Who is Maria? ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21 contortionist reveals she was paralyzed for two years
In an early release audition, ‘America’s Got Talent’ (AGT) shared a first look at an upcoming Season 21 episode featuring Maria, “a human Bavarian pretzel.” The teenage performer from Germany opened up about her paralysis while on stage. The 18-year-old introduced herself to the cameras: “Hi everyone, I am Maria, and I am from Bavaria, Germany. I live on a small mountain with my family and my animals. My village is very small. Only about 40 people, but there are 200 animals.” She said she loved her “small” village, but dreamed of appearing on “big stages” across the world. It was her first time visiting America, and she felt “overwhelmed and amazing.” She added, “I’m very nervous, because I hoped to be on AGT for my entire life, and I hope that I can amaze and inspire the people of my village.”
She also spoke about her dream of becoming a therapist, as she wanted to help people. Maria then shared about her previous condition, “When I was 10 years old, I was very sick. I was in a wheelchair for two years because I was paralyzed. But in this difficult time, I watched AGT, and I saw all this, and I saw so many people here on this stage, and I was inspired, and I wanted to be like them, so I want to show my talent for you today.”
Her performance included bending over backward, which surprised everyone. She did not need to stretch or warm up beforehand, and she did not use any props. To shock everyone even further, after folding her body over, she started walking around while still bent. She also noted that her disability and flexibility were connected because her paralysis was due to the inflammation in her spine. Because of that, she became even more flexible. After her performance, the four judges, including Howie Mandel, Mel B, Simon Cowell, and Sofia Vergara, shared their views.
Howie noted, “We’ve seen contortionists before, but you seem to go beyond the point where most people (go). You’re like a living cute little pretzel. I’m so glad you’re here. That was amazing.” Fellow judge Sofia said, “You make it seem so easy, so effortless; you’re smiling and standing really cute, like it’s nothing; meanwhile, it’s like you’re about to break in six pieces.” She also noted that they could see how much Maria enjoyed her performance. Simon agreed with that and added that it was “brilliant.” All four judges shared their decisions, which were a “Yes.”
