'America's Got Talent' Season 15: Alan Silva is a 'giant on stage' with his death-defying acrobatic skills
The latest episode of 'America's Got Talent' just premiered on Tuesday night on the NBC network and ended with an absolute banger of a performance. The show-stopping acrobatic showpiece was from Alan Silva, a diminutive Brazilian aerialist who possesses plenty of heart, guts and confidence that more than compensate for his size. Now an American citizen, Alan came to the nation's premier talent show to tell his story. "I come from a circus family so I love to perform, but people always told me that I should just be a clown because of my size. I've been bullied my entire life and people judge me for my appearance. So I’m a little bit nervous about that," he revealed. However, Simon Cowell was quick to reassure him that he would not have to worry about that since the judges were only interested in judging him on his talent and not his size.
One of the regular judges, Heidi Klum was missing from this episode's taping since she was feeling under the weather. However, we were in for a pleasant surprise as Eric Stonestreet, Sofia Vergara's co-star from the 'Modern Family' TV series, graciously accepted the show's invitation to make an appearance as a stand-in judge in Klum's absence. Alan said he was inspired to appear on AGT after his brother, the knife-throwing Alfredo Silva of 'Deadly Games' fame became a success story on Season 11 of 'America's Got Talent' and went on to compete in Season 1 of 'AGT: The Champions'. His brother was there to cheer him on in the audience, along with Alan's loving wife and two young children, who were watching spellbound from the wings — this was the first time they had seen their dad perform on stage.
Despite his short stature, Alan's towering bravery was unquestionable. His acrobatic aerial routine required him to perform on two white silk drapes hung high from the ceiling, without a safety net. With a combination of death-defying spins and practiced falls that prompted gasps from the audience, Alan proceeded to captivate the audience with his acrobatic and gymnastic ability, including a soaring flight through the air, practically over the judges' heads. His kids were cheering him on throughout, yelling "Go Papa!"
At the end of his breathtaking daredevilry, an emotional Alan broke down in tears on stage, while his children rushed onstage to embrace him. The judges were incredibly impressed by his performance with Howie Mandel saying that it was entertaining, graceful and thrilling. Eric said that the hairs on his neck stood up when he flew over their heads and was tearing up after watching that inspiring performance.
Sofia declared that was a "performance of a giant" and said that she loved it. Simon concluded that he was a natural performer and was definitely the best act they had seen that night. Strangely enough, Alan did not receive a golden buzzer even though his performance clearly merited one.
Fans on social media were just as impressed as the judges. One viewer tweeted, "Brilliant act tonight! I was blown away by the performance!! Top notch! I would pay to see Alan perform live in Vegas!" Another declared, "Alan deserved the #GoldenBuzzer! You should have let @EricStonestreet do it! #AGT." A fan also exclaimed, "TV can’t express how great Alan Silva was and how dangerous his last stunt seemed in person. Truly. #AGT." As another fan concluded, "Omg Alan you are a flying angel!!"
Make sure you catch up with Alan in future episodes of 'America's Got Talent' every Tuesday night on NBC at 8 pm ET.