The America’s Got Talent Season 17 finals took place on Tuesday, with some of the 11 contestants rising to the occasion — like Australian pole dancer and multimedia storyteller Kristy Sellars, whom judge Howie Mandel described as “perfection,” and the Lebanese dance troupe Mayyas, whom Howie praised for being “so great for women, female empowerment, and your culture,” while Heidi Klum called them a “million-dollar act.”
However, others sadly fell short of their previous high expectations, like Dolly Parton-championed country music trio Chapel Hart. Their original song “American Pride” highlighted unexpected vocal weaknesses, which likely hurt their chances in the competition.
However, it seems that all of those contestants may be overshadowed by an augmented-reality gimmick act, MetaPhysic. Two weeks ago, Simon Cowell boldly declared MetaPhysic the greatest act in AGT history. Of course, Simon might be a bit biased, considering MetaPhysic has always incorporated him—well, a creepy cyborg version of him—into their act, reimagining him as a world-class opera tenor. Later, a deepfake Howie and Terry Crews joined in for a performance of “Nessun Dorma” in the quarterfinals, powered by artificial intelligence. This week, MetaPhysic further won over the judges by adding Uncanny Valley fembot versions of Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara as backup singers alongside the fake Simon.
But it wasn’t Sofia and Heidi that gave MetaPhysic the edge this week. What could actually secure them the Season 17 championship was another special “guest performer.” For their final number, MetaPhysic delivered on their promise to digitally resurrect “the greatest rock act ever,” bringing Elvis Presley back to life onstage. Viva Las Vegas, indeed.
Simon Cowell was left shocked on America’s Got Talent. (Photo: NBC)
Many viewers seemed to share Simon’s sentiment, with one fan, John Clark, tweeting, “MetaPhysic should win #AGT. Think of the money in Vegas bringing back old acts to feature in concert. Unbelievable act.” Given the current success of London’s augmented reality show ABBA Voyage, Simon and John might be onto something. This could be the future of live entertainment — or at least the future of America’s Got Talent, if MetaPhysic is crowned the million-dollar champion on Wednesday.
But will the reanimated AR Elvis be able to surpass standouts like Kristy Sellars or Mayyas? Find out in the grand finale, featuring guest stars Darius Rucker, Jon Pardi, Black Eyed Peas, and Elvis fan Henry “The Fonz” Winkler, airing Wednesday.