LA Streets Become a Musical Battlefield: Karolina Protsenko vs. Ray Chen – A Clash of Titans

Learnmore Jonasi

Learnmore Jonasi, originally from Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, and now living in Pittsburgh, Pa., delivers an engaging comedic performance, drawing humor from everyday experiences.

The standup comedian got the attention of his idol Terry Crews, who hit his Golden Buzzer during the May 28 premiere of the show.

“Backstage, you were telling me that you were taking 14-hour bus trips to go perform for five minutes and then having to take 14-hour bus trips back home,” he said before pushing his buzzer. “Brother, you will never have to go back home again because you are here with us!”

In terms of what fans can look forward to in the finals, Learnmore told PEOPLE that he plans to “up my game.”

“I have to bring something surprising because comedy is all about surprise, like misdirection,” he explained. “So people are going to be shocked because there’s so much to me than what you’ve seen so far. So I think I’ll have to up my game and be more vulnerable.”

Richard Goodall

Richard Goodall, affectionately known as the Singing Janitor, stole America’s hearts with his inspiring rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” earning him a coveted Golden Buzzer from Heidi.

While speaking to PEOPLE after winning the Golden Buzzer, Richard said the song’s title was a perfect representation of his journey up until this point.

“I tried out for AGT in 2009 and didn’t make it past the first round in Chicago… But like the song says, ‘Don’t stop believing!’ How can I tell the kids that and not reach for dreams too?” he said. “The songs I love to sing are timeless, and they give everyone hope. That’s what I really want to do, just give people hope [and encourage them to] never give up.”

Though Richard previously explained he had “no expectations” of winning, he told PEOPLE that he was going to “give it everything I’ve got.”

“I’m a normal person who does regular things for people. My singing, I have done mostly every year in our schools. Anytime they have asked me to sing I did it,” he added. “To this day, I know how lucky I am. And I’m not taking any of this for granted.”

Roni & Rhythm

Rhythm & Roni bring a unique dog dance act all the way from Israel. Roni has been training dogs to dance since 2019, but first performed with her canine partner, Rhythm, in 2022.

After performing their energetic semi final routine, Roni told PEOPLE a little more about what fans can expect when it comes to their final performance.

“So the idea for next week would be about my personal story with how working with dog changed my life and it’s going to be about self love and appreciating yourself as a person,” she explained. “And I hope that we get to show this.”

Sebastián & Sonia

Aerial duo Sebastián & Sonia, a couple based out of Barcelona, Spain, combine high stakes aerial stunts with ethereal dance movements to deliver a magical display of athleticism.

During the Sept. 3 episode of the hit talent show, the couple proved that the show must go on after Sonia injured her arm during rehearsals. Despite the set back, Sebastián performed a solo routine to Shawn Mendes‘ “In My Blood.” When he finished his routine, Sonia joined him on stage and the pair shared a kiss before getting praise from all four judges.

“A lot of people would have given up,” Simon said before asking rhetorically, “How do you do this act with two people with one person and then make it incredible?”

“Honestly, I think most people would have just said, you know what, we’ve had an accident and therefore we can’t continue, but you did the opposite, you continued,” he added before pressing his Golden Buzzer.

Sky Elements

Based in Texas, Sky Elements came to AGT with an epic drone show experience that transformed the sky and captivated the audience with its innovative storytelling. Their performance wowed Simon so much that he ended up giving the group a second Golden Buzzer, leading to a first-ever rule change that allowed for more Golden Buzzers this season.

Shortly after the historic change, Simon told PEOPLE, “We are using more Golden Buzzers this year because there were so many brilliant, mind-blowing auditions. I know right away when I see an act that is Golden Buzzer-worthy. You feel it.” 

“I love that we were the ‘first’ second one,” added Preston Ward from Sky Elements in an interview with PEOPLE. “We have been the first of many things, so it’s exciting to get to add this to our list of firsts!”