Even a captivating performance couldn’t harmonize the “America’s Got Talent” judges.
During the third round of live shows on Tuesday night, singer Summer Rios delivered a soaring rendition of the Zoe Wees ballad “Control,” but it left the judges divided. Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel praised Rios’ stage presence but found the performance a bit overproduced.
Cowell commented, “There was a kind of rawness to your audition, which I think we lost tonight. Everything to me felt a little bit overproduced. I didn’t love the song, but I really, really like you.” Cowell’s critique drew boos from the studio audience, and Sofia Vergara scolded him, saying, “You’re the Grinch tonight.”
On the other hand, Vergara and Heidi Klum were staunch supporters of Rios. Klum told the singer, “This is a really, really big song, and you’re such a young delicate lady, and I feel like you really nailed it. So, don’t listen to all this negativity.”
In addition to Rios’ performance, other notable moments from Tuesday’s episode included the Mzansi Youth Choir’s impressive rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere,” which earned praise from all judges, even from Mandel, who admitted he wasn’t typically a fan of choral music. Putri Ariani, the Indonesian singer-songwriter who received Cowell’s Golden Buzzer earlier in the season, wowed the judges with her acoustic version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” earning a standing ovation.
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