May 27--Give him a hand. South Side native Chris Jones was able to hypnotize judge Howie Mandel on Tuesday's episode of "America's Got Talent."
Jones, 28, got Mandel, a germaphobe with a fear of shaking other people's hands, to shake his hand and the hands of fellow judges Heidi Klum, Melanie Brown and Howard Stern.
"What did I do?," Mandel asked when Jones was done. "America's Got Talent" did not show Mandel getting hypnotized and some members of the audience were seen leaving their seats to avoid watching the process.
After it was over, the crowd was cheering and clapping. A confused Mandel asked, "Why is everybody laughing?"
"Because you're the greatest comedian," Stern replied.
"Because we love you," Klum said.
After the show aired, Mandel wrote on Twitter that it was true that he was hypnotized. Jones, who said he performs at colleges and high schools, received enough votes from the judges to move on to the next round.
The winner gets $1 million.
Tuesday's episode was the premiere of Season 10. "America's Got Talent" airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on NBC.
