Avalon Penrose delivered what may go down as the most dramatically messy audition in America’s Got Talent history.
On the August 5th episode, Penrose—once a promising child opera vocalist—recounted how panic attacks drove her from the stage at age fourteen.
“After fourteen years away, I’m ready to reclaim my voice and show other young performers that stage fright doesn’t have to define them,” she told the judges.
Her opening notes of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s “Time to Say Goodbye” were met with applause—until assistants swarmed the stage, dousing her in paint and showering her with confetti. A final pie to the face wrapped up the performance, capped by an explosive confetti cascade.
Simon Cowell rose to his feet, while Sofia Vergara lamented that Penrose “ruined something beautiful.” Mel B questioned whether she truly possessed an operatic pedigree; Penrose explained that the theatrics helped her channel confidence.
“You don’t need any of this—the voice speaks for itself,” Vergara argued. “But this spectacle is what makes it unforgettable,” countered Howie Mandel.
When Cowell requested another song, Penrose invited him and Mandel to join the mayhem. As Georges Bizet’s “Habanera” filled the arena, pies flew, water balloons burst, and paint guns blazed. Even host Terry Crews joined the fray.
Finally remembering their votes, the judges unanimously advanced her. “Well, we have to say goodnight, believe it or not,” Cowell quipped. “That’s a rather unusual ending, isn’t it?”
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC and streams on Peacock the following day.
Watch Avalon Penrose’s unforgettable audition below.
