all the time despite him loving their audition. This was another unanimous “yes” vote to send MOS through to the next round.

8:34 p.m. – In a dancer audition montage, Brooklyn freestyler 40 Pounds earned four “yes” votes for his routine,  as did the three-member group Let It Happen and the much larger crew with members of various ages The Zoo. Venezuelan dancer Oswaldo Colina closed out the montage by coming to “AGT” after Simon rejected his audition in “Britain’s Got Talent.” Unlike the previous dancers, Oswaldo dances with his fingers on a mini stage, providing a unique perspective on the art form. By the end of the performance, Sofia was the only judge that didn’t hit her red X. Howie, Sofia and Heidi all had positive remarks, but Simon stuck to his British “no” along with Heidi and Howie who refused to accept that he’d be a million dollar act.

8:49 p.m. – The focus moved from dancing back to singing when Trent Toney took the stage to dedicate his original song “Always and Lately” to his ex-wife that he wants to win back. At this insistence of the chanting crowd, Heidi got Trent to agree to FaceTime calling his ex-wife prior to the performance so that she could watch his dedication. The crowd, Simon and Howie all stood in ovation following the song while Heidi told Trent’s ex that he sounded amazing. Sofia added that it was “heartfelt” and a “perfect audition,” Simon called him brave for sharing so much of his story, and Howie said it was “absolutely beautiful.” Once again, the judges returned to uniting their “yes” votes to send Trent through to the next round.

9:07 p.m. – Sofia was dismayed to see Puppet Simon & the Cow Belles set up on stage for their comedic vocal performance of “Toxic.” Sofia hit her red X early and then their own Puppet Simon stopped the performance prematurely to sing his own rendition of “Somebody to Love.” Because she hit her red X, Sofia opened the critiques by stating that they’re not an act that belongs on the show. That comment got her embroiled in an argument with Puppet Simon before Human Simon acknowledged that he enjoyed their performance despite “not being a huge fan” of these kinds of acts. Howie and Heidi were both entertained by the group for being good singers and entertaining comedians. Sofia maintained her “no” vote, but was ultimately overruled by the other three with “yes” votes to send them on to the next round.

9:18 p.m. – Married couple Duo Desire brought their “love story in the air” to the stage after spending the pandemic perfecting their acrobatic art form using a tree in the backyard. Following their routine, Sofia exclaimed “That was amazing!” and Howie admitted to being jaded by aerial acts, but that their’s was impressive. Heidi thought they were “flying so fast” and created moments they haven’t seen often. Simon clarified that their routine was original for the audition and he felt that it was clear they put “everything on the line” for the show. Going down the line, Duo Desire earned an easy four “yes” votes from the judges.

9:27 p.m. – Sisters Presley & Taylor grew up with country music in their household and then moved to Nashville in order to pursue a career in the industry. They brought their band on stage with them for their performance that was produced to feel like a crowd-hyping bar performance. The crowd response was a bit muted, as was Heidi’s critique which was that they didn’t make her jump out of her seat. Howie echoed her mixed feelings, calling them “a bar show,” Sofia agreed that they didn’t bring a “wow” factor, and Simon closed it out that if it was an act that worked they would have immediately felt it. Across the board it was another unanimous vote but with “no” votes.

9:38 p.m. – Andrew Stanton didn’t leave any room for introduction before he engaged in his sword swallowing act that left everyone in the room screaming in secondhand pain. Overall the judges had mixed feelings for how disturbing, yet fun the act was. Heidi was speechless and wanted to say “no” but she joined the other three to vote “yes” for Andrew to advance.

9:47 p.m. – The final act of the night was Lavender Darcangelo, a singer who took the stage with her dad in support due to her blindness. Because of her autism, Lavender didn’t begin speaking until the age of four and then was introduced to her dad after enrolling in his after school program for music where she eventually asked him to adopt her. Lavender’s cover of “Out Here on My Own” had Simon muttering “unbelievable” under his breath once it finished as the crowd behind him erupted in applause. Howie told Lavender that everyone got to their feet for her, Simon called her performance “sensational” and “magical,” and Sofia said she forgot that she was judging because she just sat back and enjoyed her voice. Heidi chimed in last to tell Lavender that “I think I just fell in love” and asked her if she could be her cheerleader all the way to the finish line before hitting the Golden Buzzer with a cheerful “Let’s do this!”

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the live results episode airs on NBC. You’ll compete to win a $100 gift card each week and a spot on our Season 21 leaderboard. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.