America's Got These Judges

[Lonesome Rhodes]

How on earth did Howie Mandel survive the latest AGT purge?  Tyra, Mel B., and Heidi dumped, but he stays?

I am not making a case for any of them.  But, if the show needed "freshening," Howie would definitely be the second one launched (Tyra, first) were I in charge.

I wonder if either Mel B. or Heidi themselves expressed a desire to move on.

[junemeatcleaver]

The reported that AGT was going to get rid all of their judges except Simon last month.  Maybe TPTB wanted a little continuity and kept Howie, I don't know.  The Post reported Tyra was leaving late last year, so no real surprise there.

Are Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union the first native born American judges since Hasselhoff left?  Not that it really matters who judges these dumb shows.

[matthieus2]

I'm surprised at this. Not surprised at Tyra leaving as she more or less confirmed in an interview she probably wouldn't be back. I don't know how much of it was her choice or if she genuinely does want to focus on other paths.

Heidi and Mel B I'm surprised about. Mel B I did sort of wonder if she'd continue being a judge when she was going in to rehab. I did think for the past few seasons it's a bit crazy AGT has no American judges judging it.

I don't know much about Gabrielle or Julianne or what they'll bring, but I do often think shows like this go wrong by making it more about the judges than the contestants and act and keep changing the line up. Though I don't always agree with Mel, I like her feistiness on the show. Does anyone also think the show changed when Simon became a judge? I felt when Howard was there the judges seemed to have more fun together and things weren't so serious.

Though I think overall AGT beats BGT with better acts overall, I think they've got a good thing going with their judges. It's been the same line-up for around 7 years, and Simon and Amanda have been there since the beginning along with Ant and Dec as the hosts. It could be seen as same-y, but at least there's consistency there.

[BuckeyeLou]

Well, I am disappointed that Heidi is leaving...she always seems to be having fun, enjoys the acts, is always positive, and I like her smile.  Mel B is funny at times.  Julianne Hough never added much when she judged DWTS, altho I thought she was a terrific dancer.  And I don't know much about Gabrielle Union except she is married to NBA star Dwayne Wade & just had a baby, via surrogate.  I'm surprised they didn't get rid of Howie also, and just start with 3 new judges next season.

[helenamonster]

17 hours ago, junemeatcleaver said:

Are Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union the first native born American judges since Hasselhoff left?  Not that it really matters who judges these dumb shows.

Howard Stern was on for a bit before being replaced by Simon.

I love Gabrielle Union so I'm excited to see what she brings to the show, and it'll be nice to have a judge who actually knows something about dance in Julianne Hough.

Not too surprised at Mel leaving given her recent personal issues. Am a little surprised about Heidi, but she's getting remarried soon so maybe she just wants to focus on that/her family for now. She's also got a new Project Runway-esque show she's doing with Amazon so maybe schedules conflicted.

[friendperidot]

Julianne, please lay off the eyeliner. I have trouble listening to anything she says because I'm constantly wondering how she got so much gunk on her eyes. Ok, I pretty much have trouble listening to anything she says anyway since her days as judge on DWTS.

[CrystalBlue]

1 hour ago, friendperidot said:

Julianne, please lay off the eyeliner. I have trouble listening to anything she says because I'm constantly wondering how she got so much gunk on her eyes. Ok, I pretty much have trouble listening to anything she says anyway since her days as judge on DWTS.

The raccoon eyes and caterpillar eyebrows are pretty scary.

[Sounder]

On 2/12/2019 at 6:49 PM, helenamonster said:

Howard Stern was on for a bit before being replaced by Simon.

I love Gabrielle Union so I'm excited to see what she brings to the show, and it'll be nice to have a judge who actually knows something about dance in Julianne Hough.

Not too surprised at Mel leaving given her recent personal issues. Am a little surprised about Heidi, but she's getting remarried soon so maybe she just wants to focus on that/her family for now. She's also got a new Project Runway-esque show she's doing with Amazon so maybe schedules conflicted.

