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'America's Got Talent' Season 15: Sword swallower Brett Loudermilk splits audience with 'gross' rubber duck act

Known as much for his banter with Sofia Vergara as for his sword swallowing, Loudermilk chose to have neither be a part of his act

Sword swallower Brett Loudermilk enlisted Howie Mandel instead of Sofia Vergara on the second semifinals episode of 'America's Got Talent' Season 15, delivering his unique blend of terrifying swallowing tricks with charming banter and magic tricks and leaving his audience stunned. For his act, Loudermilk had Mandel direct a camera down his throat so we could all see the rubber duck he "swallowed twenty years ago." Of course, he then regurgitated the duck on stage.

Unfortunately, despite him being a fan-favorite, not everyone was a fan of Loudermilk's act this time around. Mostly, because it was gross. Sofia shared, "That was the most unnecessary thing," while Mandel stated he was not a fan. And many viewers agreed. One tweet read, "Yuck I wanted to puke after I saw that on #AGT No thank you," and another said, "Can't decide if that was gross or one of the ballsiest magic tricks I've ever seen."

Admittedly, it's certainly brave to switch out the sword in a sword swallowing act with a rubber duck. Additionally, Loudermilk mixed in magic by having Sofia be the one to decide what should come back up and out of him. And despite their disgust, some couldn't help but enjoy the performance. One viewer shared, "Disgusting but surprisingly better than the last magician," while another said, "@BrettLoudermilk I don’t know about you, but this dude cracks me up!"

Others are fully in camp Loudermilk, indicating that his risky choice for the night may just have paid off. "Brett Loudermilk is certainly unique," tweeted one user, "Brett Loudermilk is very creative with his acts," shared another, and one fan said, "@BrettLoudermilk IS THE BEST!!!!!!!! YOU F****** ROCK."

Loudermilk's sword swallowing act wowed viewers during the auditions where he had three judges pull out a sword each. But what stood out more from his act was the performer's banter with Sofia. Since then, his charm has been his ability to combine his skill with his stage presence and humor. For his semifinals performance, Loudermilk delivered a little of everything while also upping the ante and doing something no one would have expected. That, perhaps, might just be enough to put him through to the finals.