The 10 Most Incredible America's Got Talent Auditions (2023)

The 10 Most Incredible America's Got Talent Auditions

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for America's Got Talent's 10 most amazing auditions.

For this list, we're looking at the artists from the popular talent show competition who leave us jaw-dropping with the most unexpected routines.

Did we miss any more surprise "AGT" auditions? Let us know in the comments.

#10: Aaralyn e Izzy

Brothers and sisters Aaralyn and Izzy appeared on the eighth season of America's Got Talent. When they took the stage to audition, the judges were blown away by the nine-and-six-year-old duo's adorable charms. Already expecting "sweet music" from the two, their expressions seemed to turn sour when Aaralyn opened her mouth. While playing an original heavy metal song titled "Zombie Skin", Aaralyn screeched and growled with the most serious face you'll ever see. It was unbelievable that Howard Stern had to hum because he feared for his vocal chords. In the end, the duo got three yeses and moved on to the Las Vegas round.

#9: Cola Face

To this day, many mimes have gone through the "AGT" phase, but this one really blew us away with his performance. Tape Face's refreshingly original routine carried him through to the end of Season 11, and it all started with that riveting audition. Although his silence before the performance brought the jury to a halt, the New Zealand artist quickly had everyone in his hands. Or rather, hands. With only two gloves designed to look like puppets, Tape Face performed a simple yet innovative version of "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. Then he takes off a red coat and enacts an amusing scene between two lovers. It didn't take long for the judges to compose themselves for the quiet man.

#8: Victor Kee

The first surprise you get when auditioning for Season 11 of Victor Kee is that he's just a man wearing a leotard and not an anatomical model of the human muscular system. But that's just one of many turns on the exhilarating ride that was Viktor's routine. The Ukrainian Cirque du Soleil actor wowed the AGT judges and audience alike with his mesmerizing juggling of multiple balls. It is by no means an ordinary juggling act. Viktor's artistic, calculated moves, combined with fear-inducing music, had everyone stunned as he went from one ball to three to four. His performance earned him a "yes" from all four judges and earned him a spot on the judges' cuts.

#7: Damage to Lynne

For Darci Lynne, then 12, ventriloquism was an art form of finding her voice and expressing herself. After Lynne was introduced to art at the age of 10, she found herself in front of millions of viewers around the world auditioning for a chance to win the $1 million prize. In her debut performance, Lynne combined ventriloquism and singing and enchanted everyone with her rendition of George Gershwin's "Summertime". Lynne's performance was strong enough to earn her a standing ovation from the entire audience and Mel B's golden buzzer. She had a consistently impressive run throughout the show and was eventually announced the season 12 winner.

#6: Easter and Aliona

When it comes to unexpected casting in the history of "AGT", there are only a handful of performers who have surpassed it. Pasha, a Russian artist, introduces himself to the judges claiming his choreography was supposed to be a duet with his wife, but she missed her flight there. Since the show must go on, he decides to do the routine himself. This backstory makes the performance all the more enigmatic as a couple take to the stage and deliver an impressive dance with high kicks, spins and twists. Is that the missing wife? not Solo Pasha, alone, providing one of the most original acts to ever grace the "AGT" stage. Pasha and Aliona's failure to make it through the Deliberations remains a grave injustice.

#5: Donovan

Like every other episode, season 16 of America's Got Talent was filled with talented performers. And Donovan, an artist with ambitions to become a Broadway star, was certainly one of them. Donovan chose a particularly difficult song for his audition, choosing to sing "Think of Me" from The Phantom of the Opera. His shrill voice rose to the ceiling of the auditorium and stunned the jury. The performance ended with thunderous applause and a standing ovation, which certainly could have been crowned with a golden carillon. He may not have done so well on AGT, but we can only wish Donovan a spectacular Broadway career.

#4: Link bridge

This season 11 vocal group proves that you really can't judge a book by its cover. Linkin' Bridge hails from Louisville, Kentucky and is made up of four grown men who have known each other since they were teenagers. For a group that grew up listening to 80s and 90s hip-hop artists, it came as a complete surprise when they opened with an a cappella version of "Over the Rainbow." It was incredible that all four men had remarkable control over their voices and blended together perfectly. Not surprisingly, the group received four upvotes and finally made it to the season finale.

# 3: Courtney Hadwin

Courtney Hadwin was clearly nervous when she took the stage on America's Got Talent. For a 13-year-old girl in a completely different country, this was perfectly understandable. Soft-spoken and shy at first, Hadwin turns into a rocking machine as soon as the first note of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" is heard. She fully embodies the spirit of Janis Joplin and struts across the stage with an exuberance like nothing you've seen before. It's a powerful performance that will give any viewer chills. Unlike the beginning when no one saw this performance coming, by the end we all knew there was a golden bell on the horizon for young Courtney Hadwin.

#2: Kenichi Ebina

America's Got Talent season 8 winner Kenichi Ebina is a freestyle dancer who incorporates a variety of styles into his routine. At her audition, Ebina initially exudes an intentionally stupid and clumsy demeanor, keeping the Japanese artist's expectations quite low. But it didn't take long for those expectations to be dashed. Ebina's Matrix-inspired crossover of martial arts and hip-hop dance sent the judges and audience into an absolute frenzy. How he does some of these stunts surprises us, but we're pretty sure if there was a golden buzzer back then, he would have done it. Without a doubt, Ebina absolutely deserved her victory.

Before we reveal our top picks, here are some honorable mentions.

lil mike and funny bone
Indian rappers forced everyone to do the rain dance.

whistle the magic dragon
Piff proves that dragons are much better than humans at comedy and magic

Cristobal
Christopher does all the work in this group assignment to carry out "YMCA"

Tom of Chiefrocca
This B-Double-O-T-Y made Tone the Chiefrocca a one-hit wonder, and with good reason.

ryan bart
Beard's confidence comes through in his tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Ladies' Man".

#1: David e Leeman

Imagine losing the ability to read for twenty seconds. Sounds pretty scary, right? Well, that was Howie Mandel's situation during his season 9 audition. No, Howie wasn't hypnotized. You've just been subjected to the pseudoscientific practice of pressure phrenology by the comedy-magic duo David & Leeman. The two Los Angeles magicians carry Howie onto the stage and seemingly steal his understanding by pressing certain points on his head. David & Leeman, who Nick Cannon says sounds more like an accounting firm than a magic duo, had everyone on their toes one second and speechless the next. Their phenomenal performance earned them an easy pass to the next round and took them to the final.