[Spoiler Alert: This contains spoilers from America’s Got Talent, Season 19, Episode 5.]
America’s Got Talent made way for a new wave of entertainers performing under a very familiar name as the former Puerto Rican boy band Menudo took to the Season 19 audition stage.
When the hopeful boy band stepped onto the stage and introduced themselves, it didn’t take long for judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum to recognize the group name. Making sure he heard them correctly, Simon repeated, “Menudo Menudo?” to which the boys confirmed they were the Menudo.
“So, Menudo for anyone who doesn’t know, there were many many many Menudos. The most famous one, I think, was the one with Ricky Martin in it,” Simon spoke to the audience who may not have been as up-to-date on Menudo’s status. The boy band, as the judge stated, has had various iterations, beginning as early as 1977 and ranging to today. Ricky Martin was a member of the band in the ’80s, performing with them from ages 12 to 17 when he retired to pursue a solo career.
“Our boss bought the name of Menudo,” the band’s youngest member, Nicolas Calero, declared. “He wanted to revive Menudo,” fellow member Andrés Emilio elaborated. “We’re the new generation,” Ezra Gilmore added. Other members besides Nicolas, Andres, and Ezra include Alejandro Querales and Gabriel Rossell.
“I didn’t agree, I’ve got to say, with what they used to do which is to kick people out when they reached a certain age,” Simon chimed in, before adding, “but as the new generation maybe we could stop that.”
“I hope so,” Nicolas agreed before the boys added some more context to their revived version of Menudo. Formerly originating in Puerto Rico, the new iteration operates out of Miami, Florida. But as their audition officially began, their singing left the judges with mixed reactions with Simon stopping them partway through.
“There were some issues with your vocals,” Simon noted before asking the group if they had a second song. Thankfully they did, and the second chance led to a more positive assessment.
Still, Howie wasn’t so easily convinced and gave the boys a “no” when it came to sending them forward in the competition. While Sofia believed there was improvement to be made, she gave them a shot as did Heidi and Simon, allowing the new Menudo a chance to make it big in the competition. Will they continue to win over the crowd? Only time will tell. What did you think of Menudo’s comeback? Sound off in the comments section, and stay tuned to see how they fare as America’s Got Talent Season 19 continues.
America’s Got Talent, Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC