AGT Recap: Psychadelic Rock Twist on Sinatra, Incredible Act That Turned Down Olympics Gets Gold

A short night on “America’s Got Talent,” it was a night filled with musicians both incredibly innovative and incredibly awful -- plus, quite possibly the worst dancing we’ve ever seen. If you could even call it that..

There were, of course, other types of acts as well, but with only an hour, we found ourselves mesmerized by a stunning reimagining of a Frank Sinatra standard into some sort of psychedelic rock trip like we’ve never heard before … and couldn’t get enough of.

Elsewhere, we got a spooky magician that left the panel squirming and jumping out of their seats in genuine fear, while a comedian had them falling out in laughter. And then there was this week’s Golden Buzzer act, an act that said they turned down an offer to perform at the Olympics due to COVID-19. It’s an impressive resume, backed up by a great performance.

Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.

And just for fun, I'm gonna rank them from worst to first to see how my favorites do and then we can track them throughout the season to see how they fare.

[[video unavailable]]

(dancer) She said she was a go-go dancer in the ‘60s, but then she brought out the slowest “classic white guy dance” moves we’ve ever seen. What was this supposed to be? Was this a serious audition? At least she was happy to be there.

Results: N, N, N, X

[[video unavailable]]

(singer) Well, this was terrible. She had all the confidence in the world, and then backed it up with an absolutely atrocious vocal performance. She butchered Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” so bad we found ourselves wanting to track down the original just to try and wipe her take out of our brains. But don’t worry, she had a whole performance troupe with her to do some … stunts? Yeah, it was all terrible.

Results: N, X, N, X

(magician) A little more theatrical than genuinely impressive as the inkblot image could have easily been pre-planned and spider is the most likely answer. Still, assuming things could have not gone that way, we’ll say it was nevertheless a solidly creepy presentation. Not the best scary magician we’ve ever seen, but at least he kept our attention throughout. We were just hoping for a little more wow factor.

Results: Y, Y, Y, Y

[[video unavailable]]

(singers) This boy band took on JP Saxe’s “If the World Was Ending” and it was pretty solid. They got short-changed on the edit, being used more as a set-up for T.3, but they had impressive harmonies and great vocal chemistry. We’d have perhaps liked something that felt a little more authentic or emotional, considering the tone of the song, but the talent is definitely there.

Results: Y, Y, Y, Y

(comedian) It took Kabir a moment to really get into his rhythm, but once he got there, he delivered some fun material. The serial killer bits were definitely the stronger ones, especially when he delved into why non-white people couldn’t get away with being serial killers even if they wanted to. You could tell he has an ease and a comfort on stage, but you could also feel his nerves and him rushing a bit. Still, it was worth another chance to settle in.

Results: Y, Y, Y, Y

(singers) Talk about an unexpected audition, these three guys were so unassuming, we thought they might actually turn out to be terrible. Instead, they took a “Frozen II” song beyond the unknown and into the truly unexpected. At times, it sounded like there was a full choir up there with just their voices. That’s how you interpret a song no one expects in a way no one expects. We couldn’t wait to see what they might do next, which is a good sign for their future.

Results: Y, Y, Y, Y

(taekwondo) Look, it wasn’t a flawless performance, or demonstration -- the edit certainly tried to make it look that way -- but it was nevertheless impressive. It was probably even more amazing in person as the judges and Terry were beside themselves with excitement. The aerial heights they reached were definitely impressive, but we were as impressed with how tight their synchronicity was when going through formations. It’s easy to see why they’d have been invited to the Olympics. This is a world-class, very clean operation and a very impressive audition.

Results: [Terry’s Golden Buzzer]

(singer) Not only does she have an incredible name and look incredible for any age, Storm absolutely slayed a rock-infused take on Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” It was haunting and powerful, with so many different expressions of character in her voice throughout. It felt a bit like a late ‘60s psychedelic trip, but it was absolutely mesmerizing and, more importantly, stunning throughout. This is how you leave a stamp. Storm will be remembered.

Results: Y, Y, Y, Y

“America’s Got Talent” auditions continue next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.