Warning! The following contains spoilers for the America’s Got Talent: Extreme episode that aired on Monday, February 28. Read at your own risk!
America’s Got Talent: Extreme showcased even more extreme acts in its second week of competition and gave another batch of high-flying hopefuls an opportunity to earn their chance at the next stage of the competition. Of course, there was also another Golden Buzzer moment, and while I’m usually beyond happy for the recipients no matter the circumstance, I have mixed feelings on Terry Crews’ pick.
Terry Crews hit his Golden Buzzer for Alfredo Silva’s Cage Riders, who wowed the crowd with their motorcycle ramp stunts and a death-defying ride in a spherical cage. The performance, seen below, is impressive and takes skill, but I question if it was truly worthy of a Golden Buzzer.
Simon Cowell (who knows something about the danger of bikes) was a tough critic on a number of acts in this episode, so it surprised me that he and the other judges were blown away by Alfredo Silva’s Cage Riders. Sure, what they did was impressive and thrilling, but the same applies for almost all acts that perform on America’s Got Talent: Extreme. For a show that prides itself on rewarding creativity and risk-taking, it seemed odd to me that the highlight of the night was something that wasn't all that creative or unique.
In fact, this stunt appeared on America’s Got Talent before, back in Season 6. Granted, none of the judges for America’s Got Talent: Extreme were there to witness the Fearless Flores Family attempt that stunt, but as I stated above, this is a fairly common stunt act for motorcycle riders. Alfredo Silva’s Cage Riders did add a ramp in which bikers jumped over the circle during the stunt, but that didn’t really do much to reinvent the act, in my opinion.
To clarify, I believe that Alfredo Silva’s Cage Riders deserved to advance in America’s Got Talent: Extreme. They’re a talented act, and I’m sure we’ll see some more inventive tricks from them going forward, but I personally think there were more deserving acts worthy of the honor from Terry Crews (whose tastes typically align with mine). Like, we saw a 90-year-old woman ride with her grandson through flaming wood, and somehow that wasn’t the top act of the night?
It makes me a bit wary of how the rest of this competition will play out and who will ultimately end up winning this short-but-thrilling spinoff. I also can’t help but wonder if Alfredo Silva had a bit of an edge at advancing due to his past appearance on America’s Got Talent back in Season 11, though he’s far from the first returning competitor when it comes to the NBC franchise.
America’s Got Talent: Extreme airs on NBC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. There’s still plenty of competition left for an act to emerge and really show us something shocking, and I do hope the next Golden Buzzer selection reflects that. If not, there are still plenty of other returning shows worth checking out in the next few months.
