Warning! The following contains spoilers for the America’s Got Talent: Extreme episode that aired Monday, March 7th. Read at your own risk!
America’s Got Talent: Extreme is now four weeks into its limited run on NBC, and so far, the America’s Got Talent spinoff has been impressive. Sure, it’s been refreshing to see all the high-flying stunts of the talent competition without transitions to ventriloquist singers or international dance crews — with no disrespect to either — but it’s also refreshing for an entirely different reason. The AGT offshoot welcomed two new judges to the franchise to join the returning Simon Cowell, and one of them is absolutely crushing it at the moment. So now is the part where I ask the TV deities: can Nikki Bella be a full-time judge on the flagship series after the Extreme season is over?
I’ll admit to being skeptical upon first learning that the WWE Hall of Famer (who recently re-appeared in the Royal Rumble) would be sitting behind the judge's table for America’s Got Talent: Extreme. Nikki Bella was many wonderful things in the WWE, on her reality show and beyond, though I wasn’t so sure how she’d fare in that specific role on a show like this without her also getting to put her physical skills on display. But shame on me for second-guessing the Dancing with the Stars vet, because as I’ve seen thus far, Bella is more than capable of serving up judgments next to Simon Cowell without wrestling being a focus. That said, this latest episode did prove that when she does incorporate wrestling, everything gets even better.
Check out the video below of Nikki Bella closing out the latest episode of America’s Got Talent: Extreme with one of her patented WWE moves:
Strange as it may be to consider, it’s been a relatively long time since I spontaneously thought of America’s Got Talent's judges as being consistently fun, outside of being funny and charming and whatnot. This certainly changed with Nikki Bella, and yes, I felt that way even before she slammed an amateur wrestler into a small swimming pool of jello. It’s certainly not easy to be a judge on America’s Got Talent, or any competition show for that matter, for as many reasons as one can think of. Simon Cowell has the advantage of being a widely known judge on other television shows before becoming the face of this particular franchise, so it's already been a joy to watch Bella holding her own in their interactions so far.
I think what I like best about Nikki Bella on America’s Got Talent: Extreme is that she always sounds so genuine in her responses and surprised reactions. So often, things can feel formulaic in this franchise, and that’s possibly due to a mixture of things, with repetitiveness being a big factor. For example, the other newcomer judge, motocross and X Games legend Travis Pastrana, has no doubt witnessed a crapton of extreme acts and stunts before his stint on the NBC series, which makes it harder to believe he's reaching peak "never seen this before" enthusiasm.
Bella, on the other hand, always authentically sounds like she's being blown away by the variety of acts, which might be why I’m ready to see what she’d be like on the main show if ever given the opportunity. At present, it doesn’t seem like any of the current judges would give up their spots, but if anyone had to dip out for one reason or another, Bella certainly deserves consideration for their spot.
Unfortunately, there’s only one other opportunity to see Nikki Bella on America’s Got Talent: Extreme, as the finale airs over at NBC on Monday, March 14th at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in for the finale, and then be sure to check out what other new shows are airing in the coming weeks that are worth getting into next.
