'America's Got Talent' Fans Blast Latest 'All Stars' Episode

The latest episode of America's Got Talent: All-Stars was a massive let-down for some fans. The talent contest promised a "new episode" on Monday, but it didn't feature any new performances or advance the competition at all. Instead, it showed the judges revisiting some of the biggest performances of the year so far in preparation for the finals next week.

America's Got Talent is not shy about stretching out the drama where it can, but Monday's episodes took it too far for some fans. As the episode got underway, more than a few commenters hopped on social media to complain that this was essentially just a "recap." The show's busy hashtag quickly filled with complaints, and fans informed those who couldn't watch live that this episode was "skippable." Some even complained that they had rearranged their schedules to catch this episode, and now they felt cheated.

"Looks like this [AGT: All-Stars] episode is skippable. Finals preview? I didn't rush home just for a preview for the finals," one person tweeted. Another person wrote: "This truly was the finale preview ever. Even if it was a glorified clip show that was hard for me to tweet about for two hours," while a third added: "Oh boo this ain't new I hate recaps meh oh well until next week then."

Of course, the feeling wasn't entirely universal. Many fans were pleased by this condensed, dramatized recap, especially if their favorite performer was still in the game. Considering that this series focuses on previous contestants, many fans appreciated the chance to revisit their performances from past seasons and see how they've progressed. Critics pointed out that clips from previous seasons have been showing all along.

AGT: All-Stars premiered on Jan. 2, 2023, as a spinoff of the main series, though it also features host Terry Crews and the same panel of judges – Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell. It features 10 performers from the show's history competing yet again to see who is the most popular talent in the U.S. The show has aired every Monday since its premiere so far, and the finals are scheduled to begin next week.

The remaining contestants on the series are aerialist Aidan Bryant, magician Aidan McCann, ventriloquist Ana-Maria Mărgean, saxophonist Avery Dixon, acrobatics group the Bello Sisters, the Detroit Youth Choir, singer Kodi Lee, dance group the Light Balance Kids, stand-up comic Mike E. Winfield, dance group the Power Duo and singer Tom Ball. America's Got Talent: All-Stars premieres on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.