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Aerialist quit his job to chase a dream — then wowed ‘AGT’ with emotional act dedicated to his late father

Matthew Richardson appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and recalled the good old days he had spent with his supportive father.

After clearing the auditions, Matthew Richardson appeared on the future round of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ Season 14, bringing an emotional yet the most stunning act. His heartwrenching performance had the judges so shocked that once Richardson was done with his routine, the whole theater was stunned so much so that it went quiet. Gabrielle Union asked the contestant, “You blew us away for your first audition, so what are you gonna do tonight?” The aerialist replied that he was going to perform something personal, an act that he had created for his late father.

Through a footage, Richardson mentioned how at the age of 26, he had quit his job and joined acrobatic classes. However, his father always supported him in his every decision and loved that he was chasing his dream. The contestant's father passed away due to pancreatic cancer. “My dad was my biggest fan,” Richardson concluded the video. On a dark floor, having a spotlight on him, the contestant sat on the stage of ‘AGT.’ Soon, he began his routine, leaning backward and then lying on the floor, portraying his emotional distress. Richardson then grabbed his acrobatic ring, which lifted him up in the air, as a soothing symphony played in the background. He leaned later out of the ring. The contestant then also hung his body outside the ring. 

This was also when old recorded conversations between him and his father were being played on stage. Underneath a bright blue light, the acrobat then started to swirl his ring. The gymnast then held his one leg while holding the ring with his other leg and a hand. The ring then came down on the floor, as the contestant detached it from the thread it was hanging on. What came next was purely stunning and incomparable. The man swirled the ring on the floor, defying gravity. He then started making rounds with the ring, being inside it, upside down. The acrobat covered the whole grand stage of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ as he circled inside the gymnast's ring.

Just like a spider, he touched every curve of the ring on the floor and yet kept his body in the air, showing a sheer balancing act. As soon as the music stopped, Simon Cowell, along with other judges, was seen being stunned to the core. While Cowell had covered his mouth in shock. Julianne Hough, who happens to be a dancer herself, had no expression on her face at all. All four judges, including the guest judge, Brad Paisley, stood up from their seats, giving Richardson a standing ovation. 

Wearing a cowboy hat, Paisley asked Richardson if those were the actual recordings of his late father, calling it “very moving and so inspiring.” “We were looking at your circle,” stated Union, adding that it looked like a dream catcher. She also added that his performance was “pretty extraordinary.” According to Fandom, the act was eliminated in the Judge Cuts round but returned to the show as a Wild Card for the Semifinals.