'America's Got Talent' Viewers Loving Judges' Socially-Distanced Entrances

The latest episode of America's Got Talent got off to a roaring start. Since the show is filming amidst the coronavirus pandemic, they made sure to take extra precautions when the judges returned to the set to film the Judges' Cut episode. So, instead of returning to their usual studio, the judges — Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell — each drove in separately to watch the remaining acts in a drive-in movie theater set-up. From the judges' personalized cars to the brand-new AGT set, fans were all about the changes.

At the top of the episode, Vergara, Klum, Cowell, and Mandel each pulled up to the location in cars that represented them. Mandel's car, which featured a chicken on it, was a major talking point amongst fans online, many of whom said that they want to get their hands on the judge's vehicle. In an interview with USA Today, Jenny Groom, NBC's executive vice president of alternative programming, explained this new set-up, "They walk on to set, and it's this big, kind of drive-in movie screen. They walk to their (socially distanced) director chairs and watch the performers on a big screen and then speak to them, live from the places that they were, about their performances and whether they were moving forward. It ended up being really inspiring."

What came first: the chicken or the incessant need to bother Simon? Don’t miss #JudgeCuts TONIGHT at 8/7c pic.twitter.com/LRbEtK0Tv1

— Howie Mandel (@howiemandel) July 28, 2020

Fans were definitely into the opening sequence of the show. On Twitter, they couldn't help but point out just how cool the set and, specifically, Mandel's chicken car, really is.