Britain’s Got Talent fans slammed Bruno Tonioli over his choice to hit the Golden Buzzer for one act during tonight’s semi-finals.
From accordion players to aerial artists, eight more acts will take to the stage on the ITV competition for the chance to reach the final as well as the £500,000 cash prize and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance.
Ahead of tonight’s show, four acts had been confirmed for the grand final – dance group The Blackouts, singers Vinnie McKee and Stacey Leadbeatter, and guitarist Olly Pearson.
And a fifth and sixth joined their ranks with drag queen opera singer Jasmine Rice going forward after receiving Bruno’s Golden Buzzer, and dance group Ping Pong Pang, who came out on top of the public vote.
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The Golden Buzzer gives judges Bruno, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Simon Cowell as well as hosts Ant and Dec the chance to send one act each straight to the final.
New York performer Jasmine secured their spot in the final after delivering a stunning rendition of Never Enough from The Greatest Showman, which received overwhelming praise from the judges.
However, fans have been less enthusiastic about the choice to send the performer through after complaining that another musician is among this year’s finalists.
‘bgt should be renamed to #xfactor. The final is predominantly made up of singers. Yes jasmine can sing but it’s another bloody singer!,’ Darrenrub wrote on X.
IanCot79 added: ‘Oh Bruno ! 🤣 All these singers going through, surely
@SimonCowell needs to bring back The X Factor and make #BritainsGotTalent about variety again.’
‘Oh yay…. Another singer in the final,’ Damien2000 added.
‘The final is going to be awful at this rate. No real variety,’ Mark Gregson commented, while others said it was ‘unfair’ for judges to use their Golden Buzzer until seeing all of the acts perform.
‘Golden Buzzer should only be pressed once all the acts have performed at the end… Then they can decide .. I don’t think this way is fair,’ SkyShazad
Others heaped praise on the singer, dubbing Jasmine’s incredible performance as ‘sensational.’
‘Wow oh wow jas that was absolutely beautiful the whole performance was incredible you so deserved the golden buzzer you killed it from start to finish congrats well done jasmine,’ Jholdenfanpage wrote.
User Jane said they had been left ‘in tears’, while Pedro Santana said her performance got them ‘deep in their soul.’
‘Woah what a stunning performance. Jasmine Rice – very well deserved golden buzzer. Goosebumps everywhere!!’ Tiana added.
Kas Furness went as far as to say it was the ‘best Golden Buzzer ever’, while others said it was ‘wonderful’ to have LGBTQ+ representation in the BGT final.
This year’s semi-finals have come with a huge twist – the Golden Buzzer has been introduced to the live performances for the first time.
After Stacey and Binniewon the public vote, Simon awarded Olly his Golden Buzzer, while Amanda pressed the coveted button for The Blackouts.
Britain’s Got Talent continues next Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX.
