‘America’s Got Talent’ Auditions Turn Golden Again in Night from Goofy to Ghoulish
Season 14 of America’s Got Talent might just become one of the most unique in the competition’s stellar history. Once again, the second week of Season 14’s auditions on June 4 had uplifting moments to bring anyone watching to cheers and tears of joy. There were also moments of terror in these tryouts that became downright chilling. The screams and shivers from judges Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough, and Howie Mandel can verify that fact. Gabrielle Union was the subject of one horrifying showcase. Only her blindfold kept her from visibly experiencing the fright.
The evening had many moments of delight and inspiration to remember, and one singer-songwriter champion stepped into golden history, and so did Howie Mandel.
So dang fun to see and not bad on the ears, either
America’s Got Talent continues to be completely unique among competitions because there is no formula to its format to finding talent. Host Terry Crews trotted out with a suitcase for the first audition of the night. He left it on stage without explanation, and the judges were bemused before a single human hand started to unzip the case.
The hand belonged to Jonathan Burns, who quickly turned up the music and managed to move the audience to riotous laughter as he wriggled his whole body through a standard toilet seat. He followed with a tennis racket hoop routine reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite’s big stage moment. Jonathan’s 3 minutes ended with an almost all-out striptease. The faces of the judges and the building reaction of the audience only added to the fun.
“I’m not sure what I saw,” Gabrielle union responded, “but I know I want to see more.” Howie Mandel remarked that Jonathan’s smile and physical humor made him memorable. America will be seeing more of Jonathan since he earned straight yeses. It will be interesting to see how far he makes it.
Benicio Bryan impresses everyone
14-year-old Benicio Bryant gave a gift to the ears and soul with her song. She and her mom got scared after seeing a series of acts get X’s, but when the petite brunette’s time came, she stunned everyone with her passion and nuance. Her rendition of Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke” was a triumph, encompassing sensitivity beyond mere vocal talent. Simon Cowell dubbed her “a real talent” and Julianne summed up that Benicio was “the entire package.” She is sure to stay a contender.
Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were very pleased by what they saw from the three Messoudi Brothers. Tall, dark, strong and very flexible are descriptors for these acrobatic siblings, and they showcased so many unique poses in balancing that it was impossible to count them all. Howie Mandel playfully asked if they had just come out of the shower before they came onstage. Julianne and Gabrielle couldn’t get enough when the shirts came off.
“Wha wha wha WOW” Gabrielle Union gave as a critique. Simon Cowell said that the brothers “ticked every box” on the America’s Got Talent list for hopefuls. Female fans can look forward to seeing this trio more times through this summer.
A scary turn on America’s Got Talent
Another trio of performers from India tantalized the judges and the crowd in a very different way. They laid coconuts and melons in a human outline on the stage, and one among the Singh brothers laid down within the outline. Within a flash, his towering 7-foot-six counterpart was wearing a full-face blindfold and wielding a huge sword. There was no more than inches between the produce he was smashing and the flesh of his subject.
Somehow, every last piece of fruit and coconut was obliterated, while the brother survived unscathed. This act truly had the panel screaming, and even asking for the performance to stop. Nonetheless, they somehow loved being terrified, so everyone will see this scary demonstration done differently again.
Children always bring a smile, and Kids Light Balance and GFORCE gushed with youthful energy and empowerment all over the stage. These two could be pretty good competition this season.
Time for some comedy on America’s Got Talent
Comedian Ryan Niemiller deserves his shot at staying around, too, after delivering a rousing set that showed the humor in facing physical challenges. Niemiller had been told that his comedy wasn’t “what we need here” by a club manager, without ever being given the opportunity of winning over an audience.
Simon Cowell gave his total support to Ryan and noted that the manager was the one with the disability. Howie Mandel went further, calling the comedian “a star, funny, and brilliant” before he left with straight yeses. Gabrielle Union already has plans to see him on tour. The America’s Got Talent stage does more than display talent– it vindicates the human spirit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KsNrj3jKZI
Nicholas Wallace brought a whole another level of scary to the AGT stage. The “mentalist” told the true story of a hotel where otherwise healthy guests had died of different causes. The deaths were always in a room with the rocking chair that he brought to the stage. A vintage doll was also found in another room.
Wallace called Gabrielle Union to the stage, and she took a seat in that rocking chair. He blindfolded the activist and actress, and then performed a number of motions and touches to the doll. Gabrielle Union responded physically to each of these, although she was not able to see what was being done. Creepy can’t begin to describe the eek factor in this performance. America and the panel all have a taste for terror, so Nicholas Wallace will be back.
On a rising note
Joseph Allen came out to a cheering crowd before he ever started his performance. The singer-songwriter has a strong social media following ever since he shared a birthday song for his mother on Facebook. It seemed that he also brought everyone from his school to America’s Got Talent as well.
Allen made a deal with Terry Crews that the host would come and carry him if he got the golden buzzer. His uplifting song of “chasing my dreams” definitely got him attention. In both his voice and in his spirit, Joseph Allen wants to be a difference maker. He was impressive.
Howie Mandel is no rapper but he proved he had some moves of his own when he climbed to stand on the judges’ panel desk and did a walk to the golden buzzer, noting that beyond the music, Joseph’s exuberance and smile were something the world needed. Terry Crews kept his word lifting the musician up on America’s Got Talent.
Make sure you don’t miss new episodes of America’s Got Talent each week on NBC.
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