The judges of Britain’s Got Talent may have dished out their fair share of golden buzzers, but it was time for Simon Cowell to get special treatment after an act turned the tables.
Saturday’s (April 12) episode of the ITV reality show saw the auditions continue as several acts sought a place in the semi-final, though it was a magician - dubbed The Hacker - who got people talking as the roles between contestants and judges were reversed.
After boldly appearing on stage, The Hacker swapped places with Simon as he took his seat on the panel, with the judge being asked to take centre stage. After poking fun at some of the show’s tropes, The Hacker revealed to the audience that Simon would be the one performing.
Following a display of illusions and precognition, Simon faced the music as the panel amusingly critiqued his ‘performance’, before The Hacker slammed the Golden Buzzer to give the judge his grand moment.
“I’ve won - I’m just overwhelmed. You know what, why don’t we double the prize fund?,” he quipped to hosts Ant & Dec as he was showered in golden confetti, while Amanda Holden joked that he had likely had “dreams about this”.
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The surprising twist on the formula was warmly received by fans of the show, with one viewer jokingly writing on YouTube: “Best act of the night he has to win the show Simon. please sign Simon up.”
“This was absolutely flipping brilliant!” wrote another impressed fan, whilst a viewer joked about the twist as they wrote on X: “Simon is straight through to the LIVE SEMI FINALS… as an ACT!!”
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“I’m not sure what the flip just happened but I love it,” wrote another enthused viewer, whilst one deemed the “very funny” performance as their “favourite act” of the season thus far.
Whilst fans were impressed by The Hacker’s - and Simon’s - performance, others were intent on uncovering the identity of the performer, with previous contestants such as Jack Rhodes and Marc Spellman being mooted as possibilities.
Britain's Got Talent airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