There was also American born Brandy Norwood in season one.   So her..... Hasselhoff.....and Howard Stern were your American born judges.   Plus we adopted Howie.

[CrystalBlue]

Julianne Hough reveals all.  (There's even a video of her without her makeup.)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7310729/Julianne-Hough-poses-completely-nude-drops-bombshell-sexuality.html

[Pickles]

7 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Julianne Hough reveals all.  (There's even a video of her without her makeup.)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7310729/Julianne-Hough-poses-completely-nude-drops-bombshell-sexuality.html

She seems to seek out attention. Many articles lately about her sex life with her husband and now she is claiming, I guess, to be bisexual. She can be whatever she wants to be, but why does she have to make it everyone's business? I guess anything for publicity. 

[CrystalBlue]

38 minutes ago, Pickles said:

She seems to seek out attention. Many articles lately about her sex life with her husband and now she is claiming, I guess, to be bisexual. She can be whatever she wants to be, but why does she have to make it everyone's business? I guess anything for publicity. 

Exactly.  Some posters in the comments section of the article seem to think she's unpopular on AGT and that's the reason for the attention seeking.  Coming out as bi these days is the current way to try to remain relevant and seem edgy.  See, for example, Mel B and her "shocking revelation" about her and Geri  Halliwell.  Yawn.

[helenamonster]

On 8/1/2019 at 11:49 PM, CrystalBlue said:

See, for example, Mel B and her "shocking revelation" about her and Geri  Halliwell.  Yawn.

The thing that cracked me up about that was, in all the years that people have been asking the Spice Girls if they've ever hooked up with one of their bandmates, only Geri and Mel B ever said yes, so they made it pretty easy for the rest of us to draw our own conclusions. 

Also to anybody who was following them in their prime, between interviews and behind-the-scenes footage and the tension between Geri and Mel B as the two strongest personalities in the group, it was always kinda obvious that something had happened there.

[CrystalBlue]

Simon Cowell's appearance on America's Got Talent, plastic surgery and all.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7378313/Simon-Cowell-smooth-face-Americas-Got-Talent.html

[helenamonster]

The plastic surgery doesn't bother me nearly as much as those veneers he's been sporting this season. They're terrifying.

[DoYouLikeMutton]

It seems to me that Howie is more adversarial this season.  Not that he is hostile, but he seems more critical of the acts whereby in prior seasons he almost always had very positive things to say about everybody.   I am not an ardent viewer of the show, mostly catching the later rounds of the last 2 seasons or so.  I wonder if he was told to spice up his commentary a bit.

[galaxychaser]

Simon broke his back

 

https://people.com/tv/simon-cowell-recovering-after-5-hour-back-surgery/

[Babalooie]

24 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Simon broke his back

It will be interesting to see if  they go without him like they did when Heidi was sick, however, I can see Simon in his elegant robe, judging from his sick bed.

[Taeolas]

32 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

It will be interesting to see if  they go without him like they did when Heidi was sick, however, I can see Simon in his elegant robe, judging from his sick bed.

He's skipping this week. They'll probably take it a week at a time, but from the sounds of it, next week is probably out for him. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Kelly Clarkson is subbing for Simon this week.

[Liveandletlive]

I'm not a prude. I understand beautiful women like to highlight their beauty in the way see fit.....but am I the only one who thinks many outfits worn on the show by the female judges are VERY inappropriate for a FAMILY show? Just sayin....

[Vermicious Knid]

Keenan Thompson this week.

[saber5055]

I saw Keenan was to be Simon's replacement this week. That will be interesting, he's smart, articulate and funny. I hope he does well. I did think Kelly was a good replacement too. I know this is Simon's show, and I wish him well, but it would be interesting to have him replaced every show. At least judges now don't have much of a role, except to persuade viewers to vote one way or another. Editing and act placement will do the rest to get viewers voting "correctly."

