PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: Ray Wold, with the assistance of his mother Corinne, did a dangerous act on the 'America's Got Talent' stage, replete with fire. After his performance, many viewers turned to social media to criticize Howie Mandel for buzzing Ray's dangerous act.
Season 18 of the iconic reality series 'AGT' is rapidly approaching its finale. Eleven episodes later, the NBC show has completed its auditions and moved on to the live events that serve as qualifiers. This stage will last several weeks and will be divided into three rounds. The judges have selected 55 contestants of their choice.
Ray Wold gets buzzed again by Howie Mandel on 'AGT'
Ray Wold & Mom were an unexpected hit act, with over 165 million views on their audition clip even though Ray's mother was not initially planned to be his stage partner. Mom Wold took the lead tonight in their dangerous act, which involved maneuvering through a ring of fire and blowing up balloon tours with a flamethrower.
Before their final stunt, Mom set a tub on fire while Ray was immersed within it, and Howie pressed his red X button. Heidi Klum didn't have much to say about the performance other than "it was lit," while Sofia Vergara described them as "the craziest pairing" she's ever seen and called the mom motivating.
Howie justified pushing his buzzer by implying that Ray should not be lighting his mother on fire. Simon Cowell felt the performance was "beautiful" because it was unlike anything else he'd seen.
Howie took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his two cents and explained why he hit the buzzer. He tweeted, "If you love your mom, you don’t set her on fire." One fan replied to him, "I love my mom, would never set her on fire (on television), but that was a good performance."
Another quipped, "Wait there’s a real concern she’ll forget what to do while he’s on fire and throwing knives at her???"
One viewer slammed Howie as they joked, "New rule: if your act contains more than 20 seconds of fire, you don't have an act."
While another user noted, "Ray Wold & Mom do a great job keeping us on the edge of our seats with fire, danger, and love . This performance was LIT!"
One person also wrote, "Howie buzzes #RayWoldAndMom...again. C'mon man, this is a act that aspires 2 do the #Luxor in #LasVegas, knot some juggling act @ the #KernCountyFair whom people encounter walkin' 2 the #BlueOysterCult concert. Yep they're really doin' the fare."
Another wrote, "Can they include Howie in their next act if they go through?"
Ray Wold's 'AGT' act moved to next round during audition
Ray's audition included a blazing knife-throwing routine with the help of his 85-year-old mother Corinne. The act was buzzed by Howie. Despite Howie's vote, Heidi, Sofia, and Simon all voted "Yes," moving him to the next round.
Who is Howie Mandel?
For nearly 30 years, Howie Mandel has been a steady presence in show business. Howie is the executive producer of many series for NBC, including 'Take It All' and 'Howie Do It', 'Deal With It' for TBS, and 'Mobbed' for FOX, through his production business, ALEVY PRODUCTIONS. He is presently a judge on NBC's blockbuster summer talent competition series 'AGT'.
Who is Ray Wold?
Ray performs dangerous acts on 'AGT' Season 18. Ray has been dubbed "the real burning man" and "man on fire", among other things. He appeared in the Cirque du Soleil production.
New episodes of 'America's Got Talent' Season 18 air every Tuesday on NBC at 8 pm ET.
