Mel B and Sofia Vergara risked it all for this wild ‘AGT’ strength act — and fans couldn't look away
For decades, 'AGT' has captivated audiences with jaw-dropping performances, but every so often, a contestant does something that seems almost incomprehensible. That's what Darien Johnson and Scott Mathison did on the 'AGT' stage in the running season. With various gym equipment on stage, judge Mel B asked, "Are we going to see a bench press?" and Simon Cowell wondered, "How will they make this interesting?"
When the act started, Mathison and Johnson picked up their barbells and started working out. But what they did next made everyone’s jaws drop. They flipped the heavy barbells into each other's hands and continued it for 2-3 solid repetitions. Mathison then hoisted himself onto the pull-up bar as Johnson launched the dumbbells with precision, landing them squarely on his feet. Things took an interesting turn when they invited 'Modern Family' alum Sofia Vergara and Mel B to join the stage. The audience held its breath. The two stood back-to-back, held hands, and closed their eyes as the athletes hurled weights just inches above their heads.

When the judges took back their seats, Vergara exclaimed, "That was terrific." She also added, “This is very interesting.” Sofia added. “I don't think we've ever seen this on AGT. It's really hard. Looking at your bodies, I can tell." While Mel B said, "What you do is proper, fit, and hot." Howie Mandel said, "I think it's entertaining, it's a strength act, it's an agility act, it inspires people to stay fit," before adding, "You checked a lot of boxes, I loved it." Cowell also commented on the performance and said, "I think a lot of people are going to find it interesting, and it was surprising and very, very difficult." Even host Terry Crews couldn't stop raving about the Herculean act and told the judges, "You have no idea how hard it is."

Fans rushed to the YouTube comments section and praised the deadly duo. Impressed with the act, a YouTuber wrote, "Man, they didn’t just work out, they performed. Turning fitness into a full-blown show takes insane control, creativity, and charisma. Huge respect to Darien & Scott, that was next-level energy." Echoing the sentiment, another YouTube viewer wrote, "That's freaking amazing. Very tough to throw and hold. They make it sound so easy. I hope others don't try throwing weights in the gym."
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While viewers were amazed by the duo's incredible strength and agility, they also wondered if they could top it in the next round. On a Reddit thread titled, "Early Release For Darien Johnson & Scott Mathison. What are your thoughts?" An 'AGT' fan wrote, "It was pretty good. But I have some trouble seeing how it gets better. Like, what more can they do?" Agreeing to the sentiment, another fan said, "You have a good point, as I think with an act like this, while being extremely impressive, I also wonder how this could process if it were to make The Live Shows."
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Ahead of the performance, they told the judges how they met. "We each did independent workouts through our social media channels, and we followed each other for a long time," Mathison said. But things started shaping up when they started working out together. In Mathison's words, "It took us to the next level." While Johnson has 1.5M followers on Instagram, Mathison is not very far behind and has 1.6M followers.