Who is Geno Ploeger? 'AGT' Season 21 magician has a surprising link to Season 9 winner
'America's Got Talent' Season 21 left the audience mesmerized with its debut episode, and it is not slowing down any time soon. The show recently gave viewers a glimpse of the upcoming episode by introducing Geno Ploeger, a magician mentored by a beloved former winner. In his introduction, the 21-year-old hopeful revealed that he has been doing magic since he was five years old. He further added that Mat Franco's win in Season 9 inspired him to take this route. “Two years ago, I actually had the opportunity to intern under him (Franco) and learn from one of the greats,” Geno shared with the judges.
On being asked whether he believes he would be able to replicate his mentor's success, Geno had a simple answer: "Anything can happen, right? Dreams do come true on this stage." On this confident note, the magician began his performance. He joined the judges at their table and started with Simon. The contestant brought out a deck of cards in front of Simon and asked him to choose one. Then he pulled out the same card from his cap, leaving the audience and judges in awe.
Things escalated to a whole new level when Geno began sharing his life story with the same deck. Before starting his tale, he asked Simon to write the word that inspired him on the Four of Diamonds card he picked. Simon, in his typical fashion, wrote, "Myself." Then he asked Mel B to shuffle the deck. "It started when I first watched Season 9 of AGT, when I watched Mat Franco tell his life story with a shuffled deck of playing cards. So, judges, with that inspiration in mind, and using the deck that you guys just shuffled, I'm going to let the cards tell you my story," he stated, as he held out the Nine of Spades, to signify Season 9. Using the same strategy, he shared his journey from being a fan in Heartland to a student in Vegas and now a hopeful on 'AGT.' He brought his act to a close by holding out the Four of Diamonds featuring the word 'Myself,' which Simon wrote, and the studio erupted, leaving Geno in tears.
“Can I just say, I’ve never seen magic done so quick, with so much showmanship,” Mel B said about his performance. “Shut the front door right now. That was brilliant, entertaining, magical.” Howie also had great things to say, but warned him not to be too inspired by Franco. “What you did was so entertaining, you were so professional, and so exciting,” he said. “That being said, the first time I saw somebody tell a story with cards was Mat Franco, so I would say if you’re lucky enough to come back, do something that is so you and not something reminiscent.” Simon, on the other hand, believed the performance had a lot of individuality. “We saw earlier, maybe one of the best magic acts we’ve seen. You have something completely different, which is this incredible enthusiasm, love for magic. You can see it in your eyes. And you have put the work in, which is why you really deserve to be here. However, everything is subjective,” he said.
Geno Ploeger then got four yesses from the judges, and Howie said, “I believe you deserve to be here. I want to see more. I want to see something original. It’s a yes.” Now all he needs to do is make it through the judges' cut to prove himself in the next round of 'AGT.' New episodes of 'America's Got Talent' Season 21 release on NBC every Tuesday at 8/7c and stream the next day on Peacock.
