The Britain’s Got Talent 2018 judges backed fantasy illusionists, ‘alien’ dancers and a comedy magician in the latest auditions – while Simon Cowell hit the Golden Buzzer.
Tonight the ITV variety contest aired its third round of try-outs as Simon, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams search for an act fit for the Royal Family.
This week they were charmed by ten-year-old ballroom dancers, a Ratpack tribute act and a musical father-and-son duo.
However, they also had to endure a ‘throat singer’, a cringeworthy comedian and a tribal twist on belly dancing.
Meanwhile, one lucky act was sent straight to the live shows when Simon awarded them his Golden Buzzer, leaving three of the coveted spots up for grabs.
Find out who made it on to the judges’ shortlist below…
The Yesses
Amy Marie Borg (4 yesses) – Amy had a case of the jitters as she took to the stage, scoring her nerves at 9 on a 1-10 scale. Nonetheless, the 16-year-old, who hails from Malta, powered through her performance of Nella Fantasia, showing off her operatic voice. “You mugged me, didn’t you?” pondered Simon. “We didn’t think you’d be able to talk, let alone sing, and you genuinely filled the room. It was glorious.” David said she was “like watching a caterpillar turn in to a butterfly”.
Lexie and Christopher (4 yesses) – 10-year-old ballroom dancers Lexie and Christopher apparently became a duo after meeting on “a website”. They performed to Meghan Trainor’s “My Future Husband” because Lexie claimed Christopher is her future husband, a prospect that seemed to horrify him. Their routine earned a standing ovation, with Alesha praising their “charm and charisma”. “Both of you together are just fascinating to watch, I think you’re little superstars,” she said.
Magus Utopia (4 yesses) – Led by Marcel Kalisvaart, who turned his “crazy hobby” of magic in to his passion, this Dutch illusion group stunned the theatre with a terrifying trick. Marcel was sealed in a blacked out cage, which had spears driven through it and went up in flames – only for him to wake up in bed moments later as if it had all been a dream. “It felt so twisted, dark and surreal, I loved it,” commented Amanda. “I am thrilled that you chose BGT to show this. It’s really good,” added Simon.
The Ratpackers (4 yesses) – 51-year-old Dennis and 22-year-old Marvin are “brothers from another mother” who, as you might guess from their name, have a shared interest in The Ratpack. In Alesha’s words, they brought a “lovely, gorgeous” energy to the theatre as they sang New York, New York. “You’re just brilliant, I want to see you in the final,” gushed Amanda. “You’re very feel-good. When you’re in a theatre and 3,000 people want you to do well, it means you’re winning,” Simon told them.
Baba Yega (4 yesses) – This Belgian dance group began their audition by inviting Ant and Dec on stage to open a giant cardboard box, revealing one of their members inside. The judges were wowed by their slick moves, but equally as freaked out by their strange alien costumes. Alesha described them as “unique, original, different”, while Simon was most excited to have extraterrestrial beings on the show, saying: “Aliens have never won the show before, and we welcome you to Britain’s Got Talent.”
Mandy Muden (4 yesses) – A full-time entertainer whose family have no idea what she does, Mandy left the audience in stitches with her comedy magic. She drew what the judges were thinking of on a flipchart, with hilarious results. Amanda picked the four of clubs out of a deck of cards, but Mandy had only sketched three – so she produced a real spade to make up for it. “I don’t get why you’re not already a comedy superstar,” said David. “It’s full of variety. I think everybody’s gonna love you,” grinned Amanda.
The Nos
Bat-Erdene Nyamdavaa (1 yes, 3 nos) – Bat says he’s sung for fifteen years and performed for audiences of 2,000 people. However, his hope that BGT would propel him to worldwide stardom was dashed when the judges struggled to swallow his ‘throat singing’. Oddly, Simon supported Bat, suggesting “there might be an audience for this somewhere”, but he was sent packing with three nos. “Maybe you could do The X Factor?” suggested Alesha.
Martin Westgate (4 nos) – Retail worker and wannabe comedian Martin started well by taking the mickey out of David, but the rest of his jokes failed to land with the audience. After one particularly groanworthy gag about catching ‘Stockholm syndrome’ during a trip to Sweden, the judges hit their buzzers one-by-one. “I was so rooting for you!” exclaimed the Little Britain star. “It’s never a good sign when people are laughing because the joke’s so bad,” added Alesha.
Jadoo’s Jingles (4 nos) – A seven-piece group from Berkshire, Jadoo’s Jingles bring an American tribal-style twist to belly dancing. While a performance involving swords and hand-clappers sounds like it should be exciting, it didn’t seem to go anywhere and the panel quickly lost interest. “Sorry, I was losing the will to live,” sniped David. “A little bit of an anti-climax,” added Simon.
Jon Davison (4 nos) – Jon hoped he’d make it to the Royal Variety Performance with his old variety act. Alesha was bemused as he shuffled around with a third leg, wondering: “That can’t be the only thing he’s doing?” Unfortunately, it was, and the judges soon lit up the red X’s. “I think you just need more legs,” joked David. “That was horrendous,” sighed Amanda.
Humanimals (1 yes, 3 nos) – London dance twosome Alex and Kate dressed up as realistic animal characters for their act. While their body paint was impressive, the judges weren’t all pleased by their moves as both Alesha and David buzzed them off.
The Golden Buzzer
Tim and Jack Goodacre (Simon’s Golden Buzzer) – Tim and Jack are a father and son from a musical family, who have “always wanted” to do something like BGT together. 12-year-old Jack was cautious about Simon, but noted: “He has children now, so he might have a little sympathy”. They performed ‘The Lucky Ones’, an original song they’d written together about how they’re “lucky to have what we have”.
The audience got on their feet in applause, and it turned out there was no need for Jack to worry, as Simon quickly pressed the Golden Buzzer. Joining them on stage amid a shower of confetti, the music mogul commented: “You are special. That was fantastic. I love that song, it reminded me of me and my boy. Just magic.” Alesha claimed they’re “by far the coolest father and son act we’ve ever had”.
Therefore, Tim and Jack are now guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals alongside Ant and Dec’s Golden Buzzer pick, Marc Spelmann.
Who impressed you the most this week? Give your favourite a vote in our poll below!
Britain’s Got Talent 2018 continues next Saturday night on ITV with the latest auditions.
Don’t forget to switch over to ITV2 immediately afterwards for Britain’s Got More Talent with Stephen Mulhern.
The Britain’s Got Talent live shows are due to air next month.
