Britain’s Got Talent live shows are back with a bang, as the first semi-final kicked off on Monday 29th May.
The remaining entrants will perform for the country across five live semi-finals, with two acts from each advancing to the final on June 4.
Prior to the start of the live shows, the semi-finalists were determined by judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli during a deliberation at the London Palladium.
Once again, the winner will receive a cash prize of £250,000 and a spot in the annual Royal Variety Performance.
As this year’s final approaches, MailOnline reveals the list of finalists who made it to the end of series 16.
Competition: Britain’s Got Talent live shows are back with a bang, as the first semi-final kicked off on Monday 29 May
Musa Mota
Musa Motha won the public vote in the first semi-final, advancing directly to the final on June 4.
The South African dancer already impressed the judges during the audition stages where he received a joint golden buzzer from all four.
After coming through, the 27-year-old said, “I feel excited and blessed and I thank everyone for the support.”
Success: Musa Motha won the public vote in the first semi-final, advancing directly to the final on June 4
Musa wowed viewers with his emotional dance performance during the semi-finals.
Amanda gushed: ‘That was so epic. I’m so proud of you, that was a fantastic achievement.’
Musa had his leg amputated at the age of 10 due to cancer and received the judges’ first-ever joint golden buzzer during his audition.
The former footballer, who now lives in London, shared how, after giving up on his sporting dreams, he learned to dance with the help of his friends.
Amy Lou
Amy Lou secured a place in the final after she and fellow singer Abi Carter-Simpson faced the judges’ decision.
Bruno Tonioli and Amanda Holden chose to send Amy Lou, while Simon Cowell and Alesha Dixon voted for Abi.
Wow! Amy Lou advanced to the finals after performing And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going by Jennifer Hudson from Dreamgirls
This left the decision to whoever received the highest public vote, with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly revealing it to be Amy Lou.
Earlier in the night, she impressed the judges and audience with a powerful rendition of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going by Dreamgirls’ Jennifer Hudson.
Alesha told her, “You blew the roof off!” while Amanda declared, “A star is born!”
Amy Lou performed just six weeks after the birth of her baby daughter Aida, whom she welcomed on the same day her audition aired.
The tanning salon receptionist stunned at her audition with a rendition of Beyoncé’s 2006 smash hit Listen, also from the movie Dreamgirls.
Viggo Venn
Norwegian Viggo Venn won the public vote, moving him straight to the finals of Tuesday’s show.
After the result was announced, he joked: ‘I did my best’ and burst into the dance again.
The funny man won with his very unique act, recording the judges’ names while wearing his iconic Hi-Vis jacket.
Hilarious: Norwegian Viggo Venn won the public vote, moving him straight to the final of Tuesday’s show
Bizarre: Viggo won with his very unique act, recording the judges saying their names, while wearing his iconic Hi-Vis jacket
He recalled his hilarious audition by taking off his jacket at the end of Daft Punk’s One More Time.
Alesha called it the “best act of the night,” while Simon confessed, “It was the most annoying act of the night, but also my favorite.”
Viggo had viewers confused with both his routine and his exit from the stage after sliding face-first down the stairs.
Olivia Lynes
Olivia Lynes secured a place in the final after she and male choir Johns’ Boys faced the judges’ decision.
Bruno started saving the Johns Boys after crying during their act, but the other three on the panel chose Olivia.
The 11-year-old was visibly moved when her mother came on stage to hug her and said, “I’m speechless.”
During the semifinals, Olivia delivered a powerful rendition of Into the Unknown by Idina Menzel from Frozen 2.
Unbelievable: During the semifinals, Olivia performed a powerful rendition of Into the Unknown by Idina Menzel from Frozen 2
Singing from a giant crescent moon, she floated across the stage and said of her performance afterwards, “It felt like a dream come true.”
Bruno gushed, “You are a miracle,” while Alesha praised, “You were meant to do this, it was phenomenal.”
Olivia auditioned after Amanda Holden surprised her at the theater to tell her that her mother and grandmother had signed her up for her competition.
She sang Wicked’s Defying Gravity for her audition, which made Bruno fight back tears and Amanda hit the golden buzzer.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline after the show, Amanda admitted she had “no idea Olivia could sing” when she met her the previous day.
Amanda explained, “So I didn’t know if I could print it for her because I’d met her the day before as part of our golden moments and encouraged her to come down and audition.”
The presenter continued: ‘But when I met her I had no idea if she could sing, and then I was completely blown away by her performance.
And it’s just so typical of what I’d press my buzzer for. I almost thought, “Oh my god. It’s got to be this because I love it. She’s amazing.”
