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Mel B Says Simon Cowell Wanted to Change This Fantasy League Rule: "He Irritates Me"
With Judges pitted against each other, AGT: Fantasy League is “souped-up and on steroids,” according to Judge Mel B.
Mel B is spicing up her friendly rivalry with Simon Cowell, bristling at something he said while they were filming America's Got Talent: Fantasy League.
In a high-stakes competition like AGT: Fantasy League, we can only imagine the seriousness of the official rules that the Judges have to abide by with their Dream Teams in order to secure bragging rights as the winner. In an exclusive interview with NBC Insider, the former Spice Girl revealed that Simon Cowell wanted to alter one rule in particular, and it’s a biggie!
One Mentor is allowed one Golden Buzzer each episode that allows them to take an Act from a rival Judge for their own Dream Team. In addition, the Golden Buzzer does what it does in the regular show and catapults the Act directly to the next round of competition. When we caught up with Mel B, she said Cowell teased that he wanted unlimited Golden Buzzers because he's "the boss."
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“And in fact, Simon was wanting to change the rules when he had his buzzer," she said. "He said 'I'm going to press it again and again.' I was like, 'you can't change the rules,' and he's like, 'but I'm the boss!' And I'm like, 'oh yeah, you are, but you can't change the rules!'”
While it seems Cowell was just trying to get a rise out of his competitors when he pitched the cheeky rule change, it's hard to imagine he wouldn't turn down such a powerful advantage given the chance.
Ever since Mel B joined America’s Got Talent as a Judge in Season 8, a showdown has been building. Known for his biting tongue, a sassy remark from Cowell about Mel B’s wedding in one episode inspired her to dump water on his head and storm off on live TV. The incident sparked a trend: before the premiere of Fantasy League was even over, the returning Judge hurled water at Cowell after he threw shade at her legendary girl band.
The pair are like oil and water. Now, they're sitting right next to each other at the Judge’s Table on Fantasy League, without Heidi Klum or Howie Mandel to act as a physical buffer.
“When I did America's Got Talent before for like seven seasons, I was sitting between Howie and Heidi and felt very comfortable. Now I'm sitting right beside him, and he irritates me sometimes,” she said.
But Mel B pointed out the upside to sitting so close, at least when it comes to her traditional water toss on Cowell.
“At least I don't have to throw it that far because he's right there,” she said.
Despite the teasing and drama, the two always seem to make up in the end.
“But we do have fun, and we argue, and we say sorry, and then we hug, and then we fight again. You know, just a normal relationship, really,” she joked.
With so many awe-inspiring and worthy acts on the AGT: Fantasy League stage, she did concede that Simon was on to something.
“I wish that I had ten buzzers,” she admitted. “Because of all the twists and turns and curveballs and mentoring… it’s like a souped-up on-steroids version of AGT,” she told us.
Out of all the AGT competitions through the years, could Fantasy League be her favorite — despite sitting next to Simon?
“None better than the other, but of course, the one I’m on is better than anything,” she concluded.
Tune in every Monday at 8/7c on NBC to watch AGT: Fantasy League. If you can’t watch the show live, new episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
