‘AGT’ judges couldn’t believe their eyes when these dancing robots pulled off a somersault on live TV
'America's Got Talent' kicked off Season 21 with a spectacular episode that featured several unforgettable performances. The reality show premiered its latest season on June 3 on NBC, with Sofía Vergara, Mel B, Simon Cowell, and Howie Mandel returning as judges. Among all the contestants, 26-year-old Yufei Wu, aka Flyingbug, from China, stole the hearts of many. He seemed confident about his robotic dance act while speaking to Cowell. "No one comes here that doesn't crave victory," he told the judges about his dream of winning the talent show. Wu proved that he meant business when the Unitree humanoid robots set the stage on fire with an eerie but captivating dance performance that left everyone speechless.
As Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra' started playing, a brigade of eight pint-sized robots walked on stage to join Wu as his dancing partners. The judges and audience were stunned, with Mel B calling it "scary," as the robots walked across the stage and took their positions, displaying human-like movements. The robots followed Wu's dance moves in perfect sync and even performed somersaults, which drew cheers from the audience. Wu's act received a standing ovation from all four judges, who started heaping praise on Unitree.
The judges were at a loss for words. "They don't look human, but they're all staring at me right now. That was nuts, but brilliant. Brilliant," Cowell managed to say as the metal robots were seen blowing kisses at the audience. Their human-like demeanor was quite unsettling, but, at the same time, it was hard to take your eyes off of them as well. Vergara found the performance truly unbelievable and said, "I've never seen anything like this because usually those robots are like, very weird. These ones have rhythm. It was like watching people dance — and you are amazing; the way you dance is spectacular."
When Mel B asked whether the robots had specific names, Wu responded that they did indeed. He went on to introduce one of his robots as Jackie (from Jackie Chan), explaining that the name comes from its love of kung fu. Jackie started moving its arms around to showcase its best martial arts moves. But Mel B had to stop Wu as she felt uncomfortable with the robot's mannerisms. She went on to say, "I found this fascinating. I do find it a little bit freaky, but they all knew the choreography. I loved it." She also joked that Wu was the only one out of sync as the robots were perfectly aligned with each other. The audience also shared her sentiment as one of them was caught saying, "That was crazy," while another added, "I don't know if I'm like scared or impressed."
Unitree got a unanimous "Yes" from all four judges and progressed to the next round, but it fell short of earning the Golden Buzzer, which would have guaranteed its place in the Live Shows. Tune in next week to see more such mind-blowing performances. New episodes of 'America's Got Talent' Season 21 will air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
