BGT in 1,2,3: semi-final 5 recap
Togni Brothers fall, Jasmine and Trip Hazard have the judges in turmoil and Craig has a ball...
Britain's Got Talent's semi-finals ended with high drama tonight. After some slow episodes earlier in the week it felt like you couldn't look away from the screen during this last audition stage. The semi-final, at times, actually felt more like the grand finale.
There was a dramatic fall, a perfect pooch and a final showdown that left Simon Cowell temporarily speechless.
Here's the big three moments of tonight's last semi-final:
Togni Brothers suffer scary fall during their performance
Having caught up with Michael, 21, and Dario, 20, backstage this afternoon I have to say I watched their audition from the edge of my seat. They'd already admitted they'd had only a week to rehearse the brand new choreography after Dario underwent therapy for a ripped back muscle. Then they admitted that should the crowd or the music or the buzzers (god help us) be too loud they wouldn't be able to hear each other's cues and the whole thing could go terribly wrong. They reminded me - as if I needed it - that foot juggling could be very dangerous and could easily go wrong. And tonight they suffered a dramatic fall right in the middle of their performance proving just that.
However, the lads proved just how cool they are under pressure, taking a brief pause before repeating the move and absolutely nailing it. The judges couldn't say enough good things about them for showing their "guts" and ability to pick themselves up (quite literally) and dust themselves down.
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While their impressive attitude seemed likely to encourage viewers to pick up the phone and vote, they were unfortunately voted out. Although the judges' Wildcard could still see them return.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW9e0LX2NTg
Jasmine Elcock vs Trip Hazard
Dogs and BGT go hand-in-hand (or should that be paw in hand?) so it looked like Ant and Dec's sensational Golden Buzzer act Jasmine Elcock was going to miss out on a place in the final. David Walliams admitted he'd fallen in love with the pup during Lucy and Trip's Beauty and the Beast inspired performance. But Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell eventually chose to back Jasmine.
Cowell pleaded with the public not to hate him, but Jasmine is a hugely popular act on the show. Her Golden Buzzer givers Ant and Dec were almost bursting with pride, Ant telling her he was "very proud" she was going into the final. Online, many had already compared the young singer to 2006 X Factor champ Leona Lewis for this gorgeous cover of Birdy's Wings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA1xJiGmvHA
Craig Ball wins the last semi-final
Impressionist Craig Ball seemed to be throwing caution to the wind tonight, telling me his act included some voices he'd never performed to anyone. But it paid off. His impressions ranged from Kermit the Frog (this is his favourite) to Shrek as he got them all to sing Adele's Hello. Simon Cowell was beside himself saying it was "so me".
"Oh my god Craig I loved every single bit of that – it’s fun, original and I knew who everyone was!" the boss of the panel gushed.
And after more than 1.5million votes were cast, Ball was announced as the winner, helping make up what (after the addition of the two Wildcards) will be a 12-strong final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCNLxS9YLMw
See the Britain's Got Talent final this Saturday night from 7:30pm on ITV
