‘AGT’ Results: Olivia Befus, Royal Lasers and Luke Taleno Advance to the Semifinals

America’s Got Talent Season 21 has officially sent its first group of contestants through to the Semifinals, following the first live results show of the season on Wednesday night.

The results came one night after 11 acts took the stage for the opening Quarterfinals performance on Tuesday. With the competition now entering its most decisive stage, viewers were given the power to determine which performers deserved another chance to compete for a spot in the Finals.

The episode opened with a performance from NCT 127 before host Terry Crews began revealing the results of America’s vote.

Three Acts Move On to the Semifinals

One contestant already had a guaranteed place in the Finals before the public vote even took place.

During Tuesday night’s Quarterfinals, judge Howie Mandel used his live Golden Buzzer on magic group Hundred Fingers. The act had previously impressed Mandel earlier in the season, and their latest performance once again left him convinced that they belonged among the show’s strongest competitors.

Mandel’s Golden Buzzer sent Hundred Fingers directly to the Season 21 Finals, meaning the remaining 10 acts from the first Quarterfinals night were competing for three available Semifinal spots.

When Wednesday’s results began, five acts were announced as the night’s Top 5: dog trainer Olivia Befus, rapper Luke Taleno, light-up performance group Royal Lasers, comedian Cris Sosa and the Jesse White Tumbling Team.

However, reaching the Top 5 did not guarantee a place in the next round. Only three of those five contestants could ultimately continue their AGT journey.

After the final results were revealed, Olivia Befus, Royal Lasers and Luke Taleno were named the three acts advancing to the Semifinals.

All three will now have another opportunity to perform live and compete for a place in the Season 21 Finals.

Olivia Befus Earns Another Chance With Her Dogs

Olivia Befus proved to be one of the biggest audience favorites of the first Quarterfinals night.

The young dog trainer brought her canine partners back to the AGT stage for a playful, race-car-themed routine filled with tricks and carefully timed movements. Her performance earned praise from all four judges, with Simon Cowell describing it as “absolutely fantastic.”

The combination of Befus’ connection with her dogs and the entertainment value of the routine appeared to resonate strongly with viewers.

Her advancement means audiences will get to see another performance from the talented trainer when the Semifinals begin.

Royal Lasers Continue Their Run

Royal Lasers also secured their place in the next round.

The former backup dancers originally made a major impression during their auditions, where host Terry Crews used his Golden Buzzer on the group. For their Quarterfinal performance, they increased the scale of their production with additional dancers, lasers and special effects.

The performance even included a larger-than-life CGI version of Terry Crews, adding another surprise to an already elaborate show.

Although the judges had mixed reactions about whether the Quarterfinal performance surpassed their audition, the group ultimately received enough support from viewers to continue competing.

Luke Taleno Advances After Another Strong Rap Performance

Rapper Luke Taleno rounded out the three acts moving forward.

Taleno, another Season 21 Golden Buzzer recipient from Howie Mandel, closed Tuesday’s show with an original bilingual rap that had the audience cheering along.

The performance earned particularly strong reactions from the judges. Cowell felt Taleno had improved compared with his audition, while Sofia Vergara predicted that America would “fall in love” with him.

Mandel even compared the young rapper’s potential to one of the biggest names in hip-hop, joking that after the performance he might start spelling Eminem as “L.T.”

The public vote ultimately confirmed that Taleno had connected with viewers as strongly as he had with the judges.

Seven Acts Are Eliminated

While three performers celebrated their advancement, seven acts saw their AGT journey come to an end.

Among those eliminated were Cris Sosa and the Jesse White Tumbling Team, who had both made it into the Top 5 but failed to secure one of the three available Semifinal positions.

The remaining eliminated acts were James & Marina, CommUNITY ATL Choir, Ashford Sanders and Brook Lynn.

The result was particularly notable because none of the three acts advancing from the first Quarterfinals round were traditional singers.

The First Results

Advancing to the Semifinals:

• Olivia Befus
• Royal Lasers
• Luke Taleno

Eliminated:

• Cris Sosa
• Jesse White Tumbling Team
• James & Marina
• CommUNITY ATL Choir
• Ashford Sanders
• Brook Lynn
• Sando

Meanwhile, Hundred Fingers have already secured their place in the Finals through Mandel’s Golden Buzzer.

More Acts Will Compete Next Week

The competition is far from over. Another 11 acts will take the stage next week as America’s Got Talent continues through the Quarterfinals.

Another judge will have the opportunity to use a Golden Buzzer, sending one additional act directly into the next stage, while viewers will once again decide which performers deserve to continue.

With the first three Semifinalists now confirmed, the pressure will only increase as Season 21 moves closer to its live Finals.