<P> Auditions were taped from March 6 - 23 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles and began to air on May 29, 2018 . </P> <P> The golden buzzer returned for its fifth consecutive season . Any act that receives the golden buzzer during the judges' auditions will be sent directly to the live shows and will not compete in the Judge Cuts round . In the first episode, Tyra Banks was the first to press the golden buzzer for acrobatic and dance group Zurcaroh . Simon Cowell was second to press it for 40 - year - old singer Michael Ketterer . Howie Mandel was third to press it for 13 year old singer Courtney Hadwin . Mel B was fourth to press it for 15 year old singer Amanda Mena . Heidi Klum was the final judge to use the golden buzzer, using it for 15 year old singer Makayla Phillips . </P> <P> The Judge Cuts rounds began airing on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 . Like the previous season, one guest judge will join the judges' panel each show and will be given one golden buzzer opportunity to send an act straight to the live shows . Eighteen acts perform each week instead of twenty as in the previous three seasons . Of the eighteen acts performing each week seven acts advance including the guest judge's golden buzzer which immediately advances if used . Guest judges will not be given a red buzzer to use . Any act that will receive all four red buzzers will be immediately eliminated from the competition . The four guest judges are Ken Jeong, Olivia Munn, Martina McBride, and Chris Hardwick, who was also a guest judge in the previous season . The final Judge Cuts episode aired on August 7, 2018 . This is the first Judge Cuts rounds in history where no acts received four red buzzers . </P> <P> After the Judge Cuts, three wildcards were chosen from eliminated acts to perform in the live shows: Daniel Emmet, Human Fountains and Front Pictures (who did not perform in the Judge Cuts round). </P>

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