America’s Got Talent‘s quarterfinals have just started, but some of its competitors won’t return to the AGT stage following some brutal cuts on the first of season 19’s live results shows on Wednesday.
Contortionist Arshiya, who freaked out judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofía Vergara with a performance that would have fit right into a horror movie, was eliminated. Ditto for LiV Warfield, the showstopping singer who did a stunning rendition of a song written by her former employer, Prince.
Though Cowell was not happy to see Warfield go, he gave her encouraging words on the way out: “I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing each other again.”
Based on votes from viewers, twirler Phillip Lewis, father-and-child rappers Flewnt And Inkabee, cheerleader-like Los Osos High School dancers, shadow theater group Attraction Juniors, and adorable dancers Hypers Kids Africa are gone, too.
Only four acts advanced to the show’s semifinals, and that exclusive group includes Hakuna Matata Acrobats, the four-man outfit who seriously impressed Vergara on Tuesday with their terrifying balancing act. Vergara held the night’s only Live Show Golden Buzzer, which is new this season, and she hit it for them. A spot in the finals was part of that, so they will bypass the semifinals that other winners must survive to stay eligible for the $1 million prize that will be awarded in September.
Here’s the list of all the acts still in the game:
Ashes and Arrows
The NorthCarolina-based country rock trio delivered their original song “Wild Horses,” which won over both voters and Mandel, who wasn’t a fan of theirs when they first auditioned. “That song was great!” Mandel said on the Aug. 13 episode. “You rose to the occasion.” He even predicted their song would make the charts, which he later noted was true.
Richard Goodall
Oh, Richard! The singer, who’s a janitor from Terre Haute, Ind., wowed the judges and the fans with his take on Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” While his notes weren’t always perfect, his passion could be felt through the screen. Klum, who gave him her Golden Buzzer at his audition acknowledged it. “I don’t know what it is, Richard. I just a really soft, spot for you in my heart,” she said.
Roni Sagi and Rhythm
The dog-owner act from Israel danced — both of them! — to Queen, even adding in some flips for the pup. Roni Sagi is a dog trainer who said she first noticed Rhythm’s talent when she saw him tapping his feet on her bed at six weeks old. Mandel said that, if he had had a Golden Buzzer when she performed at the quarterfinal, he would have used it on her and Rhythm.
Hakuna Matata Acrobats
The four-person team of daredevils from Tanzania stunned the judges with an act that Cowell called both “difficult” and “dangerous.” But they didn’t need any fan votes, thanks to Vergara having used the first Live Show Golden Buzzer ever on them. She called them “one of the most ambitious acts I’ve seen on AGT,” as she delivered the good news.
Each Tuesday through Sept. 3, a new group of contestants who made it through the audition process will compete in the Live Quarterfinals. Those who survive fan voting will move on to the Live Semifinals, where 12 acts will compete for one of six open finale spots. The final round, featuring the six semifinals winners and the four Live Show Golden Buzzer recipients, will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 17 with results revealed in the show’s Tuesday, Sept. 24 finale.
