America’s Got Talent 2023: Amazing Warrior Squad takes it up a notch
America’s Got Talent Season 18 Semi-Finals continued with the 3rd Qualifier week featuring 11 acts that once again vied for two spots in the finale. (Read our Recap)
This was the strongest lineup to date as it included two golden buzzer acts and more. Although they weren’t a golden buzzer act, Warrior Squad, an acrobatic group from India who wowed in their audition, took it up a notch (literally) with a buzzworthy performance featuring tossing and hand balancing performed at extreme heights.
Right from the jump, Warrior Squad started strong with some tossing and catching of members. The next part involved hand-balancing at the top of a pyramid. The act then evolved into the main trick of this week’s performance involving balancing and tossing members off of a swing and then landing on a mat. This performance upped the group’s trick game, and it seemed even neater than their audition which seemed a bit unwieldy at times. There were so many tosses involved that it’s shocking that nothing appeared to go wrong in this routine. It ended with the group tossing one of the littlest members up to balance on top of a pyramid-like structure. The entire performance was a wow moment. They truly stepped it up.
The judges got up on their feet
All four judges stood up which was rare on a night where the judges were often divided. Howie Mandel exclaimed “best act of the night” even though they were the first act. He went on to say, “you hit that same mark” comparing them to the winner of Season 2 of AGT: The Champions, V Unbeatable. Heidi Klum called the act “insane” and “unbelievable.” Sofia Vergara used her signature phrase, calling the performance “spectacular.” Simon Cowell noted that “every single part had to work” adding that Warrior Squad is an act the judges “have loved.”
Warrior Squad opened the show with one of the best performances of the season, and it was tough to follow for the other acts. The only other act that possibly captured the same magic was powerhouse and angelic vocalist, Putri Ariani. Other acts that did really well included brass quartet MOS and sword swallowing acrobat Herwan Legaillard. Those four impressed and deserve a spot in the Top 5. It wouldn’t shock me if Msanzi Youth Choir and Summer Rios nab a spot in the top 5 though, as they are strong acts even if they performed better in their auditions.
