Tom Ball Earns The Golden Buzzer On ‘AGT’ By Crushing Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound Of Silence’

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Former Britain’s Got Talent contestant Tom Ball has made history on America’s Got Talent: All-Stars, also known as AGT: All-Stars.

The 24-year-old high-school teacher and singer wowed the judging panel with his rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” during Monday’s episode of the NBC talent competition.

AGT: All-Stars judges Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and host Terry Crews were so impressed that they gave Ball the first Group Golden Buzzer of the show, sending him straight to the finals.

Throughout the inaugural season of AGT: All-Stars, which premiered at the start of January, each of the three judges, and Crews, have had a Golden Buzzer, which they have given out on different weeks.

The Group Golden Buzzer, which was introduced to the AGT franchise in the show’s 16th season, was the final Golden Buzzer left this season, and was used for the first time ever on AGT: All-Stars on Monday, January 30.

Each week on AGT: All-Stars, 10 acts, who have previously taken part in one of the many Got Talent installments across the globe, compete with the hopes of making it through to the final and being crowned the ultimate Got Talent champion.

Ball was the sixth act of the night to take to the stage on the latest episode of the show, following singer Peter Rosalita, comedian Axel Blake, singer Mandy Harvey, comedic duo Yumbo Dump and rapping magician Mervant Vera.

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After Ball was given his Golden Buzzer, World Taekwondo Demonstration Team, magician Jasper Cherry, ventriloquist Ana-Maria Margean, and singer Archie Williams performed for the judges.

Taking to Twitter after the performances, some AGT: All-Stars fans called for a major change to be made to the format of the show.

A number of viewers questioned why the judges can’t watch all of the performances first before choosing which act they want to give the Golden Buzzer to.

One viewer posted: “I almost wish that #AGT would wait until all acts are seen to give the golden buzzer. World Taekwondo demonstration team deserved the golden buzzer way more than Tom Ball. #AGTAllStars.”

Another fan tagged the three judges and the show host, Crews, tweeting: “Please consider for Season 2…Golden buzzers should be given as deserved? How can you give 1 golden buzzer w/o FIRST seeing all the acts? If [you] give one out, but another act afterwards is worthy how is that FAIR?? #AGTAllStars.”

“I think the judges blew that golden buzzer on #AGTAllStars. #MandyHarvey and #AxelBlake were both better than that guy,” wrote another viewer, referencing acts Harvey and Blake, who both took to the stage before Ball had been awarded the final Golden Buzzer of the season.

As another wrote of a different performance: “That was a golden buzzer worthy act, but they gave the last one to the guy that performed earlier. It is tough to pick who should get it when there are so many worthy acts. #AGTAllStars.”

There were, however, plenty of AGT: All-Stars fans who were delighted with the Golden Buzzer going to Ball.

“Welcome to America, Tom Ball! That cover of ‘Sound of Silence’ was among the best vocal performances in @AGT history! Goosebumps all over! #AGTAllStars,” wrote one fan, while another tweeted: “TOM BALL should win this competition!!! #AGTAllStars.”

At the end of Monday night’s episode, the top three acts of the evening were revealed, based on the votes of a panel of AGT “superfans.” The series was filmed in the summer of 2022, so there is no public vote.

After Ball secured his spot in the final with his Golden Buzzer, host Crews revealed that the panel of superfans had whittled down the remaining nine acts to their top three; Peter Rosalita, Ana-Maria Margean, and Mandy Harvey.

Harvey was named the third-place act, leaving Rosalita and Margean as the top two.

Ultimately, Margean was revealed as the superfans’ favorite and progresses to the finals alongside Ball and previously announced finalists Aidan McCann, Power Dup, Avery Dixon, Mike E. Winfield, Detroit Youth Choir, Light Balance Kids, the Bello Sisters and Aidan Bryant

America’s Got Talent: All-Stars continues Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Episodes will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjacuUc85iU

Tom Ball earned the Group Golden Buzzer on Monday while AGT season 15 fan favorite Archie Williams, the singer who spent 37 years behind bars on a wrongful conviction, returned for a second chance

America’s Got Talent: All-Stars is getting closer to its finale — and the lineup is getting better by the week.

The America’s Got Talent extension series returned for its latest episode Monday, featuring the next group of 10 acts competing for one of two spots in the finale.

Taking the stage was singer Peter Rosalita (AGT season 16), comedian Axel Blake (BGT winner 2022), singer Mandy Harvey (AGT season 12 Golden Buzzer), variety act Yumbo Dump (Asia’s Got Talent and AGT season 13), magician Mervant Vera (AGT season 17), singer Tom Ball (BGT 2022), variety act World Taekwondo Demonstration Team (AGT season 16), magician Jasper Cherry (BGT 2021), ventriloquist Ana Maria Mărgean (Romania’s Got Talent winner 2021) and singer Archie Williams (AGT season 15).

A stand-out moment came midway through the show when singer Tom Ball, a finalist on season 15 of Britain’s Got Talent, performed a powerhouse rendition of “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel.

The schoolteacher blew the crowd away and ultimately prompted judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum, as well as host Terry Crews, to hit their Group Golden Buzzer.

“I was absolutely over the moon!” Ball exclusively tells PEOPLE via email after earning the Golden Buzzer. “It didn’t hit me properly until I got off stage and called my soon-to-be wife [Hannah].”

“Being my first time in America, I feel massively welcomed and honored to be here and make it to the final,” he adds. “I really hope the superfans and the American public will enjoy my next performance!”

Prior to his audition, Ball revealed to Crews that his wedding was just five days away. Because of that, Hannah was unable to attend his All-Stars audition — and the pair were later forced to keep his exciting Golden Buzzer moment a secret from their wedding guests.

“I was very fortunate to have a fantastic soon-to-be wife who had done most of the planning, which meant that I had time to prepare for this amazing opportunity, knowing the wedding was in safe hands,” he explains. “[But] it was incredibly hard to keep it all a secret [at the wedding]. The only people who knew were my wife and immediate family. It was a real sense of achievement, but I tried to keep the day focused around Hannah as much as possible.”

Making things even more intense was the fact that Ball was going up against fellow BGT star, comedian Axel Blake, who ultimately won the season he competed on. “I am a massive fan of Axel both on and off stage, but of course, I was striving to do better than I did in BGT,” Ball says of competing against Blake once again.

With the Group Golden Buzzer secured, Ball is excited to see how his students react, especially after they nearly lost their minds the first time he was on BGT.

“I think their excitement will be uncontrollable! To continue this journey will be a massive shock to them all, I can’t wait to see their reactions,” he says, noting that while he loves teaching, he hopes to win the competition and pursue singing as a full-time career.

“Teaching will always be a big part of my life, but I do have a dream to tour the world and pursue my passion for singing,” he shares. “Hopefully, I will end up recording some songs to release in the future… I would love to collaborate with Gregory Porter, his music has a large influence on my life.”

Elsewhere in the episode, ventriloquist Ana Maria Mărgean took the stage.

Ahead of her act, she revealed that she picked up ventriloquism during the COVID lockdown after watching AGT winner Terry Fator perform online. She was eventually inspired to audition for Romania’s Got Talent, which she ultimately won in 2021.

Mărgean performed her act to “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore beside her puppet, and earned a standing ovation from the crowd and judges.

“No wonder you won, you are incredible!” Klum said after her performance.

Another memorable moment came near the end of Monday’s episode when AGT season 15 fan favorite Archie Williams returned to the stage.

As fans may remember, Williams was convicted of aggravated rape and attempted murder in 1983 when he was 22 years old. Fingerprint evidence did not match his own, and witnesses testified that he was at his own home the night of the incident. However, Williams was sentenced to life in prison at Louisiana State Penitentiary without the possibility of parole.

At the 12-year mark of his prison sentence, Williams reached out to the Innocence Project with a request for the organization to exonerate him. Thanks to the Innocence Project’s years of hard work and new fingerprint-matching technology, Williams’ case was overturned due to the fingerprints found at the scene of the crime matching a serial rapist.

After being incarcerated for more than 36 years, Williams was released from prison in March 2019.

For his return, Williams opted to sing a soulful, piano-accompanied version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers.

Following his performance, he received a standing ovation from the judges and audience, as Mandel called him “one of the most deserving human beings I know.”

He added that Williams has “everything it takes to make it on the stage,” while Klum described his performance as “honest” and “raw”.

Cowell also told Williams he’s “come back better,” and noted that it was “the best vocal performance you’ve done ever since you’ve been on our show.”

Despite wowing the judges, Williams sadly did not make it through to the next round. Mărgean ultimately nabbed the superfan vote after edging fellow Top 3 acts, singers Mandy Harvey and Peter Rosalita.

Ball and Mărgean will now compete in the finals against magician Aidan McCann (Britain’s Got Talent 2020), aerialists Power Duo (Philippines Got Talent 2016 winner), saxophonist Avery Dixon (AGT season 17), comedian Mike E. Winfield (AGT season 17), aerialist Aidan Bryant (AGT season 16 runner-up), choir Detroit Youth Choir (AGT season 14 runner-up), dance group Light Balance Kids (AGT season 14) and hand balancing act the Bello Sisters (AGT season 15).