The Spice Girls star watched in horror as a magician appeared to destroy the bracelet she received for her 50th birthday — before revealing it was unharmed
Credit: NBC
NEED TO KNOW
- Mel B’s bracelet, a sentimental gift from her Spice Girls bandmates, was used in a magician’s shocking illusion
- Magician Joel Mawhinney stunned the judges by appearing to destroy personal items before making them reappear intact
- The performance received mixed reactions from the judges but advanced Mawhinney to the next round with a 3-1 vote
One of Melanie “Mel B” Brown’s most treasured accessories nearly was the victim of an America’s Got Talent magic trick.
During the Tuesday, July 14, episode of the NBC competition series, 28-year-old magician Joel Mawhinney left the judges stunned after borrowing several of their personal belongings — including Mel B’s bracelet from her former bandmates Melanie C, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham — and seemingly destroying them as part of an elaborate illusion.
After introducing himself and sharing that he was from “a place really far away, cold, you know, an island,” Mawhinney kicked off his performance by making Howie Mandel’s glasses disappear before borrowing the comedian’s phone and venturing backstage in search of more personal items.
Mawhinney, who is originally from Northern Ireland, eventually arrived in Mel B’s dressing room, where he spotted a bracelet that the singer immediately tried to protect.
Credit: NBC
“No!” Mel B exclaimed as Mawhinney reached for it.
“It even has your name on it,” he said before she revealed why she was so protective of the jewelry.
“That bracelet was from my Spice Girls for my 50th birthday,” Mel B explained.
Back onstage, Mawhinney placed Howie’s phone, a framed photo belonging to Sofia Vergara and Mel B’s bracelet into a zippered bag before raising a hammer and appearing to smash the items inside.
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The judges looked on in horror, with Mel B visibly distressed over the fate of her keepsake.
But Mawhinney soon reminded the panel of the rule he shared at the start of his act: “Anything that disappears… must reappear.”
Using a locked gift box that had been sitting onstage the entire performance, Mawhinney first returned Howie’s phone and then directed Sofia to find her missing photo tucked inside the cushion of her chair.
Finally, Mawhinney asked Mel B to unwrap a tiny envelope hidden inside the red buzzer in front of each one of them. Inside was her bracelet.
She carefully inspected it before confirming every diamond was still intact.
Credit: NBC
“I’m so sorry. How did you do that? I mean, thank God you brought this back safe. It was very sentimental,” she said. “I believe in magic.”
Vergara praised the performance despite questioning Mawhinney’s methods.
“The magic was actually very impressive, but I don’t know if this was necessary, though,” she joked, in reference to him hammering the judges’ table. “But it was very exciting at some moments.”
Howie, meanwhile, complimented Mawhinney’s stage presence but felt the act dragged on.
Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
“You’re charming. You’ve got a good look. I always say that magic is about presentation. It’s just too long. I don’t have that kind of attention span,” he said.
Judge Simon Cowell agreed the performance “did take a long time,” but ultimately sided with the audience’s enthusiasm for the act.
When it came time to vote, Mel B enthusiastically gave Mawhinney his first yes.
“I love you, and I’m saving you. Yes!” she said.
Howie voted no, saying the performance was “too slow,” while Simon and Sophia both voted yes, sending Mawhinney through to the next round with a 3-1 vote.
After the results, Howie couldn’t resist one final joke.
“The only reason I didn’t leave is because I didn’t have a phone to get an Uber,” he quipped.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
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