Spoilers ahead for Week 4 of America's Got Talent's Season 17 qualifiers.
America's Got Talent is racing towards the grand final of the seventeenth season, and the competition is stiff for two of the remaining slots. The fourth night of live show qualifiers brought back none other than Metaphysic, the genre-defying group that uses AI technology to create hyper-real content... or, in the case of AGT, deepfake famous faces onto singers for some incredible performances. After Simon Cowell got the AI treatment in their audition, Metaphysic treated viewers to Cowell, Howie Mandel, and Terry Crews seemingly singing opera, and the other two judges are next. Afterward, they shared their plans for a rock icon... which may involve very little sleep.
The technology is incredibly sophisticated, and creates the opportunity to – as co-creator Chris Ume said in the video package – "bring back the greatest entertainers we ever had in this world on stage live performing." They worked for "weeks and weeks" and "nights and nights" since their audition back in June to perfect their qualifiers act. When the group spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets following their latest performance, I noted that there are just two weeks before the finale, which isn't a lot of turnaround time, and Ume shared the vision for the future:
I'm not gonna get a lot of sleep. I'm sure of that. We kind of have an idea of what we would be doing in the finals if we get there. So we've been preparing a bit for sure, but still a lot of work. I always believe when you're with your back against the wall, you'll always come up with creative solutions. And I think this is a perfect case for that.
All the work that they put into making deepfake versions of Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, and Terry Crews belt opera definitely paid off in the form of applause and the real-life Cowell proclaiming that Metaphysic's performance was "the best act – I believe – of the series so far" in terms of talent and originality. While Cowell, Mandel, and Crews were joking around about how talented they were while impersonating them, the legendary judge came across as completely sincere in his praise. They were rewarded for their hard work, and surely will get a similar reaction if they make the finale... even if Chris Ume will have to sacrifice some sleep.
So, what are they planning ahead to deliver in the finale, if they get enough votes to advance? They didn't give away what would be on the way, but Metaphysic co-creator Tom Graham previewed that they'll go from opera in the qualifiers to rock and roll for their shot at $1 million and a Las Vegas stage show. Graham said:
Well, first, we need America to vote us through to the grand final. That's the hurdle. And then if we're lucky enough to go through, I think it would be amazing to see Heidi and Sofia. And we're also going to bring back one of the greatest rock and roll icons of all time, maybe the greatest. I think that's a good tease. I think you can imagine a little bit.
The men on the judges panel and host Terry Crews got the AI treatment for the qualifiers, and Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara could be next if Metaphysic advances to the finals. Considering how entertained both women were by seeing their fellow judges deepfaked into the opera, it seems safe to say that they'd get a kick out of it!
Neither of the company creators revealed which rock and roll icon they would bring back for the finale, so AGT fans really will have to pitch in by voting via the official America's Got Talent app and the NBC.com voting page if they want to see what comes next. If you missed their performance (or just want to experience it all over again), take a look!
Only one night of qualifiers is left to determine the ten acts who will advance to the finale, and that episode should include not only wild card winner Jordan Conley, but also Sofia Vergara's pick for her golden buzzer: dance group Mayyas. I ranked them as my top pick to win out of all the golden buzzers of Season 17, but it's still anybody's game at this point as long as they've made the finals. (And golden buzzer winner Madison Taylor Baez has already been cut.)
For now, though, be sure to tune in to NBC on Wednesday, August 31 to catch the results episode of America's Got Talent that will determine whether or not Metaphysic move on to the finale. The judges weren't full of overwhelming praise for everybody's qualifiers performances on the night, but there were some standouts, including Lily Meola as Heidi Klum's golden buzzer winner, comedian Mike E. Winfield, and of course Metaphysic. For some more viewing options in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
