Mel B & Simon Cowell Dish on 'AGT' Secrets Ahead of Live Shows

“America's Got Talent” is headed into the live shows tonight! Before the contestants take the stage, we've got Simon Cowell and Mel B dishing on their secrets for voting talent on to the next round.

While speaking with press on Monday, Simon and Mel were asked if they look for key indicators when trying to determine the long-term success of a contender.

Mel revealed, “I don't because I like to just react to what I'm seeing there and then. You know, Heidi sometimes says, 'But what are you going to do next?' And to me I don't care what they're going to do next. All I know is I'm in that moment and I'm thoroughly entertained.”

She added, “Sometimes I think to myself it's better left unsaid and it's better not to even ask. So it is more of a surprise the second time round because sometimes even though they seem like a one-hit wonder, they can pull some stuff out of the bag… the next time that you see them that you wouldn't have even thought of.”

Simon agreed, saying, “I think in this day and age it's almost impossible to predict that kind of stuff because so many factors have to happen after the show.”

He noted past success stories, explaining, “If you look at One Direction or Susan Boyle, I mean, I don't think any of us when we first worked with both acts could have possibly have predicted what was going to happen next.”

Cowell said ultimately it is up to the person in terms of how hard they will fight for success. “It's got to be in them that they are going to push and fight for a successful career afterwards. And some people do it and some people don't.”

Both judges were surprised by the response that 12-year-old ukele player Grace VanderWaal received this season.

“Genuinely on the day, I thought she was good,” Simon said. “I didn't think she'd get that response… It really took me by surprise. I mean, I was happy for her. But the same thing with Tape Face. I mean, I thought, 'Yes, that was funny.' And then he gets like 30, 40 million hits on YouTube or something. You just can't predict (things) anymore.”

Mel B concurred, saying, “He went viral big-time.”