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'AGT' Season 17: Ukrainian couple's incredible contortion dance makes Simon change his decision

Simon takes back his red X buzzer after he learns about the story behind the act performed by the contortion couple Oleksandr and Aurélie Brua Yenivatov

'America's Got Talent' returned on Tuesday, June 14, with a magnificent two-hour episode of its 17th season. Oleksandr and Aurélie Brua Yenivatov are two of the most noteworthy performers on the 'AGT' stage during the third round of auditions, convincing Simon to change his mind and allow them to advance in the competition.

For their audition, the circus performers demonstrate their balance and contortion abilities. Oleksandr is a Ukrainian contortionist who now resides in France. He honed his skills at Moscow's Nikouline Circus. He appears to be most recognized for his 2001 frog character, 'Sacha the Frog' or 'Gentleman Frog.' According to reports, this show is still evolving, with additional humor, choreography, and fresh exercises. This contortionist has won gold at the European Circus Festival in Belgium and bronze at the Festival du Cirque de Demain in Paris. He's also featured on other television series, including 'Das Supertalent' (Germany's equivalent of Got Talent) and 'Incroyable Talent' (France's Got Talent). Oleksandr has also been on shows in Italy, Japan, China, Spain, and the United Kingdom as a guest performer. Oleksandr has also performed in festivals, theaters, cabarets, and traditional and modern circuses. 'Frankenstein,' 'Sacha The Kalinka Frog,' 'Gentleman,' and 'La Rose' are the names of Oleksandr's primary stage performances. During his AGT audition, he performed 'Frankenstein' with his wife, Aurélie Brua Yenivatov.

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Aurélie has exactly as much theatrical experience as Oleksandr. After a career in gymnastics, she began performing as a circus performer at the age of 27. Oleksandr was her teacher and art director before becoming her spouse in December 2003. Aurélie has also performed in several galas, festivals, casinos, cruises, theaters and cabarets, and modern and traditional circuses. She has also appeared on 'Incroyable Talent' ('France's Got Talent'), 'Das Supertalent' (Germany), 'Tu Si Que Vales' (Italy), and others. Her major acts, according to her website, are balancing and double mates. She had just concluded her gymnastics career and was working with Cirque Archaos in 1999. She noticed two poles lying on the ground and requested that they be fixed vertically parallel to each other. Furthermore, she later dubbed the discipline "double mates." In 2005, Aurélie turned this into an act. In terms of balances, Oleksandr taught Aurélie cane balancing (also called hand balance) in 2001. She developed her first act, "Le Lutin," after three years of rehearsal.

The judges were not prepared for the incredible contortion stretching that Oleksandr Yenivatov did in his audition when Terry assisted in wheeling him out on a stretcher. Simon was unwilling to wait for the performance to evolve, so he pressed his red X buzzer after one trick, but the other judges were able to endure more secondhand agony. Simon said he was "a little bit stupid" and couldn't understand the tale, while Howie led the criticism by calling the performance brilliant. Sofia enjoyed the Frankenstein story and wants to see more. Simon withdrew his red X and joined the other judges in casting four Yes votes to see what they may do next.

Fans on social media, like Simon, have differing views on the Ukrainian pair. Fans were particularly excited to see contestants from Ukrain take over the 'AGT' stage, owing to the ongoing political turmoil going on in the country. One fan wrote: "#AGT very impressive act and for his performance it might be reflective of the current situation in Ukraine the Russian invasion. @SimonCowell
@howiemandel @SofiaVergara & @heidiklum would have seen Glory to Ukraine in Ukrainian languages it is Slava Ukraini #SlavaUkraini"

One fan found the act creepy yet interesting. "Oh my god that was so creepy and interesting #AGT@AGT," said the user.

Another fan while appreciating the act wrote: "I like creepy stuff that act was good #AGT"

Even though the act may come across as scary, fans couldn't help but talk about the husband-wife duo. One such fan took to Twitter and wrote: "I’ll admit, that act was a bit scary, but I could not look away. I enjoyed that act. That husband and wife duo are so cute. It kinda reminds me of me and my husband except the scary parts. #AGT"

America's Got Talent' Season 17 airs Tuesdays, at 8 pm on NBC. Following the show's premiere, you can catch all-new episodes every Tuesday from 8 to 10 pm ET/PT. For viewers who wish to tune in to the show without cable, they can do so using any of the following streaming services: Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, AT&T TV, or YouTube TV.

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