The America’s Got Talent Judges simply could not believe their eyes as magician Young-Min took command of the stage Wednesday evening for the the Season 19 Quarterfinals. The talent from Seoul, South Korea — who will advance to the next round alongside Alex Sampson and Sky Elements — delivered an interpretative, wordless, and totally beautiful Act centered around paper and light.
“I think I was a really normal kid,” Young-Min said in a pre-recorded interview ahead of his performance. “I was a good kid, I loved to hang out with friends, playing soccer. One day, I was in a library and there’s a shining book about magic. I just kept reading it, trying it, and it [became] my life. I always dreamed about the AGT stage. I had a picture of the four Judges for three years and every day, I’d look at the picture [and say], ‘I’m gonna be on that stage.’ The response was incredible. Some of the biggest magicians from AGT mentioned me on social media. Life is crazy.”
Young-Min’s unbelievable live magic Act
Without words, Young-Min beautifully depicted the fragility and fleeting nature of life through interpretive dance and magic. He began his Act blindfolded, holding a flower whose petals magically crumbled to dust. Upon removing his blindfold, which also disintegrated into nothing, he conjured up more disparate petals that came together to form a flower filled with light. When he was done, the whole crowd was left visibly moved at his illusions and the story he told with them before vanishing into thin air himself.
What did the Judges’ say about Young-Min’s Act?
“I loved it, I absolutely loved it,” said Heidi Klum as Host Terry Crews asked the Judges for their thoughts on the Act. “It was mystical, it was magical. You show magic in such a different way than other magicians do — and I always wonder where do you guys go when you disappear? Do you go to space? Then you’re all of the sudden back. It’s mind-blowing to me.”
Sofia Vergara came next, describing the performance as “one of my favorite magic acts in AGT. It was mystical, theatrical, unexpected … amazing.”
Simon Cowell, meanwhile, did a full 180, apologizing for his ho-hum reaction to Young-Min’s first audition.
“I always say when you’re in the Live Show, you’ve gotta have a moment. What we just witnessed was your moment. I think that is going to get you through to the Semifinals. It was that good.”
“I think you’re truly amazing, one of the best magicians I’ve ever seen” concluded Howie Mandel, going on to quote the latest TikTok trend. “Not only your magic, but your performance is so — I don’t know how to describe it — mindful and demure.”
How to watch America’s Got Talent
Will Young-Min become the fourth-ever magician to win it all on America’s Got Talent? You’ll just have to tune in and find out! Live episodes of AGT air every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8/7c. You can stream them the next day on Peacock.
