The end is nigh for America's Got Talent Season 19 in the 2024 TV schedule, with only the finale results episode left. As usual for a night of finale performances, AGT packed in plenty of filler segments for the time between contestants taking the stage. This time around, St. Denis Medical actor David Alan Grier dropped by the set to join forces with Howie Mandel for a prank on the other three judges. The prank allowed Heidi Klum to show off her supermodel roots, while Simon Cowell quickly started running low on patience.
The prank involved David Alan Grier visiting AGT to claim that he was interested in trying out directing, so he was going to direct the judges in some promos for local news stations. Grier confessed to camera that the goal was to "annoy the hell out of these judges," but the blame should really be cast at Howie Mandel. The promos grew increasingly ridiculous as time went on, with Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum hiding their frustration a bit better than Simon Cowell, who was done with the props pretty early on. Take a look:
In fairness to Simon Cowell, it appears that the judges were recruited to film a whole lot of promos right after the end of last week's episode of AGT. Every person has to have their limit; for Simon Cowell filming promos, that limit is apparently wearing goofy sunglasses. (You can view all the context for the clip with the episode streaming via Peacock Premium subscription.)
Since AGT is currently in its stage of live shows, filming the promos after the last episode presumably meant the four were sitting in those chairs and being handed silly props in a noisy room for quite some time. Sofia Vergara showed off her ability to keep a straight face while delivering lines in a way that I have to imagine she mastered on Modern Family, but I got my biggest kick out of Heidi Klum striking a pose while the massive fans started blowing for the fake Windy City promo.
Even if I hadn't known that Klum was a supermodel long before she was an AGT judge or part of many of her other ventures, her striking that pose while the fan basically blew Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell out of frame would have been proof enough.
Though Klum showing off her modeling skills while her fellow judges stumbled out of frame was my favorite part of the prank video, I had to laugh at the look on Simon Cowell's face after the big reveal. He handled it with grace, but I'd say that he still didn't look particularly amused. Take a look:
That is the face of a man trying to be a good sport while he's live on national TV, if you ask me! I can't say that I blame him – unwittingly filming those promos for a prank looks like a chore, and we can't all look as composed and glam as Heidi Klum when being blasted in the face by a fan.
Of course, most of this episode of AGT was about the performances of the last contestants standing, who are closer than ever to winning the grand prize of $1 million. I'd say that there really wasn't a dud all evening, to the point that I really can't pick a frontrunner.
It was fun to see Richard Goodall's reaction to learning that he'd be performing "Faithfully" alongside a member of Journey after he dazzled in his audition with "Don't Stop Believin.'" That said, Dee Dee Simon proved that he's not the only singer still in the fight for the victory.
The two singers have been two of my favorites this season, but I find myself rooting in particular for quick change magician Solange Kardinaly and comedian Learnmore Jonasi. Neither a magician specializing in quick change nor a standup comic has ever won AGT before, and that would be an entertaining way to end Season 19.
You can cast your votes for any of the performers who are still in the mix on the official AGT voting site until Wednesday, September 18 at 7 a.m. ET on NBC, with the finale results episode airing on Tuesday, September 24.
