AGT: Heidi Klum hits Golden Buzzer for singing janitor Richard Goodall (2024)

Heidi Klumhit her Golden Buzzer for a school janitor who sang the Journey hit Don't Stop Believin' on Tuesday's season premiere of America's Got Talent on NBC.

Richard Goodall, 55, from Terre Haute, Indiana, who said he had worked as a janitor at a school, was nervous when he first took the stage.

He said the children at his school encouraged him to try out. When he belted out the song, the audience got up and cheered for him, shocked by his talent.

'So amazing!' Heidi, 50, said.

The crowd sang along and danced while he sang. When he finished, the crowdchanted his name.

'Richard, you are my hero,' Simon Cowell, 64, said. 'Because that was special. Genuinely special. I think America is going to love you.'

'That was spectacular,' Sofia Vergara, 51, said. 'I think you were perfect for coming to AGT because you made our night.'

'Richard, Richard, Richard, you knocked me off my feet,' Heidi said. 'I mean we all had the best time with you up there on that stage. I really, really feel something when I see you up there and hear you up there. And now this is what I'm going to do for you because I love you.'

Heidi hit her golden buzzer and golden confetti rained down around Richard as the crowd cheered. Richard started crying and Heidi went to the stage and hugged him.

'It was amazing!' Heidi said. ' 'I can't wait to see what you are going to sing next.'

'I've never even been on a plane,' Richard said crying. 'This was not on my radar to come to California. It's just a dream come true.'

Richard called his fiancée backstage crying.

The two-hour season 19 premiere came with a new twist that gave each one of the judges two golden buzzers.

The auditions kicked off with Los Osos High School student dancers from Rancho Cucamonga, California. The audience that included their principal cheered for them. After taking over the stage, the dancers spread out into the audience.

'It was perfect,' Sofia said when they finished. 'I love how you guys kept multiplying and multiplying.'

Heidi said she felt that they needed to up their choreography.

Simon said he disagreed.

'It was brilliant,' Simon said.

The judges voted them on and some of the teens started crying.

Next, Duane took the stage along with his two-year-old son Devon. Duane said his son would be doing some math equations. Duane wrote down 7 x 9 and Duane said that it was 63 and also got other math equations correct. Devon danced around on stage.

'Devon will you help me negotiate my next deal?' Simon said.

'Yes!' Devon said.

'This is the youngest person we have ever had,' Simon said.

Devon got four yes votes.

'I now I feel really stupid,' Simon said.

'Compared to him we are all idiots,' Howie said.

Sam 'Crazy Sam' Huang, 23, from Taiwan went next. He went down to the judges and removed his own fingers and then put them back on. He also made a ring jump from finger to finger.

'Crazy Sam, that was crazy,' Sofia said.

'Crazy finger Sam, we have never seen anything close to that,' Howie said.

He got four yes votes.

Amy brought out her chunky Basset Hound dog Daisy May. Amy said her dog loved to perform. Amy had the dog run through an agility course. Then Amy tried to get her bloodhound Clifford to do the same course, but he didn't complete it.

'It's a no for me,' Simon said.

Simon then ran to the stage and told the dog he was sorry.

Learnmore Jonasi, a stand-up comedian from Zimbabwe, took the stage. He told Terry backstage that he was excited to meet him. He also said that learned to speak English from watching standup comics.

He joked how in his country if they wanted to see someone's photos that you had to go to their house and like them in person. He also said he had never seen a poor white person before he came to America.

'This white guy was like ''can I have a dollar'' and I was like ''I came here to ask you for a dollar'',' Learnmore said.

The judges and the audience gave him a standing ovation.

'You are truly amazing,' Howie said.

'I actually think you're one of the funniest people we've ever had over the years,' Simon said. 'You've got it! I was laughing so much.'

Just when the judges were about to vote, Terry rushed out and told them to hold up.

'Learnmore, you were backstage and you were telling me that you were taking 14-hour bus trips to go perform for five minutes,' Terry said. 'And then having to take 14-hour bus trips back home. Brother, you will never have to go back home again because you are here with us forever!'

Terry then hit his Golden Buzzer and the golden confetti fell down around Learnmore. Learnmore was shocked. Terry came to the stage and hugged him.

'Learnmore you are going straight to the live show, my brother,' Terry said.

'Is this a dream,' Learnmore said.

Learnmore picked up a handful of gold confetti to take with him.

Ashlee Rose Monague, 33, a ballerina went next. Simon told Sofia that he hated the ballet.

'I went to one once and I lasted about two minutes,' Simon said.

She climbed to the top of a ladder and then stood on her toes and walked across a row of bottles. Ashlee broke down crying when she finished.

'You did it!' Terry said.

'It was very, very intense,' Sofia said. 'You kept going and it was great.'

'That is one of the most difficult acts I've seen for a long, long, long time,' Simon said.

Ashlee got four yes votes.

Country singer Reyna Roberts, 26, originally from Alaska, went next. She sang an original song called Raised Right.

'I am so thrilled, beyond thrilled, you came on the show,' Simon said. 'That's why I'm going to give you your first yes.'

The judges except for Howie voted her on.

'I get this feeling occasionally about people and I've got this feeling about you,' Simon said to Reyna backstage.

Arshiya Sharma, 13, from India, took the stage. She said she was a dancer but wanted to do something different. She put on scary makeup and did crazy contortionist moves that freaked the audience out.

'I have two daughters and two granddaughters and this is the scariest most horrific dance recital I've ever been to,' Howie quipped.

She got four yes votes.

Chris Ivan, 28, from Portland, Oregon, brought out 17 friends and had them take off their shirts. It was announced that Chris was trying to break his own Guinness book record for the most humans hit with plungers in one minute. He then flew plungers at his friends, but most of them didn't stick and Sofia, Heidi, Howie and then Simon hit their buzzers.

'You are super bad at this,' Sofia said.

Tonikaku, of Japan, came out wearing only a speedo.

He then did 'naked' looking poses and kept saying 'don't worry I'm wearing pants.' Simon laughed the whole time.

'I loved it!' Heidi said.

The judges voted him on.

America's Got Talent will return next Tuesday on NBC.