After 20 jaw-dropping seasons, it’s no longer a surprise when an unlikely audition turns someone from zero to hero in America’s Got Talent. In the latest episode, the Ukrainian roller-skating and aerial duo Stardust—Yevhenii Yemelianenko and Vlada Kamyshnikova—returned to the AGT stage for a reunion with judge Simon Cowell after their appearance on last year’s Britain’s Got Talent.
After earning Cowell’s golden buzzer on the British stage, the bright lights and pressure of live television left Cowell disappointed during the semi-finals, where the trophy-hopefuls were eventually eliminated and left to wonder what went wrong. Intent on not giving up, the Ukrainian duo flew out to the US to try their hand at AGT, surprising Cowell when they walked on stage and re-introduced themselves, this time hoping to make up for their previous mistakes. “Standing in the darkness and understanding that the dream is finished at that point, it was really hard to accept. We just felt heartbroken,” Yemelianenko admitted during the episode. “We decided that that’s not the finish of the story, that we need to see Simon again and prove him wrong, that we can do even more. We know how painful it is to go home, so we need to prove ourselves this time.“
Stardust Sprinkled Their Magic on the ‘America’s Got Talent’ Stage
After first stepping on the stage and Cowell recognized them, Yemelianenko assured him, ”We fixed our mistakes. We came up stronger this time. And we came here to win Simon back.” But was this true? The proof would be in the audition, which began with the duo sharing a kiss before the music hit and sparks flew. Initially, the rest of the judges, who were unaware of Stardust’s act, were easily blown away by their death-defying stunts on roller skates. However, Cowell proved harder to please, having seen it all before. Nevertheless, thanks to one final stunt where a firework exploded from Kamyshnikova’s shoe as she spun in midair, the toughest judge in show business couldn’t hide his amazement any longer.
Related
‘AGT’ Contestant Leaves Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel Absolutely Speechless With Unexplainable Trick
The ‘AGT’ judges have their mind blown through the magic of AI.
But how did the judges react? The audience made their approval clear with a well-deserved standing ovation, joined by both Howie Mandel and Mel B. Cowell was the man the duo had longed to win back, with the Brit saying of the audition, “I think we did so much better this time. I do. But seriously, that was amazing. Seriously amazing.” However, little did Stardust know that it wouldn’t be Cowell who would prove most important to their audition, with Sofía Vergarareachingfor the coveted golden buzzer, and making Stardust one of the only acts in Got Talent history to receive a golden buzzer on two separate continents.
However, some controversy does surround the pair, with this audition sparking the fury of many who believe the Got Talent series should be for total amateurs, as the country looks to discover entirely unrecognized talent. Not only have Stardust received a golden buzzer on both BGT and now AGT, but they have also appeared on Indonesia’s Got Talent, Spain’s Got Talent, and Lithuania’s Got Talent, as well as previously reaching the final of the 2021 series of Ukraine’s Got Talent.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.
