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A comedian dressed as Howie Mandel leaves the America’s Got Talent judges divided after Mel B buzzes the act before it even begins
NEED TO KNOW
- A Howie Mandel impersonator performed a comedy routine during the final night of America’s Got Talent auditions
- The act divided the judges, with Mel B hitting all four red buzzers before it began
- Despite Mandel’s support, the impersonator failed to advance after receiving three no votes from the panel
The America’s Got Talent judges were left divided when a Howie Mandel impersonator took the stage on the final night of auditions.
The performer arrived dressed as Mandel and introduced himself as “Howard Michaelando,” prompting Simon Cowell to immediately question the unusual act.
“My first question is, why?” Cowell asked.
After the impersonator explained his love of comedy, Melanie “Mel B” Brown made it clear that she was already unsettled by what she was seeing.
“This is disturbing,” host Terry Crews said from the sidelines, echoing Mel B’s reaction.
Before the act could properly begin, Mel B reached across the judges’ table and hit all four red buzzers. The audience immediately protested and pleaded with the panel to give the performer a chance to continue.
Once he was allowed to begin, the impersonator fully committed to his Mandel-inspired routine and claimed that his comedy credentials spoke for themselves.
“Do I think I’m funny?” he asked. “I think a 50-year career would say yes. I think I’m funny.”
He followed with a series of jokes inspired by Mandel’s career and name.
“For lunch today, I couldn’t decide if I wanted a pickle with my sandwich or not,” he said. “I was like, ‘Deal or no dill?’”
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The joke referenced Mandel’s longtime hosting role on the reality competition show Deal or No Deal, but it did little to win over the judges.
The impersonator continued with another pun, adding, “If I was on a farm, I’d be Cowie Mandel.”
Mandel appeared amused by the tribute, but the rest of the panel was considerably less enthusiastic.
“That was not good,” Mel B said before asking the audience, “Did anybody laugh?”
As Vergara began explaining that the judges had already seen “so many amazing contestants,” Mel B interjected, “You don’t have to justify yourself for it being that bad.”
As the audition came to an end, Cowell admitted he was unsure what to make of the performance.
“Where this goes, I have no idea,” he said. “I think we’re just gonna go straight to the vote.”
Mel B quickly delivered her verdict.
“No,” she said.
Vergara and Cowell also voted no, leaving the impersonator without enough support from the judges to advance.
Despite the negative reception from much of the panel, the performer remained enthusiastic as he exited the stage.
“That’s fair,” he said. “Good night.”
As the performer left the stage, Mandel shouted, “I love you.”
The unusual performance came during the final night of auditions, as the judges prepared to decide which performers would move forward to the Live Shows.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
Read the original article on People
