There are spoilers ahead for the fourth week of America’s Got Talent’s Season 17 qualifiers.
America’s Got Talent is racing towards the season seventeen finale, and competition for two of the remaining slots is fierce. On the fourth night of qualifying live performances, none other than Metaphysic, a genre-defying band that uses artificial intelligence technology to create hyperreal content, returned… or, in the case of AGT, fakes famous faces to singers for incredible performances. After Simon Cowell got AI at the audition, Metaphysic introduced Cowell, Howie Mandela and Terry Crews to the audience, who seemingly sing opera, and the other two judges go next. After that, they shared their plans for the rock icon… which may require very little sleep.
This technology is incredibly complex and makes it possible, as one of the creators Chris Ume said in the video, “to bring back the best artists who have ever been in this world to the stage live.” They have been working “weeks and weeks” and “nights and nights” since their audition in June to perfect their qualifying performance. When the band spoke to CinemaBlend and other media after their last performance, I noted that there were only two weeks left before the finale, which is not much time, and Ume shared his vision of the future:
I’m not going to sleep much. I’m sure of it. We have an idea of what we will do in the final if we get there. So we’ve been preparing a little bit for sure, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I always believe that when you stand with your back to the wall, you always come up with creative solutions. And I think this is the perfect case for that.
All the work they put into creating deepfake versions of the belted opera by Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Terry Crews definitely paid off in the form of applause and Cowell’s real statement that the performance of “Metaphysics” was “the best performance — I think — the series so far” in terms of talent and originality. While Cowell, Mandel and Crews joked about how talented they were by impersonating them, the legendary judge proved to be completely sincere in his praise. They have been rewarded for their hard work and will surely get a similar reaction if they make it to the finals… even if Chris Uma has to sacrifice sleep.
So, what do they plan to do in the finals if they get enough votes to advance? They didn’t reveal what would be on the way, but one of the creators of “Metaphysics” Tom Graham announced that they would switch from opera in qualifications to rock and roll for their $1 million chance and a stage show in Las Vegas. Graham said:
Well, first of all, we need America to vote for us in the final. This is an obstacle. And then, if we’re lucky enough to get through, I think it would be great 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 it’s a good joke. I think you can imagine a little.
The men on the judging panel and host Terry Crews received artificial intelligence to qualify, and Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara could be next if “Metaphysics” makes it to the finals. Considering how much fun both women had when they saw their fellow judges introduce deepfake into the opera, it’s safe to say that they would have enjoyed it!
None of the creators of the company has announced which rock and roll icon they will return to the finals, so AGT fans will really have to take part by voting through the official America’s Got Talent app and the voting page NBC.com if they want to see what comes next. If you missed their performance (or just want to experience it again), take a look!
There is only one night of qualifiers left to determine the ten performers who will make it to the finals, and not only wild card winner Jordan Conley must participate in this episode, but also the Mayyas dance group chosen by Sofia Vergara for her golden buzzer. I called them my best choice to win out of all the golden buzzers of season 17, but at the moment it’s still someone’s game if they made it to the finals. (And golden buzzer winner Madison Taylor Baez has already been cut.)
For now, however, don’t forget to tune in to NBC on Wednesday, August 31 to watch the America’s Got Talent results episode, which will determine whether the “Metaphysicians” will move on to the finale. The judges weren’t full of praise for all the performances at the qualifying competitions that night, but there were some excellent students, including Lily Meola as the Golden buzzer winner Heidi Klum, comedian Mike E. Winfield and, of course, the Metaphysician. To find out about other viewing options in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our schedule of TV premieres for 2022.
