Sofia Vergara and The Mayyas.Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
America’s Got TalentjudgeSofía Vergaracould hardly contain her excitement for her Golden Buzzer act,The Mayyas, after they closed out the semifinals of the NBC show.
“I am not thinking,” Sofia shouted into the microphone to hostTerry Crews.“I don’t want to say anything. If I could, I would give them another Golden Buzzer!”
“We really hope to be able to go to the finale and to be able to perform in Vegas,” Nadim continued. “This is every artist’s dream, to be in Vegas. Fingers crossed.”
Trae Patton/NBC
“We felt like we were melting on stage,” added one of the group’s members, Douna Estephan. “This was so huge for us. We just screamed for 10 minutes non-stop. We just couldn’t believe what just happened.”
TheModern Familyalum wasn’t the only judge in awe of the Lebanese ladies' snake-themed number, either.
“They’re Vegas ready — I would go and watch them,” fellow judgeHeidi Klumtold PEOPLE shortly after the performance. “I think they’re incredible. It’s the costumes. It’s like, wow moments. It’s like memorizing, it’s haunting. They hypnotize you in a way.”
Because of the group’s Arab culture, being a female dancer comes with its struggles — something that judge and executive producerSimon Cowellacknowledged during the live episode.
“Every single one of us in this room are going to remember this moment because this is not just going to change your lives — I know this is going to sound really dramatic — this is a performance that changes the world,” Cowell told the crowd.
Tonight though, they were able to escape everything and immerse themselves strictly in their number.
“I mean, it felt like a dream come true for us and the struggles we went through, the challenges that we faced, it kind of felt like it finally paid off,” Douna shared.
“We always had our country’s support since day one and our families', but we never had our government’s support,” Nadim said. “So, hopefully this thing will change with time, but the Lebanese people and our families were always standing behind us, pushing us to go further, to believe in ourselves.”
“Breaking barriers, fighting for what we love, believing in what we do, standing next to each other, empowering women,” Nadim added.
Sofia Vergara with The Mayyas.Trae Patton/NBC
Despite the hardships involving their country’s government, the group is on cloud nine going into Wednesday’s final elimination show before the season 17 finale.
“At this moment, we can’t feel any struggles, we’re just so happy right now,” Douna shared. “This is everything we’re thinking of.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Although they feel confident, the group also acknowledges how strong the talent is this season.
Fans will find out if The Mayyas are one of two viewer-voted contestants to move onto the season 17 finale when theAGTresults show airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
source: people.com
