PASADENA, California USA, June 16, 2026 — Young & Strange, the British illusion duo of childhood friends Richard Young and Sam Strange, delivered a performance that has them headed to the Season 21 live quarterfinal shows.
The pair pitched themselves to the panel plainly during their audition: not close-up magicians, but “grand illusionists — on a less than grand budget,” with a stated dream of headlining Las Vegas. To prove the point, they asked to join the judges at their own desk, shuffling the judges down to make room where Simon Cowell sits. As space was cleared on the desk, Strange rebranded the Golden Buzzer as an emergency stop button and welcomed the judges to use it at any time during their performance if things went too far.
Buzzer humor continued when the pair placed a large cardboard box on top of Cowell’s buzzer, setting it off and self-branding themselves with Cowell’s red X before they had gotten underway.
Strange sealed Young inside the box on the desk, then drove 16 sharpened wooden rods straight through it while the judges and audience gasped in amazement. When the spikes were removed, Young stepped out unhurt. He was now wearing a Spice Girls T-shirt with spike holes in a nod to Judge Mel B, champagne in hand, delivering on a joke from minutes earlier.
The judges shared their reactions. “You guys are so funny,” Sofía Vergara said. “For me, it was the perfect audition.” In response, Young took a huge sip of the champagne he was still holding and liquid immediately began streaming from several places on his body as if from holes left by the spikes. To which Vergara responded, “Oh my god, I love you more now.” Mel B declared, “I believe in Magic, right. But that was Crazy Magic!” Howie Mandel answered a question Cowell had posed at the start of the audition: “Can I imagine having paid a huge price to watch you on the Las Vegas Strip? Absolutely.” Cowell appeared hesitant saying, “I am not jumping out my chair like you are.” He was immediately booed loudly by the audience before polling the judges whose votes sent the act forward in the competition.
In casual comments leading into the commercial break, the judges discussed the act. Cowell said he found them a bit annoying. Mel B strongly disagreed saying, “I actually was contemplating to press the Golden Buzzer on that, I swear to God,” as she pounded her fist on the desk. Vergara declared, “They were not annoying. They were fun.” Mandel looked at Cowell with an expression of disbelief, before the attention of both was drawn to shouts from nearby audience members showing displeasure with Cowell, who walked away. Meanwhile, backstage, host Terry Crews told the pair, “I love you guys.”
Young and Strange are childhood friends from the UK who honed their act across four consecutive Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs, have headlined the international touring magic show Champions of Magic, performed in the West End as part of Wonderville at the Palace Theatre, and appeared three times on Penn and Teller Fool Us. One of their earlier stunts, photobombing a live Sky News broadcast outside the Houses of Parliament, drew roughly 50 million views online and UK tabloid attention.
EDITOR’S NOTE: September 8, 2026 — Young & Strange have since advanced through the quarterfinals and into the Season 21 semifinals — read the full recap here.
Responses