Simon Cowell Slams Mentalist Duo During America’s Got Talent Live Shows

Simon Cowell did not hold back during the first live night of America’s Got Talent, calling out a mentalist duo after their performance failed to keep him engaged.

The first round of the quarterfinals took place Tuesday night, with 11 acts performing in front of Cowell, Mel B, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. Viewers will ultimately decide which performers advance.

Among the night’s more controversial performances was that of James & Marina, a mentalist duo whose elaborate routine left the judges divided.

Marina began by drawing a portrait of a pet that an audience member had loved as a child. The catch was that the canvas was hidden from the audience while she worked.

But the routine took too long for Cowell.

At one point, Marina attempted to pick up the pace by asking the audience member to name the dog. She then revealed that the dog’s name had already been written at the bottom of her drawing.

The duo continued with another reveal involving a randomly selected audience member, who was asked to name her favorite judge. She chose Mel B, before James & Marina unveiled a completed portrait of all four judges.

Still, Cowell was not convinced.

Simon Cowell hits the red buzzer

Howie Mandel was also unimpressed, describing the performance as technically good but excessively long.

“Your magic is good,” Mandel told the pair, before criticizing the presentation for being too slow and boring.

The audience booed Mandel, who then explained that he had actually asked Cowell for permission to hit his red buzzer during the performance.

According to Mandel, Cowell had told him not to.

When host Terry Crews asked Cowell about the exchange, the longtime judge explained why he ultimately agreed with the decision not to use the buzzer.

Cowell admitted that the performance had caused the judges to lose focus.

“The problem is we were distracted and bored,” he said, emphasizing that this was particularly damaging during a live show.

Cowell’s blunt assessment also drew boos from the audience.

Mel B comes to James & Marina’s defense

While Cowell and Mandel criticized the act, Mel B strongly disagreed.

Having unexpectedly become part of the performance herself, the former Spice Girl defended the duo and praised what they had accomplished.

She particularly liked the portrait featuring the judges, pointing out that Marina had managed to recreate the way Mel B had styled her hair that night—even though she had only decided on the hairstyle about 30 minutes earlier.

For Mel B, that detail made the performance especially impressive.

Sofia Vergara has mixed feelings

Sofia Vergara took a middle position.

The Modern Family star admitted that she found James & Marina’s act mysterious and interesting, but agreed with the criticism that parts of it moved too slowly.

Vergara also said she preferred the duo’s earlier audition and suggested that the pair should have opened their live performance with the completed portrait rather than saving it for the end.

Eleven acts compete for the next round

James & Marina were among 11 acts competing during the first quarterfinal night.

Howie Mandel also had a Golden Buzzer to award and used it on magic group Hundred Fingers, sending them through automatically.

Three additional performers from Tuesday’s show will advance based on viewer voting. Fans were able to vote online or through the show’s mobile app until Wednesday morning.

The results will be revealed Wednesday night on NBC, when viewers will find out which acts survived the first round of America’s Got Talent live competition.