Slight spoilers ahead for the Season 14 finale of America's Got Talent on NBC.
Simon Cowell hit the mainstream on the American side of the pond when he debuted as the "mean" judge on then-Fox's American Idol, working with "nice" judge Paula Abdul and moderate judge Randy Jackson. Cowell has since moved on to other projects, and is currently a long-running judge on NBC's America's Got Talent. In the Season 14 finale, Cowell got a huge shocker when one performer whipped off a mask to reveal not an AGT contestant, but rather Paula Abdul!
The reveal of Paula Abdul came at the end of a performance, so let's first skip ahead to see Abdul blow Simon Cowell's mind with her unexpected appearance:
America's Got Talent always packs its season finale results shows with filler performances to hold off on the big champion announcement for as long as possible, and that opened the door for Paula Abdul. So, how did she manage to sneak in among the acts and totally shock Simon Cowell?
Young violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa from Season 14, who won a golden buzzer from Simon Cowell earlier in the season, teamed up with Season 13 violinist Brian Joseph King for an electrifying performance, compete with an active and incredibly entertaining dance act by Light Balance Kids.
Both Tyler Butler-Figueroa and Light Balance Kids are Season 14 finalists, so it's only natural that all eyes were on the performance, rather than on the dancer who didn't belong! Paul Abdul's appearance came at the very end, so she didn't overshadow the performance of the kids and Brian Joseph King. Instead, her surprise American Idol reunion with Simon Cowell was more of a punchline.
Take a look!
This performance happened in the first half of the two-hour finale, so there was more fun than tension in the performance. Tyler Butler-Figueroa and Light Balance Kids were still in the running, along with Kodi Lee -- who it was hard to imagine losing going into the finale -- and plenty of others.
The American Idol reunion on America's Got Talent was a great surprise, especially since it's unlikely they'll appear on ABC's American Idol reboot together. Simon Cowell was asked to return for the ABC version of the show, but he revealed why he never wants to do Idol ever again. In fact, Cowell revealed that he wasn't even watching the new Idol. I only wish that Randy Jackson had made an appearance as well to join Cowell and Paula Abdul. Or at least Brian Dunkleman!
America's Got Talent is finished for Season 14, but there's plenty of goodness on the way on the small screen in the not-too-distant future, and you can find your options on our fall TV premiere schedule.
