For the first use of the format, the guest judges included Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Bublé, Marlon Wayans, and Piers Morgan.

The tenth season was won by ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, with comedian Drew Lynch finishing in second, and mentalist Oz Pearlman placing third.

Along with a guest judge for each group, acts could only secure a place in the live rounds if they gained a majority vote from the panel.

The use of the buzzer would allow any participant receiving it to be granted an automatic place in the live rounds, which took into consideration the new audition stage being introduced.

Prior to the start of the live rounds, two participants were forced to withdraw, one of whom had another engagement that would have conflicted with their involvement in the competition (leading to them being replaced by acts that had originally been eliminated in the Judge Cuts).

Thirty-six of the participants who auditioned for this season secured a place in the live quarter-finals, with twelve quarter-finalists performing in each show.

These included comedian Drew Lynch,[6] contemporary dance duo Freckled Sky,[7] gospel singer Sharon Irving[8] and classical singer Arielle Baril,[9] who had each received a golden buzzer from the main judges; magician Piff the Magic Dragon,[10] singing duet The Craig Lewis Band,[11] ventriloquist Paul Zerdin,[12] and Japanese light-and-sound dance troupe Siro-A,[13] who had each received a golden buzzer from the guest judges; acrobatic dance duo Craig & Micheline, flyboarder Damone Rippy and gymnastic team Showproject, who were chosen as Wild Card quarter-finalists.