German model and occasional Michael Jackson impersonator Heidi Klum had a chance to shake up America's Got Talent's live episodes with her golden buzzer choice, but instead ended up disappointing and annoying some fans with her selection in 15-year-old singer Makayla Phillips. Fans online expressed their disappointment in Klum's decision on social media, and it turns out the issue has to do with the majority of the golden buzzer picks for Season 13 in general. Most of them have been singers. Take a look.
Fans certainly let their frustrations show toward Klum, but mainly this frustration was based on the fact the picks in Season 13 have been incredibly lopsided toward singing talents. Klum's pick, Makayla Phillips, joined Amanda Mena, Courtney Hadwin, and Michael Ketterer as vocalists that were fast-tracked to the live shows via the judges. In fact, the only non-singing group to get the golden buzzer this season has been aerial dance group Zurcaroh, who got the buzzer via host Tyra Banks. America's Got Talent viewers were already concerned about the number of vocalists picked this season prior to Heidi Klum's decision, and apparently had hoped she'd break from the rest of the judges and pick something a little more off the beaten path. So it's not surprising to see fans responded thusly:
Heidi Klum's pick wasn't just controversial because she picked yet another singer, however, but also because of how similar Makayla Phillips is to the other golden buzzer recipients. Excluding father of six Michael Ketterer, Phillips is now the third girl in her early teens with a powerful voice to be chosen. Some believe Klum's pick certainly makes it feel like America's Got Talent producers encouraged the judges to look for a specific type of talent in Season 13, as well:
Fan complaints have fallen upon deaf ears when it comes to Heidi Klum, who was singing the praises of her pick on Twitter. Klum didn't respond to the shade being thrown her direction and instead continued to dote on the talented Makayla Phillips and how she thinks she's going to be this season's winner. She might be onto something, as 8 out of the past 12 winners of America's Got Talent have been singers. That said not everyone was as impressed with Phillips as Klum:
America's Got Talent is on NBC Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and there's plenty of other talents to watch besides vocalists. Those interested in seeing what else is on television in the next couple of months should check out our summer premiere guide.
