Ever since Tom Sandoval and his band made a surprise appearance in the America's Got Talent Season 20 Auditions — and moved on to the next round — fans have been waiting to see how the polarizing reality star would fare in the Live Shows.
On August 20, AGT fans got their answer, and it involved an X being thrown mid-performance by a famously critical Judge.
Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras definitely brought extra energy during their Quarterfinals performance, delivering a spirited rendition of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights." Sandoval kicked off the song by playing its familiar opening melody on the trumpet and never looked back, frequently busting out impromptu dance moves as he sang every word with conviction.
Simon Cowell gets honest about Tom Sandoval's Quarterfinals performance
Sandoval and his band had the live AGT audience dancing in their seats, but for Simon Cowell, it just wasn't enough.
The longtime Judge smashed his "X" buzzer during one of Sandoval's mid-song dance numbers and seemed disinterested in watching the rest of the performance from that point forward.
When the dust settled, the audience gave Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras a rousing ovation, but Host Terry Crews could tell that Cowell had something on his mind.
"Simon, you are not feeling this," Crews said immediately after the performance.
"Well, I like Tom, and I like the band, however, you're judging this performance — it didn't sound great. It didn't," Cowell said to scattered boos from the audience. "Look, it might just be me from where I sat, but that did not sound good, I'm afraid. It didn't."
Cowell wasn't the only Judge to feel this way.
"The sound was not amazing," Sofia Vergara confessed, although she did add that she enjoyed Sandoval's dancing. At this point, it was clear that Sandoval did not live up to his impressive Audition, at least not vocally.
Tom Sandoval cites technical difficulties during his Quarterfinal performance
When Crews asked Sandoval what he thought, the 43-year-old didn't mince his words, blaming an earpiece malfunction for what was ultimately an underwhelming vocal performance.
"I feel great, [but] right before I went on, my inner-ears kinda went out, so I was kinda flying in the dark there-"
"Don't make excuses!" Mel B could be heard saying from the Judges' table, even though her microphone was off.
"I'm not, I'm not!" Sandoval said before regaining his composure. "But I had a blast, I had a blast being here."
Ultimately, it was an up-and-down performance, and America's vote the following night revealed the band's fate: They were among the seven Acts eliminated from the competition.
So, while Sandoval's road to redemption ended in the first round of the Quarterfinals, the Live Shows will roll on with another new two-hour episode scheduled for Tuesday, August 26 — AGT fans won't want to miss a second of the action.
