Spoilers ahead for Week 2 of America's Got Talent**'s quarterfinals for Season 16**.
The first round of quarterfinals competition for America's Got Talent's sixteenth season was packed with stellar acts that were hard for even the seasoned judges to find much to criticize, but that wasn't the case with the second round for Johnny Showcase and the Mystic Ticket. The group was a hit in the auditions stage with their hilarious "Sensual" song, and they went in a very different direction for their quarterfinals performance that was all about an octopus, complete with psychedelic colors and effects and outfits.
It was arguably the most over-the-top act since Sethward took the stage for his swan song as peacock-turned-phoenix, and while Johnny Showcase and the rest of the band got plenty of applause from the audience watching live in person, only Heidi Klum was a fan among the judges. In case you missed "The Octopus" (or just need to see it again to believe it), check it out and then keep on reading for why Klum genuinely enjoyed it, and what her comments meant to the group!
Whether you loved this act like Heidi Klum, were confused like Sofia Vergara, or wanted to hit a red buzzer halfway through like Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel did, Johnny Showcase and the Mystic Ticket were definitely original, and I think it's safe to say that the "Octopus Song" is one of a kind. Klum was the only one of the judges to praise their performance this time around, and she didn't go halfway.
Heidi Klum spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets following the latest round of quarterfinals performances, and she doubled down on hyping Johnny Showcase while explaining why she was such a big fan of their octopus performance. She shared:
I love people like Johnny Showcase, for example with his band, because I was like, he is crazy. They're on a different planet. I know who they are. I want to be on that weird planet with you guys, singing the octopus dance. I don't know. I was loving it. I love the girls with the hairy armpits, the bell bottoms. All that weirdness, my brain was overloaded just looking at all of this. So I was surprised that Howie was not digging it because he loves comedy normally, you know? Yeah, I was kind of like, 'Okay, Simon doesn't love this.' But Howie, I was surprised because he normally loves the odd, the different, but I was there for them.
Heidi Klum has been a judge on America's Got Talent for many years now, and she has clearly come to value the weird and outrageous, even when her fellow judges aren't on the same page. There was definitely a lot going on on stage with "The Octopus" to the point that it might take multiple views just to take everything in. Klum didn't need multiple views to enjoy it, however, and she even suggested that Johnny Showcase and the band got even better from their first performance. She said:
I did love the octopus song, because it was so weird and outrageous... To me, it was same good level [as the auditions] if not better, because now the production was there and it was literally this gigantic octopus at the end of the stage and all this weirdness which I was digging.
The production certainly was a lot more elaborate once Johnny Showcase got to the quarterfinals stage, when the spectacle of their audition mostly came from their costumes and their confidence. Who could have guessed back when they debuted "Sensual" that in a little over a month, they'd be singing and dancing in front of a giant octopus? Their feedback from the judges was much kinder in the auditions, and Johnny Showcase himself shared how much it meant to have Heidi Klum in their corner in the quarerfinals:
Well, we got the incredible feedback from Heidi Klum. I mean, she was full. She was beaming. I could see goosebumps from the stage. I could see goosebumps because her goosebumps shine. That's kind of person she is, she has shining goosebumps. And I felt encouraged to be able to take artistic risks. We can say 'We're more than just this, what you first saw, we have this and we have more to offer.' And so we can peel the onion. Sometimes you're gonna cry a couple of times. But we're gonna release our essence.
After the octopus song, Sofia Vergara specifically said that she thought they lost their "essence" because there was so much going on, so Johnny Showcase's comments about releasing their essence and expressing appreciation for Heidi Klum's support are nice to see. Now, it's just a matter of time and a whole lot of voting to determine whether or not Klum will get to see them take the AGT stage again and continue competing for the top prize of $1 million and a Las Vegas stage show.
You can vote for Johnny Showcase and/or any of the other acts from the latest episode of America's Got Talent online here, or via the AGT app until Wednesday at 7 a.m. ET. See who advances and whose Season 16 journey has ended with the results episode on Wednesday, August 18 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The first batch of quarterfinals eliminations saw five very talented acts get sent home following an episode that didn't involve nearly as much critiquing from the judges as what Johnny Showcase and others in the latest episode experienced, so the results should be interesting to see.
The fates of the competitors are in the hands of voters from home now, but the judges' opinions can definitely make a difference. Simon Cowell probably won't be too pleased if Johnny Showcase continues to the finals, but Heidi Klum and plenty of viewers would definitely have reason to celebrate.
It's probably safe to say that Johnny Showcase and the Mystic Ticket won't get more votes than young Victory Brinker, but it would be surprising if anybody from this episode manages to get more votes than her, as she proved yet again why she deserved to make golden buzzer history with her audition. If you're still in the market for some viewing options in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV premiere schedule!
