On “America’s Got Talent,” the audience can be a persuasive fifth judge.
Duo Poetic Flight divided judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara with their indoor airshow during the seventh round of auditions Tuesday night. The French pilots flew remote-controlled airplanes around the “AGT” stage, gliding the miniature aircrafts through hoops and unleashing a burst of golden confetti over the judges’ heads.
Vergara and Mandel were dazzled by the aerial display. “I thought it was spectacular,” Vergara said, calling the performance “beautiful.”
But Klum and Cowell were skeptical about the duo’s caliber of showmanship, giving them two red Xs during their audition. “If this was a show in Vegas, and if I were to tell my kids we’re going to see those two pilots with those airplanes … they would be bored out of their minds,” Klum said.
While Vergara and Mandel voted the pilots through to the next round, Klum gave Poetic Flight a no, leaving the duo’s “AGT” fate in Cowell’s hands. “What am I missing?” Cowell asked, facing the studio audience.
Following the audience’s chanted chorus of “send them through,” Cowell reversed his vote. “I’ve decided to give you a ‘oui,’ ” he said.
Here’s what else happened on Tuesday’s episode.
Face mask illusionist begs Simon Cowell for a yes vote
A great game face won’t cut it on “AGT,” but a slew of them might do the trick.
Enishi, a Japanese comedian-illusionist, stunned the judges with a rapid series of alternating face masks, which he seamlessly changed into onstage. Some of the masks were a near-spitting image of the judges’ faces.
Klum called his act “super original” and something she had “never seen” before. Cowell, on the other hand, was on the fence about Enishi’s audition. “I just didn’t feel it had that wow factor,” he said.
Klum and Mandel each gave Enishi a yes vote, while Cowell gave the illusionist a no. Eager for a chance at “AGT” victory, the contestant got down on his knees to plead for a yes vote. “Simon, please say yes,” Enishi said.
Luckily, Vergara saved the day. “You don’t need Simon,” she said. “Three yeses.”
Ukrainian acrobat duo stands out with ‘unbelievable’ audition
Duo Just Two Men can always lean on each other.
With no safety net to break their fall, the pair of acrobats from Ukraine delivered a jaw-dropping aerial performance that saw the men intertwine their bodies mid-air and balance their full body weight on each other.
Klum praised the duo, who earned a standing ovation from the judges, for their thrilling act.
“It’s the kind of thing that you can’t stop watching, and you want it to be over at the same time,” Klum said. “You’ve done some moves we have never ever seen. Everything was unbelievable.”
Mandel was floored by the intense physicality of the men’s performance.
“It doesn’t even look real. It looks like a special effect,” Mandel said. “Your core strength, your arm strength (and) your leg strength, all beyond anything I have ever seen before.”
Duo Just Two Men quadrupled their chance at “AGT” glory. The duo earned four yeses.
Bone-breaking troupe Atai Show wins over judges with ‘scary’ act
Atai Show is taking the adrenaline rush to a whole new level.
The four-member ensemble of bone-breakers from Kyrgyzstan shocked the judges and studio audience with a horror-inspired contortionist routine.
Dressed in tattered costumes, that appeared to be splattered with fake blood, the blindfolded and masked dancers bent their bodies at excruciating angles and popped their bones out of place, later performing a zombie-esque dance to “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys.
At the end of the performance, the dance troupe removed their blindfolds, revealing the contortionists’ unthreatening appearance.
“That was such a surprise. You guys look so sweet and harmless,” Vergara said. “We see a lot of contortionists here, but this is beyond. We’re going to always remember this audition.”
Cowell gushed over the group’s “brilliant” performance. “This is exactly what we are looking for this year,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but people love being scared, and it was scary, but it was scary in a good way.”
Atai Show will get another chance to shock, as the group earned four yeses.
Mother singing duo leaves Heidi Klum speechless with organ transplant story
A pair of musical mothers showed the best harmony comes from the soul.
Two Moms United By One Heart, a singing duo comprised of vocalists Holly and Kim, served up an emotional performance of the “Wicked” ballad “For Good.” The two women met after Holly’s son’s heart was donated to Kim’s then-newborn son for a heart transplant.
Following the duo’s touching performance, Kim’s grown-up son joined the singers onstage, eliciting cheers from the studio audience.
“I’m just lost for words. I just want to come and hug the three of you,” Klum said. “What strong women, what a story. That was very powerful.”
The pair even won over musical theater skeptic Mandel.
“This is the first time in my life that I’ve felt a connection to this kind of music,” Mandel said. “That was probably the most magical moment I have ever experienced on ‘America’s Got Talent.’ “
Two Moms United will get to touch more hearts, as the duo earned four yeses.
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