'Americas Got Talent': Cheer Athletics Wildcats from Texas wow with their energetic, death-defying act
'America's Got Talent' Season 15 just kicked off with another exciting episode on Tuesday night. Once again, we were treated to a stellar showcase of talent from acrobatics and musical performances to brilliant stand up comics, magicians and other acts. One of the things that was noticeably absent in this episode was the cheering audience since these later episodes were filmed during the coronavirus lockdown. So it was just the four judges and the prospective talents, making it somehow even harder on these contestants because they didn't have the energy of the crowd to feed off of. Also conspicuous by her absence was AGT judge Heidi Klum, who was still feeling under the weather. So Sofia Vergara's 'Modern Family' co-star Eric Stonestreet was once again on hand to graciously take her place as the fourth judge alongside Simon Cowell, Vergara and Howie Mandel.
Kicking off the show was an entertaining cheerleading troupe, the rather appropriately-named Cheer Athletics (CA) Wildcats from Plano, Texas. This massive group of acrobatic stars had come to prove that they had everything it took to put on an entertaining spectacle. Ranging from ages 13 to nearly 30, this collective of 25+ members had both the gymnastic skills and mental toughness to show that cheerleading was now considered a premier sport. They said they considered themselves a club of like-minded athletes, who practiced their routines in the gym and then went on to compete against other cheerleading troupes in competitions across the country.
It didn't take long for the Wildcats to wow the judges with their twists, turns, cartwheels and somersaults. There were some death-defying high-flying jumps and flips that had our hearts in our throats, but these contestants were clearly professionals. Once they were done, the judges were clearly impressed and in awe of their energetic skills and physical prowess.
Vergara noted that they were incredibly synchronized and loved how happy they looked on stage. Mandel noted that cheerleading had now become a sport in itself and was probably more dangerous than the other sports we are rooting for on television. Stonestreet agreed with Howie, saying that cheerleading was now no longer an appetizer and had become a main course in itself. Cowell also observed that there was nothing more exciting than seeing a talented group of professionals and was pleased to see the ambition and steel in their eyes. Naturally, all four judges gave the Wildcats a big, resounding yes.
On social media, they had plenty of fans cheering for them too. One viewer declared, "That just helped put All Star cheer on the map!" Another fan said, "Cheer Athletics Wildcats killed it on AGT." Yet another impressed admirer said, "These Wildcats are the prettiest, most diverse, most 'Bring It On' squad I've ever seen! #AmericasGotTalent." One more fan exclaimed, "Wildcats are moving on to the next round!! I’m literally crying happy tears and I can’t wait for them to continue to show the world what cheerleading really is."
Make sure you tune in for more exciting episodes of 'America's Got Talent' on NBC every Tuesday night at 8 pm ET.