Spoilers ahead for the seventh round of America's Got Talent auditions in Season 19.
America's Got Talent Season 19 may be far from over in the 2024 TV schedule, but the latest episode on July 16 featured the last golden buzzer that could be hit, after the new rule giving the judges extras was added this year. Sofia Vergara had the honors, and there were plenty of obvious candidates to be advanced straight to the live shows. There were some amazing singers with powerful stories, and I could even see the contortionist as a wild card. Instead, Vergara hit the buzzer for a two-man act that really defies being categorized, and nobody was more shocked than her fellow judges. And really, she had the best explanation for why she picked them.
The golden buzzer winners in this episode were the two men who make up Japanese comedy duo Schumacher, and their act consisted of one of them contorting himself onto all fours to take the shape of an animal, before they joined forces to take the shape of a giraffe at the end. Initially, it seemed like Sofia Vergara wasn't the biggest fan after they finished, as she asked "What is it?" She wasn't sure if it was "a dance or a puppet or a transformation [or] quick changing." Then, before she hit the buzzer and visibly shocked Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell, she said:
I don't know. I'm like very confused because I thought was ridiculous. It's nonsense. I don't know what it is, but I really really think that you deserve this!
After she hit the golden buzzer and as confetti rained down from the ceiling, Vergara went up on stage to Schumacher while everybody else recovered from their surprise. Host Terry Crews came right out and asked her "why did you make this decision" that shocked the world, and I loved her answer so much that I immediately rewatched it. Vergara explained why she hit the golden buzzer, saying:
I don't know! That's the most fun thing we've had all day, all week!
Personally, I love when the judges hit the golden buzzer for performers who aren't already all but guaranteed to be advanced by the full panel, and just have fun with it instead. Sofia Vergara picked an act that was weird, one of a kind, and not a shoo-in to get a "yes" from each of the four judges. Besides, the majority of the golden buzzer recipients this season have been singers and dance groups, so an act that embraces – to quote Vergara – "nonsense" is bound to make the live shows more fun and unpredictable. Can I hit a golden buzzer for Sofia's golden buzzer?
And while the other judges were clearly shocked, I didn't get the vibe that any of them thought that Vergara made a bad choice or that Schumacher will make Simon Cowell's list of acts he didn't like. Sometimes – like with AGT Season 18 champions Adrian Stoica and Hurricane – you just don't see a twist coming! In case you missed Schumacher in action, take a look below:
Keep tuning in to NBC on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of America's Got Talent. The auditions aren't over yet, so there could be plenty of other ridiculous and undefinable acts on the way before the live shows. If you missed any earlier episodes of Season 19, you can find the full season so far streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
