ITV Britain’s Got Talent viewers outraged as singer ‘misses’ Golden Buzzer

Britain’s Got Talent fans were left speechless and took to social media to vent their frustration after Innocent Masuku failed to win a Golden Buzzer during his stunning audition.

The South African opera singer impressed the judges with his powerful performance of Lucio Dallas’ “Caruso”, but despite the unanimous praise, he went home without the coveted shortcut to the final.

The drama unfolded on social media on Sunday, April 21, and viewers couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They were quick to express their dismay and compare Innocent’s snub to Sydnie Christmas, who received a Golden Buzzer as the series’ first act.

Fans didn’t hold back their emotions, with one tweeting: “Why didn’t he get a golden buzzer? This show is so backwards,” while another added: “That was powerful! There should have been a golden buzzer!!!”

The conversation grew more intense, with more and more people chiming in. One wrote: “He’s unbelievable he’s still crying #BGT he deserves the golden buzzer.” Another agreed, saying: “If we’re being honest it should have been a golden buzzer.”

One viewer expressed his frustration, saying: “Why ‘the best opera singer we’ve ever had’ doesn’t get a Golden Buzzer but Sidney Christmas, a trained professional who’s already successful… that’s why #BGT is always frustrating.” Another agreed, saying: “If anyone deserves a Golden Buzzer it’s him. Absolutely brilliant voice, finally a decent performance.”

However, when judge Amanda Holden named Innocent the “best opera singer” in the show’s history after his audition, BGT fans couldn’t help but see this as an insult to former contestant and Welsh tenor Paul Potts. One amused viewer commented: “That’s a slap in the face from Amanda to Paul Potts.” Another agreed: “That’s Amanda casually taking a swipe at Paul Potts, ‘the best opera singer they’ve ever had’.”

The 17th series of Britain’s Got Talent began on Saturday 20 April, when Amanda Holden awarded the first Golden Buzzer of the season to West End veteran Sydnie Christmas. The revelation sent viewers into a frenzy at the time, but many will be surprised to learn that Innocent had also enjoyed considerable success before auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent.

A quick Google search shows that the Mpumalanga-born talent is featured as an artist on the English National Opera website.

The website boasts that the 34-year-old is an “ENO Harewood artist” and highlights his impressive array of awards, including a Merit Award at the 2019 SAMRO competition, a Drake Calleja Trust award, support from the Tillett Trust Fund, the Oppenheimer International Scholarship and The Countess of Munster Musical Trust Study Award.

Innocent recently appeared on stage as Count Almaviva in Jonathan Miller’s production of The Barber of Seville at the London Coliseum. His repertoire extends to several other stage productions, including roles in Carmen, Die tote Stadt, The Yeomen of the Guard and Gloriana.