Although America's Got Talent is still relatively early in its latest season, viewers have already seen a few iconic moments. One of the most iconic so far came thanks to singer/songwriter Joseph Allen, who won the golden buzzer from Howie Mandel in the June 4 episode. Mandel was so impressed that he literally got up on the table and stomped the golden buzzer, prompting new host Terry Crews to come running out from the wings and lift Allen into the air in a move that felt downright Dirty Dancing.
Joseph Allen got the lift because he made a deal with Terry Crews before he took the stage to perform. If he got the golden buzzer, then Crews would come out and pick him up. Allen chatted with CinemaBlend about his performance, and he said this when I asked if he truly imagined he could get the golden buzzer when he made the deal with Terry Crews:
I think that's why I asked him, because I had imagined it. I'd imagined how cool it would be for that to happen and then I guess I just asked myself, 'What would I want to happen if I got the golden buzzer?' And I was like, 'Man, how cool would it be if Terry Crews came out and picked me up?' So then when I got the golden buzzer, I was like, 'No way. The perfect scenario right now would be for Terry Crews to pick me up.' And he stayed true to his promise and he came out and did it. It was just definitely a literal dream come true.
Nobody puts Joseph Allen in a corner, right? In Allen's ideal scenario ahead of the performance, he would get the golden buzzer advancing him straight to the live shows and then be picked up by Terry Crews. And it happened! Honestly, who wouldn't want to be picked up by Terry Crews while celebrating a milestone?
As a host, Terry Crews has already proved himself to be encouraging, supportive, and always ready to smile for the contestants. All things considered, Joseph Allen lucked out that Crews signed on as host for this season. I don't think Tyra Banks could have pulled off Terry Crews' half of the lift!
Take a look at the lift and Joseph Allen's overjoyed reaction:
Even if Joseph Allen hadn't gotten the lift from Terry Crews, he would have had plenty of reasons to want to celebrate in some big ways. Simon Cowell noted that he got a standing ovation for "doing nothing," as soon as he walked out on the stage.
As it turns out, the audience members who were on their feet and cheering before Joseph Allen sang even a single note were students on spring break from his college in Arizona, and he had no idea they would be there. He explained to CinemaBlend how their reaction helped the performance that won him a truly unique golden buzzer.
It's not like judges climb up on the table to stomp the golden buzzer for every performance, even original songs that get early standing ovations! When I asked if Terry Crews lifting him up felt as Dirty Dancing as it looked, Joseph Allen said this:
Oh my goodness, did it? [laughs] That was ridiculous. Yeah, you can say that.
The move may not have been identical to the iconic Dirty Dancing move that saw Patrick Swayze lift Jennifer Grey over his head to the tune of "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life," but the joyousness of both moments was similar.
This also isn't a moment that Joseph Allen is likely to forget any time soon. Or Terry Crews, for that matter! The two men had a fun exchange on Twitter about the lift. Check it out:
Only time will tell if Joseph Allen will wind up in Terry Crews' arms again before the end of this season of America's Got Talent, but viewers will have a while to wait before they find out. Howie Mandel's golden buzzer stomp advanced Allen straight to the live shows.
Advancing straight to the live shows removes some of the pressure of continuing to qualify leading up to that round, but getting the golden buzzer doesn't mean Joseph Allen's AGT journey will be easy. He shared his feelings about knowing he's a sure thing for the live shows:
It feels good. Of course everything comes with its pros and cons, so the cons are you have to deal with the pressure of understanding now you have even more people that you wanna make proud. You definitely want to make sure that you continuously move in a direction that you can learn and grow and become the ideal version of yourself that you see in your head. It comes with its pressures, but I cannot lie to you and say that the pressures outweigh the joy that comes from being able to say you're guaranteed at the live shows. It's a tremendous opportunity, and I'm lucky that I'm in the position that I'm in right now to be able to do that.
Joseph Allen will have some time to decide on his approach to his next round of competition. He shared that he's not sure just yet if he'll continue with original songs in the live shows, although it was beginning to perform originals that finally got him his chance to take the stage on America's Got Talent.
Of course, a big question is whether he'll watch the new episodes of America's Got Talent in the coming weeks. The performers are his competition, after all, even if he won't face them for a bit! He revealed his plan for new episodes of the show and one competitor that really blew him away:
Oh, of course! I'm still tripping over Kodi Lee's performance. Most definitely I'm honored to be on the same competition as Kodi Lee alone. With someone performing who's blind and autistic, I personally will never understand what it's like to be in a situation like that. So if this season continues going in the direction it's going, we're in for the most entertaining season of America's Got Talent there's ever been. This is something where regardless of what the end result is, just being a part of this is a million bucks in itself.
How can you not root for a competitor with that kind of upbeat attitude toward his fellow performers and the season as a whole? Joseph Allen certainly wasn't the only person impressed with Kodi Lee, who got the first golden buzzer of the season and ever from new judge Gabrielle Union. These are two competitors who will still be in the mix down the road; who else will make it to the live shows?
Last season's winner (and the winner of the special Champions season) was a magician, so perhaps the time has come for a singer to take the top prize once more. Find out when new episodes of America's Got Talent air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC in the 2019 summer lineup.
