Fans tuning in to the July 14 episode of Americas’s Got Talent Season 21 saw an Act do something that, quite frankly, had never been seen before, and for good reason: It required the outright theft and destruction of the Judges’ personal belongings!
There’s no way that Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofía Vergara, or Simon Cowell could’ve predicted what would happen when magician Joel M took the stage during an unforgettable Auditions episode. After bonding with Vergara over their respective accents — Joel M, whose full last name is Mawhinney, hails from Northern Ireland — the magician called attention to a mysterious black box hanging high overhead.
“There’s something inside that box that one of you guys is gonna really want later on,” he explained.
What followed was one of the most impressive — and longest — magic tricks ever performed on an AGT stage. We’re recapping one of the most memorable America’s Got Talent Auditions from Night 6, below.
Magician Joel M stuns with a never-before-seen magic trick on AGT
After approaching the Judges’ desk — and a few clever warm-up tricks — Joel M revealed that he would need to get his hands on some of their personal belongings in order to proceed, starting with Mandel’s cell phone, which the Deal or No Deal alum cautiously handed over.
Things got even more chaotic when the magician left the studio entirely and wandered backstage into the Judges’ dressing rooms, where he collected things that were near and dear to the hearts of each Judge. Joel M collected a framed photo of Vergara’s dog, Amore (who made yet another adorable AGT cameo) and a bracelet Mel B was given by the Spice Girls for her 50th birthday.
With those three items in his possession, Joel M did what any magician would do: He placed everything in a bag and smashed them all with a hammer!
The Judges’ shocked faces said it all. “Why did you give him your phone?” Vergara asked Mandel, who responded with a terse “because he asked me to!”
Upon returning to the stage, Joel M reminded everyone of the theme of his Act: “Everything that disappears must reappear.”
And sure enough, the confident magician did right by the Judges, much to their surprise. The black box hanging above the stage was actually holding Mandel’s phone in pristine condition!
“Howie, one question for you,” Joel M said while handing the phone to the Judge. “Is that your phone?”
The longtime AGT Judge stared at it in disbelief. “It is,” he said while running his hands over the phone to be certain.
Mandel wasn’t the only one to have his personal belongings safely returned. Joel M revealed that Vergara’s portrait of Amore was, somehow, stuffed into the seat cushion she was sitting on, and Mel B’s necklace was found inside one of the Judge’s trademark red buttons, which he also smashed open with a hammer. It was jaw-dropping in the best way, and one of the wildest magic tricks ever performed on the show.
But was it enough to propel Joel M into the next round of competition?
Joel M received constructive feedback on the length of his Act
It wasn’t a Golden Buzzer performance — in fact, when the Judges began deliberating, Joel M really seemed like he was in danger of not moving forward to the next round.
Although he gave compliments on the entire presentation, Mandel ultimately called the Act “too long” and revealed he doesn’t have the attention span for such a time-intensive magic trick.
Cowell agreed. “That did take a long time,” he explained. “I mean, you can’t do that on a Live Show.”
Nevertheless, despite those critiques, Joel M received three Yes votes in the end (“I love you and I’m saying yes,” Mel B told him) — and that’s all that matters. Joel M will take his unique brand of magic into the Live Shows, where hopefully he can tweak his Act to operate in a more succinct time frame.
Watch new episodes of America’s Got Talent on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, and streaming the next day on Peacock.