Former Blue Peter Presenter Joel Mawhinney Advances on America's Got Talent After Split Judges' Vote

Joel Mawhinney, known professionally as Joel M, performed a magic trick on America's Got Talent in which he made personal items belonging to three judges disappear before they reappeared in unexpected locations. Mawhinney, from Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland, entered the judges' dressing rooms and took a bracelet from Mel B, a framed picture of her dog from Sofía Vergara and a mobile phone from Howie Mandel.

He appeared to smash the items with a hammer during the act.

Mel B's bracelet, a 50th birthday gift from her fellow Spice Girls, was later found inside one of the red buzzers. Vergara's picture turned up inside her seat cushion, and Mandel's phone reappeared inside a locked box that had remained in front of the judges throughout the audition. Mel B voted yes and said she believed in magic.

Vergara also voted yes and called the trick very impressive. Mandel voted no, describing the performance as too slow while noting that Mawhinney was charming. Simon Cowell voted yes, saying the audience loves magic.

Mawhinney received three yes votes and advanced to the next stage. He told BBC Good Morning Ulster that he does not normally borrow people's possessions when performing magic but decided to take the risk for the show. Mawhinney had been invited to audition since 2020 but declined until after he left Blue Peter in July 2026 to re-establish himself as a magician.

He described the experience as the scariest of his life.