Star Search Night 8 Results: Who Advanced to the Finale and Who Was Eliminated?
- - Star Search Night 8 Results: Who Advanced to the Finale and Who Was Eliminated?
Paulette CohnFebruary 12, 2026 at 4:23 AM
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Photo Cr. Kit Karzen/Netflix
The eighth night of competition on Season 1 of Star Search on Netflix took place on Wednesday night with eight contestants -- two acts from each of four categories -- competing for a place in next week’s finale. The challengers went head-to-head with the reigning winners, with audiences tuning in globally and voting on their performances in real time, followed by results revealed immediately in-show.
On Tuesday night, four competitors locked in their spots in their categories for the finale: Steven “Spud” Howard (Music, Solo), Harry Merlin Piper (Variety, Juniors), Movement 55 (Dance) and Duo Vespertilio (Variety, Acrobat/Aerialist). Of the four, only Spud managed to beat the reigning champ – Sophie Saylor – to move on to the finale. The others were all returning champs.
Tonight, last week’s winners TJ Salta (Variety, Magician/Mentalist), Yair Keydar (Music, Juniors), H3rizon (Music, Group), JR De Guzman (Comedy) will face new opponents in hopes of holding on to their titles.
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The five-week live show is searching for the stars of tomorrow with the winner taking home the grand prize of $500,000.
Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the judges for the version of the talent competition are Jelly Roll,Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen.
The Star Search categories are Music, Dance, Juniors, Comedy and Variety (which includes multiple sub-categories, such as magic).
Related: How to Vote for Star Search 2026 — Every Vote Counts!
Who went home tonight on Star Search?JR De GuzmanLuca CutrupiStuck in SeptemberYair KeydarWho went through on Star Search Night 8?H3rizonJR De GuzmanMadison LaurenTJ SaltaStar Search Night 8 Results Show Recap:Round 1: Juniors (Music)
Yair Keydar, 12, Parkland, FL vs Madison Lauren, 11, Dublin, CA
Yair’s Song: “The Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston
Sarah Michelle said: “You had a staircase and all these bells and whistles last week. Today, you sang that song and sang your heart out. Those notes were so beautiful and it’s the best message of all.”
Judges’ scores: Chrissy: 5, Jelly: 5, Sarah Michelle: 5
Madison’s song: “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman
Chrissy said: “I didn’t know how anybody would go up against Yair. You are an incredible challenger. That was gorgeous. You had the audience, all of us, on our feet. Amazing.”
Judges scores: Chrissy: 5, Jelly: 5, Sarah Michelle: 5
Winner: Madison beat out Yair by a slim margin. Her combined score was 4.68 compared to Yair’s 4.6. [5 .0 Judges, 4.3 Viewers]
Round 2: Music (Group)
H3rizon from Atlanta, GA vs Stuck in September, 21, Nashville, TN
H3rizon’s Song: “Free” from KPop Demon Hunters
Jelly said: “This has been our fourth week with H3rizon. They have been a fan favorite. They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten.”
Judges’ scores: Chrissy: 4, Jelly: 4, Sarah Michelle: 4
Stuck in September’s song: “If the World Was Ending” by JP Saxe and Julia Michaels
Jelly said: “There was a moment when I felt like a peeping Tom. When he touched her neck… Are you a couple? [Yes] I thought it was awesome. Congratulations.”
Judges scores: Chrissy: 3, Jelly: 4, Sarah Michelle: 4
Winner: H3rizon held onto its title with a combined score of 3.92 [4 .0 Judges, 3.8 Viewers]
Round 3: Comedy
JR De Guzman, 35 Pangasinan, Philippines vs Janine Harouni, 38, Staten Island, NY
JR De Guzman
Chrissy said: “I think you are so funny but also, I say this every single week, but it’s like you’re an actor.”
Judges scores: Chrissy: 3, Jelly: 4, Sarah Michelle: 4
Janine Harouni
Chrissy said: “I have been waiting for a true contender for JR for several weeks now. You are a true standup. You seemed so confident and seasoned. You are fun to watch no matter what you feel like.”
Judges scores: Chrissy: 4, Jelly: 4, Sarah Michelle: 4
Winner: JR De Guzman lost his title to Janine, who had a combined score of 3.66 [4 .0 Judges, 3.3 Viewers] to his 3.54.
Round 4: Variety
TJ Salta, 25, Las Vegas vs Luca Cutrupi, 41, Milan, Italy
TJ Salta (Magician/Mentalist)
Sarah Michelle said: “I was watching it and I have no idea how you do it.”
Judges scores: Chrissy: 5, Jelly: 4, Sarah Michelle: 5
Luca Cutrupi (Soap Bubble Artist)
Jelly said: “I will tell you every other show in the world that said they were a variety show has never had a bubble blower. I am a big fan of the bubbles, man. This is incredible.”
Judges scores: Chrissy: 3, Jelly: 4, Sarah Michelle: 4
Winner: TJ Salta held onto his title with a combined score of 4.6 [4 .6 Judges, 4.5 Viewers]
Star Search airs Tuesday and Wednesday nights live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT only on Netflix.
Next, Everything to Know About Netflix’s Star Search Reboot—Judges, How to Watch and How to Audition
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
