If you’ve ever doubted that “America’s Got Talent” is really making a live score, look no further than Wednesday’s episode.

In addition to a shocking elimination, as the 11 acts that performed on Tuesday found out which ones would advance to the finals to face saxophonist Avery Dixon and country singer Drake Milligan, a former contestant returned for a magical act that only seemed not go according to plan.

And Judge Heidi Klum could be to blame.

Jon Dorenbos, a football player-turned-magician who was a finalist on “AGT” in 2016, returned for a display of magic, asking Klum and fellow judges Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara and Howie Mandel to each choose a random number in a box. . There was some kerfuffle as the judges each dug into the box for their numbers.

At the end of the act, Dorenbos revealed that each number drawn by the judges corresponded to a number hidden inside four lockers on stage. The numbers were eight, 17, 20, and 22, referring to August 17, 2022, the date of the episode.

Except Klum, who was supposed to have the 20, revealed that she actually had an 8 instead. (Cowell had the other 8.)

Oh oh.

Despite the apparent hiccups, Dorenbos kept his composure.

“I thought you were going to pick 20, but that’s okay,” he said. “Sometimes in life it’s nice to be next to one, because guess what? Every time I step on stage, I feel like a rock star.”

Top 5 unveiled

Singer Wyn Starks and outfield couple Duo Rings were the first to know their fate. Eventually, the high-flying couple prevailed.

Then Freckled Zelda and 12-year-old Madison Taylor Baez, aka Maddie, stepped into the spotlight. Maddie succeeded.

“I love you. I’m happy. You deserve it, but everyone was great last night,” Mandel, who hit the Golden Buzzer for Maddie after her audition, told the young singer. “America has gotten it right so far.”

Next, the dance group Fusion Japan and the impressionist group The Brown Brothers faced off. In a shocking twist, Fusion Japan did not make the Top 5 even though it earned praise after rave reviews from the judges.

Then it was the turn of a trio: the magician Yu Hojin and the comedians Aiko Tanaka and Mr. Pants. The magician has earned a place in the Top 5.

‘AGT’: Golden Buzzers Chapel Hart12-year-old Maddie faces off in ‘most competitive episode’

Finally, country trio Chapel Hart, who won a collective Golden Buzzer from judges and host Terry Crews, and The Pack Drumline, who Cowell said delivered one of the best acts of the night on Tuesday, learned which of them had won the last place in the Top 5.

It was Chapel Hart.

“Right now I feel really happy and I feel really unhappy. I’m not going to lie,” Cowell said of the results. “I will say, especially to the act that just left the stage, never give up on your dream, because it was an amazing performance last night. And at Chapel Hart, you deserve to be here.”

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Which two made the final?

The bottom three went to Yu Hojin, Maddie, and Chapel Hart.

“I’m a little sad because I was a really big Duo Rings fan, but I think all three of you deserve to be at this stage of the competition here,” Vergara said.

But which ones made the final?

The first act to make the finale was Chapel Hart.

“Well deserved, girls,” Klum said. “You sang your way into the heart of America.”

With only Yu Hojin and Madde remaining, it seemed certain that Maddie, having earned a Golden Buzzer, would clinch the final spot. The crowd even chanted his name as Crews paused dramatically before revealing who did it.

But Yu Hojin must have had one last trick up his sleeve, as it was his name that Crews called out.

The quarter-finals continue, with 11 more acts on stage next week.

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