The first Live Show of America’s Got Talent Season 21 ended with a major decision from Howie Mandel, who used his Live Golden Buzzer to send magic group Hundred Fingers directly to the finale.

The moment came as the competition shifted into the Live Shows, where America’s vote will determine which contestants advance to the semifinals. However, each week, one judge will also have the opportunity to send an act straight to the finals with the Live Golden Buzzer.

For the opening night, that responsibility belonged to Mandel.

Hundred Fingers Gets the First Live Golden Buzzer

Eleven acts competed during the first Live Show: Ashford Sanders, Brook Lynn, Cris Sosa, Hundred Fingers, James & Marina, Jesse White Tumbling Team, Luke Taleno, Olivia Befus, Royal Lasers, Sando and The CommUNITY ATL Choir.

From that group, Mandel selected Hundred Fingers, the Seoul, South Korea-based magic act led by Yu Hojin.

Yu is already familiar to AGT viewers. He previously competed on Season 17, where he reached the Top 11 before finishing in the Bottom 6. He returned for Season 21 with a completely new concept, determined to show that he still had more to offer.

This time, Yu brought together a team of magicians under the name Hundred Fingers.

Yu Hojin Wanted to Create Something New

Yu explained that his goal was to build a magic supergroup unlike anything previously seen on the show.

The act had already impressed Mandel during the auditions, earning his Golden Buzzer and advancing automatically. But Yu and his team were not satisfied with simply reaching the Live Shows.

They wanted to win the entire competition.

The pressure increased once Hundred Fingers reached the Live stage. According to Yu, the group has been rehearsing for 15 hours a day, six days a week as they prepared for their performances.

“We are pushing ourselves to the limit,” Yu said, explaining that redemption was one of the reasons he returned to AGT.

That preparation ultimately paid off when Mandel selected the group for his Live Golden Buzzer.

Howie Mandel Calls It a Million-Dollar Performance

Mandel was visibly impressed by what he saw from Hundred Fingers.

“That’s the best thing I’ve seen. One word, magic,” he said after the performance.

He went on to describe the routine as a performance worthy of the final stage, saying he wanted to press the Golden Buzzer and calling it a “million-dollar performance.”

The Live Golden Buzzer means Hundred Fingers will not have to rely on America’s vote to reach the semifinals. Instead, the group has secured a place directly in the Season 21 finale.

For Yu Hojin, the second Golden Buzzer of the season also represents another step toward the redemption he hoped to achieve when he returned to the competition.

Now, Hundred Fingers has one less hurdle standing between them and their ultimate goal: winning America’s Got Talent.

America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the following day on Peacock.

Source: Compiled from various sources