America's Got Talent and the judges are officially back from their Olympics break, and the first live show of Season 19 brought back eleven of the most memorable acts whose auditions most impressed Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Terry Crews. The performers' futures are now in the hands of voters (aside from the latest golden buzzer twist), and I think that some of Cowell's criticism in the August 13 episode may actually help singer Richard Goodall's odds of advancing to the finals in the 2024 TV schedule.
And if Goodall does make it all the way, he could be the next AGT champion who won a golden buzzer first! While acrobatic group Hakuna Matata Acrobatic received Sofia Vergara's golden buzzer in the first live episode of the season, Goodall received that honor for his audition courtesy of Heidi Klum when he astounded the audience with his take on Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" in May. For his quarterfinals performance, the middle school janitor/singer brought his fiancée to the theater and covered Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You."
The audience loved it, but Simon Cowell had one less than celebratory note for Goodall, saying:
I think you're one of the most memorable contestants we've had for a long, long time. I'm going to be honest with you, Richard. I wouldn't have chosen that song. I think it was too old-fashioned for you because that was what made your first audition special. However, the good news is you nailed it and there's still somewhere to go. And if you make it through, you really do have a shot at winning this whole competition.
Well, if you're going to get a critique from Simon Cowell, getting it along with some glowing praise has to be the best way! I actually agree with the judge that Richard Goodall's audition felt more special with his Journey cover, but that certainly doesn't make his take on Michael Bolton unworthy of advancing in AGT.
And honestly, Cowell's criticism may have done Goodall some favors in the grand scheme of AGT. His comments included a reminder of how hard he'd crushed with his audition, and "there's still somewhere to go" feels like a tease of greatness we'll definitely get to see... so long as enough fans vote for him to advance. All in all, I think the words from Cowell – while not 100% positive – may have a positive affect on the singer when it comes to voters wanting to see more of him.
Interestingly, "Don't Stop Believin'" was released in 1981, whereas "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" released first in 1983 by Laura Branigan and then rereleased in 1990 by Michael Bolton, who co-wrote it. Goodall's Journey song was older than his quarterfinals selection! If you missed the performance, take a look below:
The judges didn't actually have a ton of time to give Richard Goodall feedback; the downside of going last in AGT live episodes is that if an episode is running long, there's not going to be much time for commentary before the final credits have to roll. Simon Cowell's three peers clearly agreed that Goodall "nailed it" as well, but Mandel also noted that only three of the acts who had performed would move on.
Hakuna Matata Acrobatic is already guaranteed to move forward thanks to Sofia Vergara's golden buzzer, but Richard Goodall is still up against rap duo Flewnt and Inkabee (who got some critiques of their own), shadow dance group Attraction Juniors, singer Liv Warfield, dance group Hypers Kids Africa, music group Ashes & Arrows with an original song, dance group Los Osos High School, baton twirler Phillip Lewis, dog act Roni Sagi & Rhythm, and teen contortionist Arshiya.
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, August 14 at 8 p.m. ET for the results of the audience vote that will determine whether Richard Goodall's America's Got Talent journey will continue. You can also revisit earlier episodes of Season 19 streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
