A friend of teenage dancer Emily Gold put a comforting hand on her shoulder as AGT judge Howie Mandel prepared to deliver his scathing verdict on her company’s performance a month before her suicide.
The Los Osos High School team in California was eliminated from the quarterfinals last month despite a rousing standing ovation from the crowd at Pasadena’s Civic Auditorium, though it is unclear whether this was related to his decision to end his life.
The show paid tribute to Gold, 17, on Tuesday, hailing her “bright young soul” after she was found dead under a bridge on the 210 Freeway shortly before midnight Friday.
Judge Simon Cowell joined in the audience’s standing ovation, praising the team’s performance as an “event,” but Mandel was unmoved by their efforts and offered his scathing dismissal.
“The ‘event’ was a high school halftime show,” she said. “I would love it more if my granddaughter was there.”
A friend placed a reassuring hand on Emily’s shoulder as AGT judge Howie Mandel sat with his arms crossed before his devastating verdict.
However, Mantel was roundly booed when he warned them that they were about to be eliminated from the competition.
Emily’s parents said they had a “hole the size of the universe” as they broke their silence following her sudden death on Friday.
‘It is with immense sadness that we must tell you that we lost our beautiful Emily on September 13th, our hearts have a hole the size of the universe right now,’ dad Steven wrote on Instagram.
“The outpouring of love and support we are receiving shows us how many lives that angel touched and lifted, and it is what will help us through the most difficult time of our lives.”
Emily was a member of the cheerleading squad and varsity dance team at her high school in Rancho Cucamonga.
The school was abuzz with excitement as the dance team went through the AGT auditions in May.
“It was absolutely brilliant,” Cowell told his fellow judges.
“What I liked most about this was the energy. I think what I just saw is everything a great school should do, which is foster talent and friendship.
“It reminded me of when I saw the movie High School Musical and I thought, ‘Every kid should go to a school like that.'”
Mandel dismissed the audience as biased, warning: “The bar has been raised this season and when you see dancers on this million-dollar stage you want to see at least one move that makes you say ‘Oh my God.'”
Simon Cowell (right) had joined in the standing ovation for the company’s performance, but Mandel (left) was unmoved as the crowd booed his scathing comments.
Emily was in the front row as they prepared to hear the judges’ comments.
Judge Sofia Vergara said she had never heard the public react so well to a performance
Cowell praised the “giant step forward” when the group returned for the quarter-finals, with fellow judge Heidi Klum struggling to make herself heard over the cheers of the crowd.
“I’m totally here for you guys, I love you guys,” he told them before turning around in amazement at the noise.
“Oh my God!” he muttered.
“I’ve never seen this theater go so crazy, it’s unbelievable to me,” said judge Sofia Vergara.
But Mandel insisted: “I still think the same” as he sat with his arms crossed and predicted his elimination.
“The reason it sounds so wild out here is because the families are out here,” he said as boos from the crowd rang in his ears.
“You’ll see. The people at home.”
Emily showed no signs of taking the criticism seriously and posted a happy photo of her sunrise celebration on her Instagram account three days later.
Interviewed by People Immediately after the show, she talked about the effort she had put into her routine.
“When I’m performing, I really think about all the corrections because we get corrections up to five minutes before we go on stage,” she told the website.
“So really thinking about all of that so I can apply it is my biggest priority on stage.”
When asked about the challenge of juggling her dancing and her studies, she said, “It’s definitely hard to balance everything, but we manage it.”
Emily’s friends on the dance team yesterday issued their own tribute to the “beautiful, caring and kind” college dance captain.
“Emily has always embodied every aspect of our team’s core values through her strength, commitment, kindness, compassion and most humble heart,” they wrote.
And Emily’s devastated twin brother Alex paid his own tribute to his “little sister” on social media with a photo montage of their childhood together.
“The time we spend together will never be enough,” she wrote.
‘You were my entire childhood and the memories we created together and all the places we’ve been and seen together will always stay with me.
-You really broke my heart, Em.
“I will always be awake for you and live life for you.”
Emily was a member of both her school’s varsity dance team and the varsity cheerleading team.
Parents Brandy and Steven Gold said they have a “hole the size of the universe” in their hearts after their daughter’s sudden death Friday night.
Emily’s twin brother Alex paid his own touching tribute to his “little sister”
Emily in her last Instagram post four weeks ago
In a post about his Facebook In a statement, the NBC show said it “sends our deepest condolences to Emily Gold’s family, friends and crew. She was a brilliant young woman and will be deeply missed.”
Mandel, who joined the talent show’s panel in 2019, did not mention Emily’s death when speaking today about AGT’s enduring appeal.
The veteran Canadian comedian said he thought America would “never get tired” of what he described as the most relatable show on television.
Emily Gold was found dead on the eastbound 210 Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga on Friday night, one month after competing on America’s Got Talent.
“We all have dreams, we all have aspirations,” he said. Hollywood explosion‘We all think that these dreams and hopes may not come true for us.
‘So if they don’t come true for us, it’s fun to see someone who’s maybe talked about being locked in their room their whole life, no one’s ever seen them do that or they’ve never heard it before.
‘They step on that X and then, ‘boom!’, their lives change forever.’
Dailymail.com has contacted Mandel for comment.
If you are in crisis, call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Helpline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
