Top 10 Most Surprising America's Got Talent Auditions

Brother and sister act, Aaralyn & Izzy appeared on the eighth season of “America’s Got Talent.” As they walked onto the stage for their audition, the judges were captivated by the adorable charm of the nine and six-year-old duo. Already expecting “sweet music” from the two, their expressions seemed to turn sour the moment Aaralyn opened her mouth. Performing an original heavy metal song titled “Zombie Skin,” Aaralyn screamed and growled with the straightest face you’ve ever seen. It was so astounding that Howard Stern had to buzz them because he was afraid for her vocal cords. In the end, the duo got three yeses and proceeded to the Vegas round.

To date, many mime acts have graced the “AGT” stage, but this one left us truly speechless with his performance. Tape Face’s original and refreshing routine took him all the way to the finale of Season 11, and it all started with this riveting audition. Though his pre-performance silence gave the judges some pause, the New Zealand artist quickly had everyone in the palm of his hand. Or hands, rather. With just two mittens made to look like puppets, Tape Face put on a simple, yet innovative performance of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross’ “Endless Love.” Next, he removes a red coat and acts out an amusing scene between two lovers, all by himself. It didn’t take long to get the judges on their feet for the quiet man.

The first surprise you get from Victor Kee’s Season 11 audition is that he’s just a man wearing a leotard, not some anatomical modeling of the human muscular system. But that’s just one of many curveballs in the exhilarating ride that was Viktor’s routine. The Ukrainian-born, Cirque du Soleil performer thrilled the “AGT” judges and audience by juggling sets of balls in a mesmerizing fashion. It’s by no means an ordinary juggling act. Viktor’s calculated and artistic movements, set to anxiety-inducing music, left everyone stunned as he progressed from one ball, to three, and then four. His performance earned a “Yes” from all four judges, securing him a spot in the Judge Cuts.

For then 12-year-old Darci Lynne, ventriloquism was an art form she used in finding her voice and expressing herself. After picking up the art at age 10, Lynne found herself before millions of viewers from across the world auditioning for a chance to win the $1 million prize. In her first showing, Lynne combined ventriloquism and singing, blowing everyone away with her rendition of George Gershwin's “Summertime.” Lynne’s performance was strong enough to earn her a standing ovation from the entire auditorium, and the golden buzzer from Mel B. She maintained a consistently impressive run throughout the show and was eventually announced as the winner of Season 12.

When it comes to unexpected auditions in “AGT” history, there are only a handful of acts that have topped this. Pasha, a Russian performer walks before the judges and claims his routine was supposed to be a duo with his wife, but she missed her flight there. Since the show must go on, he decides to perform the routine alone. This backstory makes the performance all the more puzzling when a couple is wheeled onstage and delivers a breathtaking dance number with high kicks, twists, and twirls. Is this the flight-missing wife? Nope. Just Pasha, single-handedly giving one of the most original acts to ever grace the “AGT” stage. The fact that Pasha & Aliona didn’t scale through the Deliberations remains a grave injustice.

Like any other installment, the 16th season of “America’s Got Talent,” was riddled with countless talented artists. And Donovan, a performer with aspirations of becoming a Broadway star, certainly was one of them. Donovan picked a notably difficult song for his audition, choosing to sing “Think of Me” from “The Phantom of the Opera.” His high-pitched voice soared to the ceilings of the auditorium, leaving the judges gobsmacked. The performance ended in a roaring applause and standing ovation, which admittedly could’ve been rounded up nicely with a golden buzzer. He may not have fared so well on “AGT,” but we can only wish Donovan a spectacular Broadway career.

This vocal group from Season 11 proves that you really can’t judge a book by its cover. Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, Linkin’ Bridge is made up of four adult men who have known each other since they were teenagers. For a group that grew up on hip-hop acts of the ‘80s and ‘90s, it came as an absolute shock when they broke out into an acapella rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” It was amazing, with all four men possessing remarkable control of their voices and harmonizing perfectly. It comes as no surprise that the group received four yeses and eventually made it to the finals that season.

When she stepped onto the stage of “America’s Got Talent,” Courtney Hadwin was noticeably nervous. For a 13-year-old girl in an entirely different country, that was quite understandable. At first soft-spoken and shy, Hadwin transforms into a rock machine as soon as the first note of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” plays. She fully embodies the spirit of Janis Joplin, strutting her stuff around the stage with an exuberance unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s a powerhouse rendition that’ll send chills down the spine of any viewer. Unlike at the beginning when no one saw this performance coming, by the end, we all knew a golden buzzer was on the horizon for the young Courtney Hadwin.

The winner of the eighth season of “America’s Got Talent,” Kenichi Ebina is a freestyle dancer who incorporates a diverse range of styles into his routine. In his audition, Ebina first exudes an intentionally dorky and clumsy attitude, which set expectations pretty low for the Japanese performer. But it didn’t take too long for those expectations to be shattered. Ebina’s Matrix-inspired, martial arts and hip-hop dance crossover sent the judges and audience into an absolute frenzy. How he’s able to pull off some of these stunts beats us, but we’re pretty sure if there was a golden buzzer back then, he would’ve gotten it. There’s no question, Ebina was fully deserving of his win.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Lil Mike & Funny Bone
The Native-American Rappers Had Everyone Doing the Rain Dance

Piff the Magic Dragon
Piff Proves That Dragons Are Way Better Than Humans at Comedy & Magic

Christopher
Christopher Does All the Work in This Group Assignment of Performing ”YMCA”

Tone the Chiefrocca
That B-Double-O-T-Y Made Tone the Chiefrocca a One-Hit Wonder, & Deservedly So

Ryan Beard
Beard’s Confidence Is on Full Display in His Ironic Performance of “Ladies’ Man”

Imagine losing the ability to read for twenty seconds. Sounds pretty terrifying, right? Well, that was the predicament of Howie Mandel during this Season 9 audition. No, Howie wasn’t hypnotized. He was just put through the pseudoscientific practice of Pressure Phrenology by the comedy magic duo David & Leeman. The two Los Angeles magicians bring Howie onstage and seemingly take away his comprehension skills just by squeezing certain points on his head. David & Leeman, which according to Nick Cannon, sounds more like an accounting firm than a magic duo, left everyone in stitches one second and speechless the next. Their phenomenal act gave them an easy pass to the next round and took them all the way to the finals.