‘America’s Got Talent’ Week 2: ‘The Next Taylor Swift’ And An 82-Year-Old Headbanger Wow Viewers

The second episode of Season 11 of America’s Got Talent aired last night, and two performances in particular had viewers in shock.

America’s Got Talent welcomed 12-year-old Grace VanderWaal to the stage last night. She’s cute and soft spoken. She walked onto stage with her ukelele and was asked what she was going to perform. She said she was going to sing. And what was she going to sing? A song she wrote. Oh boy. We’ve seen similar situations in prior seasons of America’s Got Talent. Most of them are not good, and it’s heartbreaking to see them go home. No one expected much. Simon asked her if she thought she could win, and Grace said she believes in miracles, so maybe she could. America’s Got Talent viewers crossed their fingers for Grace VanderWaal and waited. Then she opened her mouth and amazed us all as she sang her song, titled “I Don’t Know My Name.” Howie Mandel told her the following.

“This is a show about surprises. I think you are a living, beautiful, walking miracle. Your original song about people not knowing your name… I think the world is going to know your name.”

Then he pushed his golden buzzer, giving her an automatic spot in the quarter finals. Simon Cowell declared her “the next Taylor Swift.”

https://www.facebook.com/nbcagt/posts/10153980374654760

Nick Cannon asked this cute little America’s Got Talent star how she was feeling as confetti fell, and everyone celebrated with her. She won our hearts when she said, “I feel like I’m just dreaming, and I’m about to wake up.”

Then an America’s Got Talent contestant from the other end of the age spectrum — 82-year-old John Hetlinger. He’s a former Navy pilot and retired from a career as an aerospace engineer 15 years ago. He worked on the Hubble telescope! So everyone knew they were looking at a hero and a brilliant man. No one knew they were going to hear what came next. In his white shirt and khakis, Mr. Hetlinger stood on the America’s Got Talent stage and belted out Drowning Pool’s 2001 single, “Bodies.” Drowning Pool is a heavy metal band, so reactions to the song itself were mixed. Some covered their ears and didn’t care for it at all, but most of the America’s Got Talent audience was on their feet clapping throughout the performance. The band gave a shout out to Hetlinger on their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/drowningpool/posts/10154240766518615

TMZ is reporting that Drowning Pool is working on getting the 82-year-old America’s Got Talent performer on stage with them during a performance that’s scheduled for July. They say they’ll cover his travel expenses and buy him beer and do whatever else it takes to get him there.

https://www.facebook.com/B937AlltheHits/posts/10153689075488181

His performance earned John three yes votes from the judges. Heidi Klum was not a fan.

Over the years, we’ve seen great acts fizzle. America’s Got Talent has had its share of acts that were great in their first audition but fell flat in follow-up acts. Can Grace VanderWaal and John Hetlinger keep up the good work? Time will tell.

America’s Got Talent is in its eleventh season. Judges are model Heidi Klum, former Spice Girl Melanie Brown (Mel B), comedian Howie Mandel, and writer/producer Simon Cowell. This is Cowell’s first season at the America’s Got Talent judging table. He is filling a spot vacated at the end of last season by media mogul Howard Stern. Cowell has also served as a judge on X-Factor and American Idol. Contestants on America’s Got Talent are competing for a grand prize of $1 million. The show airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Check out the performances of VanderWaal and Hetlinger here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNxO9MpQ2vA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfR5O2PXzfc

[Photo by Helga Esteb/Getty Images]