“America’s Got Talent” Recap: The Live Rounds Continue with More Acts Performing; Howie Mandel Apologizes

NBC(NEW YORK) — NBC’s America’s Got Talent continued its live rounds at New York’s Radio City Music Hall Tuesday night with the last 12 quarterfinalists relying on fan votes to see which of them would advance to the semifinals. Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel were treated to performances from singers, magicians, comedians and dancers, all introduced by host Nick Cannon.

The evening also included an awkward moment for Mandel, who told a contestant known as The Professional Regurgitator, “This is probably gonna come out wrong, but you, sir, make bulimia entertaining.” After receiving a flood of angry tweets, Mandel realized his mistake and took to Twitter to apologize. He made an on-air apology as well.

“I just wanna take a second just to apologize. I made a comment earlier. It’s live television, I wasn’t thinking,” he noted after the commercial break. “I made light of bulimia, which is a very serious eating disorder and mental health issue.

“I deal with mental health all the time, and I did something stupid,” he continued. “I should never make light of it. I apologize to anybody that was offended. I’m not perfect, I make mistakes.”

After Tuesday’s show, fans voted on which seven of the 12 acts will advance to the semifinals. The results will be revealed Wednesday night.

Here’s a rundown of some of Tuesday’s highlights:

First up was the seven-member dance troupe the Chapkis Dance Family. Stern liked the choreography, but thought all the dancers made the act seem too busy. Mel B disagreed, maintaining the routine was “on the point.” Howie also took issue with Stern, noting the technical ability involved in so many dancers performing in sync. Heidi, noting she spent 15 years as a dancer, also felt Howard was a bit too harsh in his criticism and hoped America would send the troupe to the next round.

Motocross daredevils Metal Mulisha Fitz Army thrilled the judges and audience with their high-flying flips and jumps. Mandel, calling it an example of “man over machine,” declared, “You are the men; you won over the machines.” Stern, declaring the group “real daredevils,” hoped the home audience could appreciate the danger of the routine. Heidi said she had never been a fan of motocross until watching their act. Mel exclaimed the act got her “pumped.”

DADitude!, five middle-aged dancing dads, wound up on the wrong side of history, becoming the first act to get buzzed by all four judges in a live round. The group was eliminated during the Judge Cuts, but got a second chance after Duo Volta bowed out of the competition. Howard noted the guys “showed their age,” noting it seemed like more of a wedding act. Heidi agreed, adding the guys “weren’t in sync.” Mel B loved what the team stood for, but felt they were “under-rehearsed.”

Alicia Michilli wowed the judges with Nina Simone’s classic, “I Put a Spell on You.” Klum called her voice “haunting.” Mel B admitted she was “worried” about Alicia’s performance because she didn’t find it convincing enough, but felt Tuesday’s performance was a “complete turnaround.” Mandel declared she put a spell on the judges and on America. Stern noted Michilli displayed the emotion he felt was lacking in her earlier performances.

Comedian Gary Vider’s delivery impressed most of the judges, except Heidi. Howie loved it, noting “every joke landed.” Howard thought the comic “killed it.” Mel B wasn’t sold at first, but warmed up to the comic as the act went on. Heidi, however, didn’t like the “slowness” of Vider’s delivery.

Mountain Faith Band performed a bluegrass version of WALK THE MOON’s “Shut Up and Dance” that made Mandel felt like he’d just been to a “jamboree.” Stern, admitting he’s not a bluegrass fan, applauded their performance for being “well done.” Heidi praised the band’s interesting arrangement of the song. Mel B thought the performance fell flat, but called them “likeable.”

Mentalist Oz Pearlman took the stage next. He invited the panel to try and read his mind. He tried to mentally tell them how many gumballs were in a jar on stage. He then played a video he posted earlier, accurately predicting that Mel B would be off by just two. The most amazing part of the trick came when Nick pulled out a receipt from the middle of the jar that had a serial number matching all the judges’ numbers in a row. Mel B called the trick “amazing.” Howard called Pearlman “a terrific showman.” Howie dubbed the magician “the wizard of O’s.”

Church choir Selected of God turned Shontelle’s “Impossible” into a song of praise that had the judges exclaiming hallelujah. Mel B thought it was a “powerful” performance, although she was disappointed with the solos. Howie was moved by the performance, but wondered if the home viewing audience would feel what the studio audience felt. Howard, stressing he’s a fan of the act, thought they were at their best when they “contemporized” their sound.

Stevie Starr, aka The Professional Regurgitator, started off by swallowing Heidi’s ring, Then he had Mel B. close a padlock, which he ingested, along with a key. In his stomach, he reunited the key with the lock, unlocked it, put the ring on it and locked it again. He then coughed it all up. However, he couldn’t get the key back up, so he swallowed a small pool ball, which brought up the key. Then he spat out the pool ball. Heidi used the key to unlock the lock, and she had her ring back. Klum called Starr “unique” and “incredible.” Mel B noted it was “disgusting,” but “exciting.” Mandel declared it the best act of the night. Stern called him a “superstar” and a “top five act.”

Blind dancer Benjamin Yonattan leaped, tumbled and spun across the stage, bringing the audience and two of the judges to their feet. Heidi thought the 14-year-old “commanded the stage.” Mel called the routine Yonattan’s “best dance so far,” noting his technique was perfect. Howie declared it was more than a contest for Benjamin; it was life, and he was “winning.” Howard commended the young dancer, but admitted he found his routines repetitive.

Next up was 22-year-old opera singer Daniella Mass, whose soprano voice dazzled the judges. Mandel called the performance a “beautiful moment,” adding Daniella’s voice is “perfection.” Mel B declared the singer had the “perfect theatrical voice.” Klum noted Mass “connected with the song,” and made the audience feel it as well. Stern was a little disappointed with the song selection, explaining it was too “Broadway.”

The final act of the night was Freelusion, a trio of dancers who performed against a backdrop of video projections. They group narrowly avoided disaster when, after a stunt they had planned for the routine wasn’t working, one of the members sat Tuesday’s performance out for the sake of the team. Heidi said they created “a beautiful illusion.” Mel B called it “mesmerizing.” Howie noted the act was “a step up from Freckled Sky,” a similar act that was voted off the competition last week. Howard exclaimed they were getting “better week after week.”

America’s Got Talent continues Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBC.