Spoilers ahead for the second night of AGT: Fantasy League semi-finals.
After Night 2 of semi-finals, AGT: Fantasy League has narrowed down the four judges’ picks to the very best of the best. This is the fourth spinoff of America’s Got Talent, following All-Stars, Extreme, and The Champions. I’ve been enjoying the ride well enough in the 2024 TV schedule, but Fantasy League just hasn’t been my favorite offshoot of AGT, even with the throwback fun of Mel B joining Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum. That said, there’s one element in particular that I’ve really been enjoying, and a certain golden buzzer in the semi-finals has me ready to announce it.
The golden buzzers have worked differently in the newest spinoff, as the judges have been battling each other while also encouraging their favorite performers. They have had the option of hitting the buzzer to advance somebody from their own team… or steal somebody from one of the other teams. In the second night of semi-finals, Simon Cowell used his buzzer to advance a member of his own team: Musa Motha. Heidi Klum used hers in a more fun way: to steal V. Unbeatable from Team Howie.
It’s hard to blame her – V. Unbeatable’s semi-finals performance was incredible, and Howie Mandel’s reaction was split between cheering for the group and trying to discourage Heidi Klum from stealing them from him. The crowd was cheering for her to press it, and it seemed at first like she might leave their fate up to the voters… but then, to Mandel’s dismay, she hit the button and made her way up to the stage to welcome the dance group to Team Heidi with golden confetti raining down.
And – apologies to Howie – it was just really funny and fun! The stakes for Fantasy League were never going to feel as high as a normal season of AGT, considering that it will run for far fewer episodes and only features familiar faces, so a bit of goofiness with the golden buzzer was pretty much perfect. Heidi Klum stealing V. Unbeatable wasn’t the first steal of the spinoff, but I think it’s my favorite. Take a look at the performance that motivated Klum to use her advantage and snag the group from Team Howie:
On the whole, the banter between the judges hits just a little bit different as they battle each other vs. a normal season of AGT or one of the other spinoffs. Simon Cowell had blunt words for Howie Mandel about Drake Milligan early in the new year, and his Spice Girls joke to Mel B was great enough that I’m guilty of a rewind or two.
The extra layer of competition in Fantasy League has been entertaining, and is probably my favorite part of the show. Does that speak well of the actual competition, if my favorite moments are between the judges rather than on stage? Maybe not, but I’ll enjoy the ride, and perhaps revisit some of those moments streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
That ride doesn’t last for too much longer, though. The next episode will include the final performances, followed the week after by the results episode. The stakes aren’t quite as high as the normal AGT for viewers from home, since the winners are determined by the audience in the theatre rather than live voting. Keep tuning in to NBC on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET for the remaining episodes of AGT: Fantasy League!
