“America’s Got Talent” returned Tuesday with another round of auditions full of singers with stories that will have you wiping tears away.
One of those auditions came from Wyn Starks, who said he worked in hospitality before he was laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now he’s stepping up to sing for “AGT” judges Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara and Heidi Klum (not Howie Mandel, who was sick), because fear kept him “too long” from pursuing his dream. .
Starks sang his original song “Who I Am,” which he says was one of his twin brother’s favorites before his recent death.
“It was really difficult,” he said. “He was one of my biggest supporters. Being here means everything to me, and I’m doing this for him.”
Starks then launches into a performance that practically reduces Vergara to a puddle of tears. The judge shared that she knows the pain of losing a sibling.
“It was amazing. I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like to lose a twin.”
Cowell remarked that he and his fellow judges got to meet “the most incredible people on this show.”
“You’re brilliant, Wyn, and we’ve all seen for obvious reasons how emotional you are,” he said. “That song, it was amazing…I think it was the perfect tribute to your brother.”
Starks got a “yes” from all three judges.
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Ben Waites stuns with ‘True Colors’; the group kids acapella pays tribute to a member who died at 15
It wasn’t the only emotional singing audition.
Voice coach Ben Waites also brought Vergara to tears while singing “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper.
“The song’s message that I feel is able to speak to people, regardless of age, race, background,” he said. “He is able to communicate a message of hope.”
Klum noticed that Vergara “bawled her eyes out” after the song. And Vergara “don’t cry,” Cowell added.
“You shifted into another gear at the end (of the song),” Cowell continued. “It’s just a great audition.”
Acapop! KIDS, an acapella group for children, also gave a powerful performance with their tribute to their group member Nolan, who recently passed away at the age of 15.
According to his mother, Nolan had a “great summer day” before he was later found dead. His mother said his death was considered a “sudden unexplained death”.
“He would love for them to do his song,” his mother added.
The band performed Nolan’s song “My Turn” to rave reviews from the judges.
“Singing a tribute song to someone you’ve lost is such a hard thing to do,” Cowell told the kids. “So emotional, so respectful. And that was what I call a moment.”
Waites and Acapop! KIDS got a “yes” from all the judges, sending them to the next round.
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Breakout Duo Act Explodes (Literally)
And in true “AGT” style, the episode featured some gripping novelty acts.
A duo, named Henry and Klauss, performed an escape routine that had the audience and judges gasping in terror. The duo are friends, but call each other brothers because their jobs require them to be deeply bonded to each other.
For their act, they each entered two different barrels joined at the sides. The barrels were suspended in the air and the duo had to work together, with only their hands free through a hole in the side of each barrel to unlock their handcuffs using a bobby pin.
But that was not all – the pair had 90 seconds before a flame shot up a rope attached to the barrels, triggering a fiery explosion, with them inside.
The pair appeared to struggle mightily, only releasing a shaking hand before the flame triggered the explosion. The theater let out a collective gasp. But where were the brothers?
Suddenly, two stagehands, one holding a camera and the other holding a pole, removed their face masks revealing themselves as a duo.
“It was spectacular,” Vergara said. “It was such a nerve-wracking thing. We were all going crazy.”
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Klum said she loved “the dangerous part of it,” and Cowell praised their showmanship, which he says is “really, really important.”
They got a “yes” from all the judges, sending them to the next round.
Another offbeat act came from Alex Rivers, who danced while playing contemporary music on his violin.
He had auditioned the day before, but Cowell wanted to see more, telling him to come back with a new song prepared.
Rivers did, and jokingly compared Cowell’s request to “like one of those toxic relationships where they chain you down.”
For her second song, Rivers performed on Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” on violin.
“I adore you,” Vergara said. “I know you’re nervous, but you came strong. You were happy to be here, and this song was so much better. (Simon) was right.”
“Would you still say our relationship is toxic?” Cowell joked.
Rivers got a “yes” from all three judges.
Sofía Vergara participates in a messy whipping act with Adam Winrich
Tuesday’s episode included an act that required the participation of a judge.
Vergara was brought on stage by an Adam Winrich who showed off his whip cracking abilities. He cracked whips on both sides of the judge, swinging her around a roll of toilet paper as he whipped each individual sheet of a roll of toilet paper fired from a toilet paper cannon .
The act received mixed reviews, but ultimately earned the contestant enough votes to advance to the next round.
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