Britain’s Got Talent fans were left frustrated just minutes into the first episode of the show’s latest series, as they hit out at the judges for their ‘overused’ gimmick
Just moments into the premiere of the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent, fans flocked to social media with a common grievance. The series kicked off on 21 February, and as soon as the notorious golden buzzer was brought up, viewers expressed concern that it would be ‘overused’.
At the show’s outset, Ant and Dec were seen addressing the audience, reminding them that the judges have the power to fast-track contestants directly to the live semi-finals by hitting the golden buzzer.
Almost instantly, fans voiced their annoyance at the perceived overuse of the golden buzzer, despite the rule that judges are only meant to use it once per series. One viewer vented: “We don’t need to see the golden buzzer.“
Another queried: “I wonder how many Golden Buzzers we’ll get this year?” A third humorously replied: “9 to my knowledge.”, reports the Mirror.
A fourth proposed the show needed to scrap the buzzer: “Ditch the overused golden buzzer, overproduction, sob stories and the already successful ‘testing their luck’.”
Simon Cowell, the head judge on the show, was the first to hit the buzzer last year. He has grappled with a string of health issues over the years.
The 66 year old judge and media mogul survived a near-fatal bike accident that left him questioning his ability to walk again.
Last year, he missed several BGT auditions due to a tumble down some stairs that resulted in a head injury. Stacey Solomon filled in for him, whilst Amanda Holden took on the mantle of chief judge.
“I must admit I hated sitting in that seat,” Amanda candidly admitted. “I’ve been on the show the longest, so I understand why I probably need to sit in that seat, but when I was there, I felt very outcast on the end.”
Amanda acknowledged feeling exposed without another judge on either side. “It’s OK if your team are sitting to the left of you – Simon’s got dozens of staff and family watching from the side and communicating with him. Mine all decided to eat my snacks and sit in the dressing room, paying no attention to the show or me whatsoever!” she joked.
“Simon said to me, ‘You must have loved it. Did you feel powerful?’ I said I hated it because I had to keep leaning in to be part of the conversation. I never want to sit in that seat again! I’m juicy in the middle, it’s such a good spot.”
However, Amanda was delighted to welcome Stacey to Britain’s Got Talent, lauding her for bringing a great deal of warmth to the panel and drawing on her past experience from The X Factor in 2009.
“She’s so lovely and I think we’ve got quite a similar style of judging,” Amanda shared. “She’s warm, she’s super funny, she has a great understanding of what it’s like to be on the other side, because she obviously auditioned for The X Factor all those years ago.”
This series, the judging panel has been revamped, with KSI joining the lineup as a full-time panellist, taking Bruno Tonioli’s spot. He’ll sit alongside Simon, Amanda, and Alesha Dixon to critique the performances.
Presenting duo Ant and Dec are back once again to host the show. The popular pair will greet contestants as they compete for the prize money of £250,000 and the highly sought-after performance slot at the Royal Variety Show.