[saber5055]

On 8/13/2020 at 11:39 PM, Liveandletlive said:

I'm not a prude. I understand beautiful women like to highlight their beauty in the way see fit.....but am I the only one who thinks many outfits worn on the show by the female judges are VERY inappropriate for a FAMILY show? Just sayin....

I actually might BE a prude but I'm also a militant feminist and don't see why women have to accentuate their boobs with low-cut and revealing gowns while men wear just normal clothes that cover everything up. I also object to beach volleyball outfits where women wear thongs up their asses and men wear baggy pants to their knees. Same with ass-tight women outfits on Titan Games while men wear baggy knee shorts. I'm all for men wearing tiny Speedos if women have to be constantly sexualized. Family show or not, it irks me.

[ThatMP]

Should a person who is not a judge be allowed to press the golden buzzer?

[ThatMP]

The golden buzzer should be limited to judges only. Terry is s great host but he should not have the ability to fast track contestants to the live shows. It is not fair to the contestants who have worked just as hard on their audition. 

[ThatMP]

How can a judge be part of the act and still judge?

They can't ... use the audience not a judge. 

[saber5055]

It's all scripted. GBs are determined ahead of each show, none are spontaneous. If TPTB want five acts to move straight on, that means Terry has to be one of the GB punchers. It's DRAH-matic! As for judges being part of the acts, AGT is a showcase for the judges as much as the acts. So of course the judges are going to be in the spotlight, not some audience rando from Podunkville. It's Hollywood, baby! (Or, Vegas.)

[CrystalBlue]

20 hours ago, ThatMP said:

How can a judge be part of the act and still judge?

They can't ... use the audience not a judge. 

This, besides the talent pool being somewhat shallow, and the ridiculous sob stories ("I was bulled at school"), is my biggest gripe against AGT.  It is all set up for maximum suckage to Simon.  Sometimes it backfires like when a contestant insults a judge -- ha!

[Kromm]

On 8/28/2020 at 4:04 PM, ThatMP said:

The golden buzzer should be limited to judges only. Terry is s great host but he should not have the ability to fast track contestants to the live shows. It is not fair to the contestants who have worked just as hard on their audition. 

The UK show is to blame for this. Those little pissants Ant and Dec did it. 

[rr2911]

On 8/29/2020 at 2:08 PM, CrystalBlue said:

This, besides the talent pool being somewhat shallow, and the ridiculous sob stories ("I was bulled at school"), is my biggest gripe against AGT.  It is all set up for maximum suckage to Simon.  Sometimes it backfires like when a contestant insults a judge -- ha!

The sob stories have no place on a talent show, but of course this is a tv show that needs ratings for it to survive. TPTB know that there are many fans that love the sob stories and believe that a contestant that has faced adversity deserves to automatically be in the finals or win it outright! So in a sense, the fans are to blame. I'm sure AGT read social media and read all the comments in favor of the sob stories. Yes FaceBook, I'm referring to you!

Kodi Lee, I Am Sam, from American Idol come to mind of contestants that won their respective shows based on sob stories. Grace VanderWaal, even though she didn't have a sob story, she benefited from being a little cute kid, which played with the fans feelings and how wrong it would be to say "no" to a little girl. The thought of her crying on stage would probably be to much for fans. In my opinion Grace was the worst winner of AGT history.

Kodi Lee and is talented but imho wasn't the best and if there were no health issues with him, I don't think he would've made it far. The same thing with Sam. If there weren't any obstacles in her life, I don't think she makes in the top ten.    

[saber5055]

4 hours ago, rr2911 said:

Kodi Lee and is talented but imho wasn't the best and if there were no health issues with him, I don't think he would've made it far. The same thing with Sam. If there weren't any obstacles in her life, I don't think she makes in the top ten.    

I don't know. Billy Bones, the worst dancer, won his season of DWTS. There is no accounting for the level or taste, or lack of taste, of the American people.

Edited August 31, 2020 by saber5055