Britain’s Got Talent returned on Saturday night and welcomed back its regular judges, Simon Cowell, , Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli, alongside the fresh face of guest judge KSI.
YouTube sensation KSI, 31, real name Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji, took his first bow on the BGT stage during the Blackpool auditions, filling in for Bruno Tonioli, who was tied up with commitments across the pond on Dancing with the Stars.
Social media erupted with applause for KSI’s performance on the judging panel, with numerous fans clamoring on the internet to endorse the influencer to replace Bruno permanently.
One elated fan gushed on X: “KSI was made for BGT!” while another chimed in: “Watching #bgt for the first time in years just for @KSI I hope they make him a permanent judge.”
Another viewer exclaimed: “How hilarious is KSI lmfao can we keep him as a full-time judge!?” and somebody else added: “#KSI so much better than Bruno #BritainsGotTalent.” (sic)
Bruno Tonioli was absent from the auditions in Blackpool (Image: ITV)
Meanwhile, a fourth commenter praised KSI’s contribution: “KSI is a good addition I reckon. Current and knows his stuff of all the ‘modern’ world etc. Plus, he’s 1,000 times less annoying than Bruno already….. #BritainsGotTalent #bgt,” reports .
The chorus of calls continued with another fan suggesting: “Can we vote whether we want KSI or Bruno? My vote goes to KSI. ##BGT #BritainsGotTalent.”
KSI didn’t hold back when revealing his intentions for his inaugural stint on BGT to Radio Times, asserting he would be “straightforward” and wouldn’t “sugarcoat” anything. Furthermore, he declared: “I want emotion. I want you to really love or really hate me.”
Britain’s Got Talent is back with a new series (Image: ITV)
Meanwhile, the YouTube sensation’s unique judging approach impressed his BGT counterparts. Host Declan Donnelly notably commended KSI, stating before the series premiere that he infused “freshness” and “enthusiasm” into the ITV staple.
BGT veteran Dec, who pairs with Ant McPartlin as the show’s hosts, observed: “It’s always interesting when somebody new joins the panel for the first time because you see it through their eyes again and that kind of freshness. So he brought that to it. He brought energy, enthusiasm, and a really interesting viewpoint.
“He looked at whether acts would work online and go viral, so that was really interesting. He judged in a way that no judge has ever looked at the acts before.”
Britain’s Got Talent airs on Saturdays at 7pm on ITV1