SALT LAKE CITY — At least one Utah singer is moving on in “America’s Got Talent.”
When the “Judge cuts” episode aired Tuesday night, it was unclear if the two acts from Utah had made it to the live shows.
Kenadi Dodds, a 15-year-old powerhouse singer from Logan, wowed “AGT” judges earlier this season with her original country song, “One Way Ticket to Tennessee.”
Chris Petersen, a cowboy from Cedar City, made the judges smile with his performance of Chris LeDoux’s “Look At You Girl” — accompanied by his howling dog, Syd.
After their auditions, both singers received an immediate “yes” from all four “AGT” judges. But the “Judge cuts” episode that aired Tuesday, cutting the competition in half, was vague regarding the status of the singers going forward.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show didn’t bring the majority of the acts back to perform for the “Judge cuts” round. Instead, the first 30 minutes of the show saw the judges reviewing the auditions and debating who should move forward.
After airing a brief clip of Kenadi’s performance, Simon Cowell said, “I think we all agree on Kenadi” before moving on to the next audition. But the episode didn’t show the judges telling Kenadi her fate.
And there was no mention of Petersen.
But late Tuesday night, Kenadi posted on Facebook that she would in fact be performing again for “AGT.”
“I can’t believe that I made it to the live shows of America’s Got Talent !!! My dreams are coming true!” she wrote on Facebook. “Thank you everyone for your love and support. I hope you all please watch for me in the live shows and vote for me. I’m going to need every vote I can get!”
Kenadi — who was one of the last people to audition for “AGT” before the show shut production down in March — previously told the Deseret News that she’s wanted to perform for Cowell since she was 4. This season marked her third attempt at getting on the “AGT” stage.
“I’ve definitely been told ‘no’ a lot in my life,” she said. “It’s been such a crazy ride.”
Meanwhile, as of Wednesday morning, Petersen told the Deseret News he hasn’t heard anything regarding his status on the show.
The live shows begin Aug. 11, featuring 44 acts spread out over four weeks of quarterfinals. To help fill the schedule, “AGT” is airing a 15th anniversary special on Aug. 4.