America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell broke the rules by hitting the Golden Buzzer twice for two jaw-dropping acts, Liv Warfield and Sky Elements, during the Season 19 episode that aired Tuesday night on NBC.
ADVERTISEMENT
Simon adjusted the rulebook for Season 19 because he felt the need to hit his Golden Buzzer twice, allowing two acts to automatically advance to Live Shows beginning Tuesday, August 13 at 8PM ET/PT on NBC.
Due to Simon's decision, the other three America's Got Talent judges -- Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara -- will each be able to hit the Golden Buzzer twice this season.
Sky Elements, a Dallas-based drone lights act, is the "unbelievable" act who convinced Simon to bend the rules. The group of six men explained how "writing code" is their talent and they love "merging technology with art by making it as big as possible."
The display of 1,000 drones was so big that Sky Elements had to move their performance outside of the stadium. Sky Elements lit up the night sky with a display that was 400 feet tall and 300 feet wide.
ADVERTISEMENT
The drones gathered together to form a space shuttle that looked as though it was taking off and flying into space. The shuttle then transformed into an astronaut waving an American flag on the moon.
Lights proceeded to flash an astronaut's face that resembled Simon, and finally the AGT logo appeared in the sky at the end of the performance.
"That was absolutely brilliant!" America's Got Talent host Terry Crews shouted.
"That was unbelievable!" Simon told his fellow judges.
"I've never seen anything like that," Sofia raved, shortly before the audience began chanting, "Golden Buzzer!"
ADVERTISEMENT
Howie then told Sky Elements how the display was "epic" and the smile it put on Simon's face was very memorable.
"It was like the moon landing, that kind of excitement!" Howie gushed. "That was one small step for man and a huge step for AGT."
"I loved it, too," Heidi noted.
"It felt kind of like it was an alien invasion... There were so many of them! And it was just amazing how you programmed this all -- the imagination and how you thought about the story you'd be telling, it was beautiful! Really well done."
After Sofia added how the performance was "breathtaking" and "spectacular," Simon praised the group for their execution and storytelling ability.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Whether you are three-years-old or 100 years old, I think you are absolutely going to love that audition," Simon declared, as the crowd continued to yell, "Golden Buzzer!"
Simon went on to mention America's Got Talent's "rules," announcing, "There is no rulebook, which means I'm going to do this: Liftoff!"
Simon hit the Golden Buzzer for the second time that evening, and Howie called him out, saying, "You already had one!"
"It doesn't matter," Simon replied.
"You did yours already," Heidi told Simon.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I had to," Simon insisted.
A producer then approached Simon in his seat and asked what he was doing. There appeared to be some confusion over whether Simon was really allowed to use a second Golden Buzzer.
"I just thought, 'Why not?'" Simon whispered to the producer. "I mean, there's nothing in the rules that say we couldn't."
The producer firmly countered, "Well, there is."
However, the producer eventually agreed to Simon's rule change, but he clarified, "If you do it, everyone else gets a second Golden Buzzer."
Simon therefore confirmed to the judging panel, "If I have two, you can have two," prompting Heidi, Howie and Sofia to cheer.
"We get two Golden Buzzers!" Heidi concluded.
Simon then told Sky Elements that their display was "mind-blowing" and he had to appease the audience by breaking the rules.
Earlier in the show, Simon had used his first Golden Buzzer on Liv Warfield, a rock and soul singer and songwriter from Chicago, IL, who previously performed with Prince.
"I've been on a lot of stages, and I'm just glad to be here, to be able to do the music and do what I love. I just want to represent that," Liv told the judging panel prior to her performance.
When Simon asked how she found the music business in general, Liz shared, "I've been doing this for a long time and the industry is really hard because things have changed over time, but I continue to push just because I have a story to [tell.] I just want to inspire people because I haven't quit -- and I won't."
ADVERTISEMENT
Liv, accompanied by a big jazz band, then belted out a high-energy original song titled "Stare," which made Simon's jaw nearly drop to the floor.
"What a voice!" Terry yelled backstage.
Simon went on to declare how he had a "really big problem," adding, "That wasn't long enough. Seriously. That lyric [about] a wrecking ball, that's how I felt, just then."
"It was like being, in a good way, punched in the face by your energy, the band," Simon continued. "All these years of frustration and you come on here and I'm sorry, I can't give you a yes. I've got to give you one of these."
Simon proceeded to hit the Golden Buzzer for Liv, who broke down into tears of joy on the stage.
Liv admitted she was "overwhelmed" yet "so grateful" for the opportunity to advance right to Live Shows.
"We live the music! Thank you, thank you," Liv gushed before leaving the stage.
Simon then told Liv and her band backstage that she had just made his show "great."