Spoilers ahead for the August 29 live episode of America’s Got Talent Season 18.
While the next Super Bowl is still months away in 2024, the question of the star who will headline the halftime show is already on plenty of minds. After Taylor Swift was recently debunked as the person who could take the stage for the event, the latest live episode of America’s Got Talent inspired judge Simon Cowell to pitch an idea of his own. According to Cowell, a certain golden buzzer-winning group from AGT Season 18 would be a great fit!
The first act to take the stage in the latest AGT live show was also the one that got Simon Cowell thinking about the Super Bowl. Golden buzzer winners Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy found a way to elevate their performance above what they did in their audition, despite my concern that they wouldn’t be able to outdo themselves, and they incorporated participation from the judges this time.
When the time came for the judging, Heidi Klum was full of praise and said that she hoped an artist like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé – with the former on her Eras tour and the latter on her Renaissance tour – was watching because this group “should be part of it… I see you up on that stage too.” Simon Cowell was thinking along the same lines, saying:
You know what? First of all, the energy was just unbelievable. I say this as a compliment – it was so brilliantly messy. A kind of a group like this needs to be messy, but I always think with a group it needs a great idea and it needs talented people. And what I just saw there is everything. It was a great idea. They’re talented. Heidi’s right. I could see this – I’m not exaggerating – I could see you with someone on the Super Bowl doing something like this. Seriously! Someone should just get on the phone and say ‘Come and join me.’ Because you’re that good, and I really mean that. Brilliant.
Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy may not be called up to join Taylor Swift or Beyoncé on their current world tours, but Simon Cowell’s suggestion of the Super Bowl actually isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The halftime show is always larger than life (and can overshadow the actual game of the Super Bowl), and it’s not hard to imagine this group having a part to play! In case you missed their live performance (or just want to watch it again), check it out:
Whether or not Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy advance to the finals, they were very big hits in their second appearance on the AGT stage! Plus, it’s not unprecedented for dance groups to go on from this NBC show to join forces with superstars. The Mayyas, who were the Season 17 champions after a close vote, danced with Beyoncé during a performance in Dubai. Why not the Super Bowl for Chioma and Co. after Season 18?
For now, the fate of Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy lies in the hands of America’s Got Talent voters. Voting for the latest episode of qualifiers is currently open and will remain open until Wednesday, August 30 at 7 a.m. ET on the AGT vote website and the AGT app. You can also revisit earlier episodes of Season 18 streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
The group’s odds of advancing seem pretty solid, since golden buzzer winners historically go very far on America’s Got Talent, but only two of the eleven acts of the night will advance, and they’ll need all the votes they can get.