The auditions portion of America’s Got Talent is always an exciting time to tune in to NBC. In the latest episode (available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription), a singer/firefighter took the stage with an original song that he wrote for his ex-wife, with the twist that he’s still very much in love with her. Heidi Klum decided that they would get Faith on the phone, and his romantic gesture with the original song became all the grander. It was a very sweet audition, but I’m ultimately glad that there wasn’t a fairy tale ending before he stepped off the stage.
Trent Toney spends his days as a firefighter in Oregon, but he openly told the judges (and therefore the entire audience in the theater and watching from home) that he’s still very much in love with his ex-wife and wants her back “yesterday.” Because my heart is not made of stone and I’m an AGT fan, I of course loved the love story as soon as he told his side. I’m not the only one, as Heidi Klum ran up to the stage to FaceTime Faith so that she could watch his performance. Klum, who would hit her golden buzzer later in the night, was his cheerleader to Faith.
It was all very sweet, and very easy to root for Trent Toney… except that the shots of the phone with Faith on FaceTime made me feel sympathetic for her as well. She clearly wasn’t prepared for a video call from a supermodel/AGT judge and was put on the spot in front of thousands of people and cameras. I found myself hoping that nobody was going to ask her to give him a “yes” or “no” right there while he was on stage, when her options were basically “yes” or “be booed.”
Again, I don’t have a cold, dead heart, so I was hoping for an update that maybe they’d reunited off-screen afterwards without an audience watching, and it was possible since the auditions don’t air live. There was an update, but just not of the most fairy tale sort. According to the episode:
Faith enjoyed Trent’s song… but they are still not together.
That update made me all the happier that Faith didn’t feel pressured to give an answer while FaceTiming with her ex-husband and Heidi Klum. After all, we don’t know the circumstances of their past or present relationship, and it didn’t need to be complicated with a huge audience.
Trent Toney did an amazing job, and I’d say that he definitely deserved to be advanced to the next round of competition… and I can be happy for him without feeling bad for his ex-wife having to give him an answer on stage. I also agree with Simon Cowell that it was very brave of him to come on stage and openly admit to kind of a lot about his personal life! Check out the performance:
Will Trent Toney continue winning over the judges and audiences to have a shot at the $1 million grand prize? Only time will tell on that front, although he doesn’t have the bonus of a golden buzzer to advance him straight to the live shows with a great deal of fanfare, and golden buzzer winners often become AGT champions.
See what’s next with new episodes of America’s Got Talent on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET as the 2023 TV premiere schedule continues. The WGA writers strike is still ongoing, so unscripted shows like AGT are likely to be the best options for primetime entertainment as networks run out of scripted fare.
