Mel B’s Return to ‘America’s Got Talent’ Had One Judge on the Edge of Their Seat, and Not For the Reason You Think

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Season 20 of America’s Got Talent is very much the same, but also a little bit different. In addition to the ability to peek behind the scenes more than ever before, the judging panel has a slightly different feel. After Heidi Klum‘s departure to return to Project Runway, Mel B came back into the mix to replace her with the rest of the panel remaining the same. That means Sofía Vergara is about to gain a new bestie!

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Heidi Klum had the chance to work with both Mel B and Sofia during her tenure on the show. Now, her two pals were about to see if they could become just as close. So, how does Sofía Vergara? It’s time to reveal what the Modern Family star thinks about working with the Spice Girl!

Sofia Vergara Was Scared of Scary Spice

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With Terry Crews back as host and Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, and Sofía Vergara returning to their chairs, America’s Got Talent was ready to welcome back Mel B. for the milestone 20th season. Having worked with the other two coaches before, it was going to be a first-time collaboration between Vergara and Mel B. Naturally, it was going to be a new dynamic. A different energy was going to fill the room. We’re used to Mel B. and Simon Cowell bantering like siblings. Could Mel B. and Colombian actress become reality TV’s latest gal pals? They could be, but she had to get over her fears first!

“At the beginning, I was a little worried because I had never met her in person,” she told Deadline. “Of course, I knew who the Spice Girls were. I loved her, but I was working with Heidi for the first five seasons. So I was a little bit scared.” It’s a natural reaction as Heidi Klum and Mel B. couldn’t be any more different in personality. Heidi Klum was always the joyous judge when paired with Mel B. When she departed and Vergara arrived in 2020, she too brought brightness. Mel B. is a judge in the sense that she’s going to give her opinions to the acts. If the first episode was any indication, that took the returning judge by surprise. Especially after Mel B. slammed her buzzer during Eric Booker‘s chug-fest.

While perception was that Vergara may have been taken aback during their first episode together, she shared with Deadline quite the opposite. “But the moment we started filming the first day, I realized that because she’s done it before, she’s approachable. She already has a relationship with Simon, a relationship with Howie, with everybody in the group. So it was very easy for her to melt in everything that we were doing before with Heidi. It’s been a great experience with her,” she shared.

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How Mel B. Changes the Energy on ‘America’s Got Talent’

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America’s Got Talent has had such a wide array of judges over the twenty seasons on NBC. The evolution is uncanny. Remember when the series began with a panel comprised of Piers Morgan, David Hasselhoff, and Brandy Norwood? We had Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne, Gabrielle Union, and Julianne Hough in between. The dynamic and energy the show would give off would depend on the panel. With the two end seats having the most consistency over the years, AGT’s middle seats, occupied by some brilliant women, have truly determined how the show would come off.

Mel B.’s return is certainly shaking up the energy. As Howie Mandel told Variety, “Mel B and myself are like two annoying siblings, who enjoy annoying each other, and we have fun. We do that off stage and off show equally.” Simon Cowell has similar feelings of pestering his fellow Brit, calling her “Miss Kill the Mood” during the premiere after her harsh feedback on universally beloved acts. While there will still be time to see how Vergara and Mel B. mesh, it’s clear that the best way to interact with Scary Spice is to act like siblings. I have a feeling that they’ll be closer to those chummy sisters than bickering with the boys.