Entertainment TV 'AGT: All-Stars' : A Stand-Out Singer Earns the Group Golden Buzzer and a Beloved Vocalist Returns Tom Ball earned the Group Golden Buzzer on Monday while AGT season 15 fan favorite Archie Williams, the singer who spent 37 years behind bars on a wrongful conviction, returned for a second chance By Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein is a Senior News Editor on the TV team for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand since 2017, working as an intern, digital news writer and Human Interest writer-reporter before joining the TV team to help oversee and edit digital coverage. Her work has previously appeared in The Hollywood Reporter. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 30, 2023 10:00PM EST Tom Ball. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC America's Got Talent: All-Stars is getting closer to its finale — and the lineup is getting better by the week. The America's Got Talent extension series returned for its latest episode Monday, featuring the next group of 10 acts competing for one of two spots in the finale. Taking the stage was singer Peter Rosalita (AGT season 16), comedian Axel Blake (BGT winner 2022), singer Mandy Harvey (AGT season 12 Golden Buzzer), variety act Yumbo Dump (Asia's Got Talent and AGT season 13), magician Mervant Vera (AGT season 17), singer Tom Ball (BGT 2022), variety act World Taekwondo Demonstration Team (AGT season 16), magician Jasper Cherry (BGT 2021), ventriloquist Ana Maria Mărgean (Romania's Got Talent winner 2021) and singer Archie Williams (AGT season 15). A stand-out moment came midway through the show when singer Tom Ball, a finalist on season 15 of Britain's Got Talent, performed a powerhouse rendition of "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel. The schoolteacher blew the crowd away and ultimately prompted judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum, as well as host Terry Crews, to hit their Group Golden Buzzer. "I was absolutely over the moon!" Ball exclusively tells PEOPLE via email after earning the Golden Buzzer. "It didn't hit me properly until I got off stage and called my soon-to-be wife [Hannah]." "Being my first time in America, I feel massively welcomed and honored to be here and make it to the final," he adds. "I really hope the superfans and the American public will enjoy my next performance!" Tom Ball. Trae Patton/NBC Prior to his audition, Ball revealed to Crews that his wedding was just five days away. Because of that, Hannah was unable to attend his All-Stars audition — and the pair were later forced to keep his exciting Golden Buzzer moment a secret from their wedding guests. "I was very fortunate to have a fantastic soon-to-be wife who had done most of the planning, which meant that I had time to prepare for this amazing opportunity, knowing the wedding was in safe hands," he explains. "[But] it was incredibly hard to keep it all a secret [at the wedding]. The only people who knew were my wife and immediate family. It was a real sense of achievement, but I tried to keep the day focused around Hannah as much as possible." Making things even more intense was the fact that Ball was going up against fellow BGT star, comedian Axel Blake, who ultimately won the season he competed on. "I am a massive fan of Axel both on and off stage, but of course, I was striving to do better than I did in BGT," Ball says of competing against Blake once again. AGT: All-Stars: Simon Cowell Helps 1 Act Make History by Unexpectedly Pushing His Golden Buzzer With the Group Golden Buzzer secured, Ball is excited to see how his students react, especially after they nearly lost their minds the first time he was on BGT. "I think their excitement will be uncontrollable! To continue this journey will be a massive shock to them all, I can't wait to see their reactions," he says, noting that while he loves teaching, he hopes to win the competition and pursue singing as a full-time career. "Teaching will always be a big part of my life, but I do have a dream to tour the world and pursue my passion for singing," he shares. "Hopefully, I will end up recording some songs to release in the future... I would love to collaborate with Gregory Porter, his music has a large influence on my life." Tom Ball. Trae Patton/NBC AGT: All-Stars Premiere: The First Golden Buzzer Is Earned and a Fan Favorite Returns to the Stage Elsewhere in the episode, ventriloquist Ana Maria Mărgean took the stage. Ahead of her act, she revealed that she picked up ventriloquism during the COVID lockdown after watching AGT winner Terry Fator perform online. She was eventually inspired to audition for Romania's Got Talent, which she ultimately won in 2021. Mărgean performed her act to "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore beside her puppet, and earned a standing ovation from the crowd and judges. "No wonder you won, you are incredible!" Klum said after her performance. Ana Maria Mărgean. Trae Patton/NBC Another memorable moment came near the end of Monday's episode when AGT season 15 fan favorite Archie Williams returned to the stage. As fans may remember, Williams was convicted of aggravated rape and attempted murder in 1983 when he was 22 years old. Fingerprint evidence did not match his own, and witnesses testified that he was at his own home the night of the incident. However, Williams was sentenced to life in prison at Louisiana State Penitentiary without the possibility of parole. At the 12-year mark of his prison sentence, Williams reached out to the Innocence Project with a request for the organization to exonerate him. Thanks to the Innocence Project's years of hard work and new fingerprint-matching technology, Williams' case was overturned due to the fingerprints found at the scene of the crime matching a serial rapist. After being incarcerated for more than 36 years, Williams was released from prison in March 2019. Archie Williams. Trae Patton/NBC Man Who Spent 37 Years Behind Bars on a Wrongful Conviction Gets Standing Ovation on AGT For his return, Williams opted to sing a soulful, piano-accompanied version of "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. Following his performance, he received a standing ovation from the judges and audience, as Mandel called him "one of the most deserving human beings I know." He added that Williams has "everything it takes to make it on the stage," while Klum described his performance as "honest" and "raw". Cowell also told Williams he's "come back better," and noted that it was "the best vocal performance you've done ever since you've been on our show." Archie Williams. Trae Patton/NBC AGT: All-Stars: Heidi Klum Forces 1 Act to 'Check I Wasn't Dreaming' After Earning Her Golden Buzzer Despite wowing the judges, Williams sadly did not make it through to the next round. Mărgean ultimately nabbed the superfan vote after edging fellow Top 3 acts, singers Mandy Harvey and Peter Rosalita. Ball and Mărgean will now compete in the finals against magician Aidan McCann (Britain's Got Talent 2020), aerialists Power Duo (Philippines Got Talent 2016 winner), saxophonist Avery Dixon (AGT season 17), comedian Mike E. Winfield (AGT season 17), aerialist Aidan Bryant (AGT season 16 runner-up), choir Detroit Youth Choir (AGT season 14 runner-up), dance group Light Balance Kids (AGT season 14) and hand balancing act the Bello Sisters (AGT season 15). Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories America's Got Talent: All-Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.