Illusionists charm “America's Got Talent” judges — minus Simon Cowell — with dangerous act and Spice Girls T-shirt

Raechal ShewfeltWed, June 17, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC

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'America's Got Talent' act Young and StrangeCredit: Chris Haston/NBCKey Points -

Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent featured illusionists Young and Strange.

Young climbed into a box, which Strange then stabbed repeatedly, prompting groans from the audience.

Strange, whose favorite Spice Girl was judge Mel B, emerged from the box wearing the girl group's T-shirt.

A Spice Girls T-shirt can really earn a contestant some love onAmerica's Got Talent.

Illusionists Young and Strange, a magic duo featuring Sam Strange and Richard Young, learned this firsthand on Tuesday's show after they performed for a panel of judges including Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and, crucially, Mel B.

The former Scary Spice is the favorite Spice Girl of Young, which figured into the end of their act.

"We take every gig that is offered to us," Young explained. "But we have a dream and that is we want a Vegas show."

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Cowell told Young that he "looks like that actor."

The contestant replied, "Jonah Hill, yes, I get that a lot."

'AGT' judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell with host Terry CrewsCredit: Chris Haston/NBC

Strange teased Cowell by saying that anytime he felt uncomfortable by the trick they were about to perform near the judges' panel, he should hit the large gold buzzer — the all-important Golden Buzzer judges can use to send an act straight ahead in the competition. Strange joked that it was the "golden emergency stop button."

Finally, the act. Young climbed into a cardboard box, while Strange stabbed it with sharpened sticks that went in one end and came out the other side. The audience groaned, while Vergara and Mel B screamed for Strange to stop jabbing at his partner through the box.

'America's Got Talent' illusionists Young and StrangeCredit: Chris Haston/NBC

So we knew Young remained inside, he moved the box every few minutes. After multiple stabs, he held up a white flag.

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When the box opened, Young was wearing a Spice Girls T-shirt and holding two glasses of bubbly, which Strange had promised to serve if the trick worked.

"I loved it," Vergara gushed. She said the two were "so funny" and produced "magic, for sure." It was "the perfect audition."

Mel B had been on board throughout, but she raved that the performance had been "crazy magic!"

For Mandel, the act was something he could see people paying to watch in Las Vegas.

Then Cowell put a damper on things. "Well, I'm not jumping out of my chair like you," he told the others, amid boos from the audience.

Young and Strange on 'AGT'Credit: Chris Haston/NBC

That's when Cowell took a vote. After the three other judges voted "yes," Cowell gave them a thumbs up. His X was lit up red, as it is when he shuts down a performance, but only because the contestants had accidentally hit it with the placement of their box.

When Young and Strange left the stage, Cowell told the other judges that he had found them "a bit annoying,"

Not the others, especially Mel B, who said she had considered pressing the Golden Buzzer.

America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and can be streamed the next day on Peacock.

on Entertainment Weekly

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