“Epic performance”-America’s Got Talent judge Heidi Klum praises Richard Goodall’s rendition of Eye of the Tiger

America’s Got Talent season 19 aired its semifinal episode on September 11, 2024. During the semifinals, 11 contestants performed, and only six of them advanced to join the four golden buzzer winners in the finals.

One of the America’s Got Talent season 19 semi-finalists was Richard Goodall. The 55-year-old hails from a modest background and works as a school janitor. He rose to fame with his singing and quickly became the fan favorite to win the show.

Goodall performed a rendition of Eye of the Tiger in the semifinals. He brought the crowd to their feet and impressed judge Heidi Klum. She was genuinely surprised and loved his performance, calling it an "epic performance."

"Are you kidding me right now? I mean really are you kidding me right now? Epic performance... epic performance", Heidi said.

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Richard Goodall’s America’s Got Talent semifinal performance

Richard Goodall delivered an energetic performance with his cover of Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. Richard received a standing ovation from judge Heidi Klum.

Klum was amazed by Richard's quarterfinal performance when he sang How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, which he dedicated to his fiancée. In the semifinal episode of the reality show, Klum said that she thought Richard wouldn't be able to top his last performance. Furthermore, she asked America to vote for Goodall and take him to the finale. Heidi said:

"Honestly, I thought that you could not top last time, but you did it, you topped it, you topped it, topped it, topped it... America please you have to vote for Richard."

AGT season 19 Judge Simon Cowell was "caught up in the moment" when host Terry Crews asked for his reaction. He was taken by surprise by Richard's song choice and mentioned that Eye of the Tiger was the last song he expected the singer to perform.

However, Cowell praised him and compared the underdog theme of the song to Richard's journey on the show. Cowell references him coming from a humble background as a janitor and becoming a fan favorite. The AGT judge further added that he felt that Richard "got to the top of the steps."

“It was the last song in the world I expected you to sing. But it doesn’t matter because people love you. There’s something ironic about the fact that you’ve chosen a real underdog song, and you are like the underdog in a way – in a really positive way. And it was like you just got to the top of the steps, and I love that,” Simon Cowell said

Judge Sofia Vergara said she loved that Richard picked "such an iconic song."

"I love that you pick such an iconic song. The people love you. I mean it was amazing. I'm so happy for you. Enjoy this.", Vergara said.

Finally, Judge Howie Mandel felt very pumped about the performance. He told Richard he had the biggest heart in the America’s Got Talent competition.

"I'm very pumped... I think I'm as pumped but not as big as the heart this guy have. You have the biggest heart in this whole competition. We feel the love and we love you," Howie said.

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America’s Got Talent season 19 is currently airing on NBC.