America's Got Talent is officially heading into the semi-finals of Season 16 after three weeks of quarterfinals to narrow down the remaining pool of competitors in the running for the $1 million and Las Vegas stage show. One of the most notable performers who still has a shot at the top prize is 16-year-old Aidan Bryant, a self-trained aerialist whose acrobatic acts in AGT without a net so far have been just as dangerous as they look. The star explained how he prepares, and that's not all.
Aidan Bryant spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets following his quarterfinals performance, after he dazzled the judges and audiences alike with his aerial act to Tommee Profitt's "I Am Legend." And it was no optical illusion that there didn't seem to be any safety net in case something went wrong for him while he was up in the air over the Dolby Theatre stage. Bryant explained how he prepares without a safety net before hitting the bright lights and high stakes of an AGT live show:
It's crazy to think that two years ago, I was in a tree. And now I'm on the Dolby stage with no safety or anything like that. But normally, when I normally train, I have no safety or anything like that. And I just try it very low, and then I go higher and get better at the trick that I'm learning.
The teenage aerialist had already revealed that he taught himself his tricks in his backyard at home, using Pink as an inspiration and with his mom using a tractor to keep his rig elevated in a tree. His backyard origins as a self-trained aerialist are about as different from the glitz and glamor of the America's Got Talent stage as can be, but there's no denying that he nailed it in both his audition and his quarterfinals performance, with only the safety of knowing that he mastered his moves on a lower rig before moving on up. Gravity still applies!
Following his quarterfinals performance, viewers could only wonder what he could possibly do to up the ante and deliver something even bigger and more impressive for the next stage. Aidan Bryant previewed what he had in mind for the semi-finals, saying:
So in aerial, there are so many different apparatuses, and things and drops and moves that you can do to make it more dangerous. So if I get through, I will definitely show y'all a dangerous act and I will definitely put on a show for y’all.
Aidan Bryant's first two performances proved that the danger of his aerial moves without a net can be downright thrilling to watch, particularly when things went live for the quarterfinals. With his plan to make things even more dangerous for a semi-finals performance, fans can only imagine what he has in store with new moves and new apparatuses.
The odds are definitely in his favor to continue in the competition, if he continues to impress the judges as much as he has so far. Even Simon Cowell, who Heidi Klum described as "grumpy" following a recent episode, was full of praise for Aidan Bryant and his bravery:
What it took to surprise, I'd say it was probably Aidan, the 16 year old boy who was on the trapeze. Because there was no safety net on that. So you know, on a live show, that's nerve-wracking.
If Simon Cowell's nerves could be wracked by an act when he has been judging on America's Got Talent and other talent competitions for years, then that's a sign that Aidan Bryant is definitely doing something right to deliver thrills to go with his story! Host Terry Crews was also surprised and impressed by Bryant after the quarterfinals, and he raved about what the young aerialist delivered:
You're talking about a man who basically learned in his backyard, how to do what he's doing over the pandemic, his last two years. And now here he is on the live show stage and he could actually be in a Vegas show, literally now. I just thought it's an amazing thing for a teenager to put the phone down and actually go in the backyard and do the work. I thought that was the biggest surprise.
Plenty of people may have tried new things and embraced new hobbies with gusto over the pandemic, but few can say that they became Vegas-level aerialists in the backyard without any kind of in-person instruction! Whatever happens next for Aidan Bryant following his upcoming semi-finals performance, he definitely impressed, and I would say is one of the standout competitors who remains in the fight for the top prize without a golden buzzer behind him. Check out what he did in the quarterfinals!
See what Aidan Bryant has in store next with his semi-finals performance on America's Got Talent Season 16, which he previewed on Twitter as "never seen before." The big AGT episode airs on Tuesday, August 31 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with the results to be announced on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Only so many acts can continue to the finals, so Aidan Bryant and the rest still hoping for the top prize will have to bring their best or join the ranks of the other eliminated acts. There have been some surprise eliminations so far following the auditions (and some less-than-surprising), so be sure to vote for your favorites if you want to see them continue.
