On “America’s Got Talent,” a great act can warm the heart — or it can rattle some nerves.
Dancer-contortionist El Invertebrado (The Invertebrate) shocked judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Heidi Klum with a spooky pole-dancing routine during the fourth round of auditions Tuesday night. Dressed in ghoulish zombie makeup, the 21-year-old began by popping up in front of the judges’ table, scaring Klum and Mandel out of their seats.
The Dominican dancer then astounded the judges and studio audience with his lithe body bending as he artfully wrapped himself around a pole onstage.
“That was insane,” Vergara said. “It was horrific and beautiful at the same time.”
While she was initially frightened, Halloween queen Klum came around to the horror-inspired routine.
“I have to admit, when you popped up, I peed myself a little bit,” Klum said. “Obviously, I love Halloween, so this is right up my alley. I love you.”
El Invertebrado’s “AGT” fate had a happy ending, as the dancer earned four yeses from the judges.
Here’s what else happened on Tuesday’s episode.
Simon Cowell compares stunt group Warrior Squad to ‘a machine’
Indian stunt group Warrior Squad took teamwork to a whole new level. The group wowed the judges, earning a standing ovation with its series of high-flying flips and intricate balancing acts.
Mandel said the stunt artists’ act was a game-changer for the competition.
“When you did that four-man pyramid and you turned, the ability to move that pyramid at the same time was something that I have never seen before,” Mandel said. “You just raised the bar.”
Cowell praised the group for its seamless synchronicity onstage.
“I am blown away by this act,” Cowell said. “It was like a machine: every single part had to work together. It was unbelievable.”
Warrior Squad has another chance to fight for “AGT” victory. The group scored four yeses.
Simon Cowell loses voice after alien ventriloquist curses him
Cowell’s fierce criticism finally got the best of him.
Wearing an alien mask and gloves, paired with a hot dog costume, a ventriloquist unsuccessfully auditioned for the judges with a doll-like puppet named Poose. The puppet’s high-pitched, childlike voice drew boos from the audience and earned the ventriloquist four Xs.
“This is coming from someone that knows about ventriloquism,” Vergara said. “You cannot say you’re a ventriloquist when you have a mask on.”
In typical Cowell fashion, the British entertainment mogul gave the ventriloquist a scathing critique.
“That is the worst act we have seen this year on the show by a mile,” Cowell said. “Everything about that was terrible. Even your voice was annoying.”
Offended by Cowell’s commentary, the extraterrestrial ventriloquist swore revenge on Cowell. “You didn’t like my voice,” the contestant said as they exited the stage. “You are cursed, Simon.”
Following the audition, host Terry Crews informed the audience that Cowell had lost his voice, preventing him from giving verbal feedback.
“My least favorite talent is a mime, and now I’m working with one,” Mandel joked.
Flaming Rubik’s cube solver stuns judges: ‘Something’s going to go wrong’
Rubik’s cube solver Thomas Vu brought a fiery edge to the iconic puzzle toy.
The 35-year-old contestant upped the ante on his speedy cube-solving skills by greasing himself up and lighting himself on fire during his act. Vu paced the stage as his clothes began to burn under the extreme heat. But the challenge wasn’t too hot to handle, as Vu solved the cube before being extinguished onstage.
“It’s so scary it made us look at each other going, ‘Oh my God, something’s going to go wrong,’ ” Mandel said. “But you survived, and that is amazing.”
Klum admired Vu’s nerve-wracking act. “I couldn’t look away,” she said. “You really are fearless.”
While Vu failed to earn Vergara’s stamp of approval (“I was scared”), he earned a trio of yeses from Cowell, Mandel and Klum.
“How can you say no to a man that sets himself on fire doing a Rubik’s cube?” Klum said.
French dance troupe Murmuration wins Golden Buzzer with blindfolded routine
French dance group Murmuration lit up the “AGT” stage with an undeniable je ne sais quoi. The 65-person troupe, whose members were blindfolded for the entire performance, floored the judges with crisp, synchronized arm movements.
“You guys were so amazingly in sync even though you couldn’t see anything,” Klum said. “It was so elegant, with so much grace. I thought it was fantastic.”
Mandel gushed over the novelty of the group’s dance routine.
“I was mesmerized,” Mandel said. “I find it almost more magnificent when you get a large group of people, and the movements are smaller but perfect. It blew me away.”
The comedian was so impressed that he got up out of his seat to mimic the group’s choreography. Mid-dance, Mandel slammed down on the Golden Buzzer button, sending Murmuration directly to the “AGT” live shows.
“You’re just amazing,” Mandel told the group. “You just move me.”
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