Britain’s Got Talent 2019 welcomed a comedy magician and an ‘Iconic’ dance group in its fifth week of auditions, as one hopeful bagged a Guinness World Record.
Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams love nothing more than when the ITV talent contest makes history.
And tonight one contestant did just that using his chin and no less than eleven shiny metal chairs.
Meanwhile, an all-female magic act set pulses racing, and a singer touched the nation’s hearts with a song for his disabled brother.
However, there was no Golden Buzzer tonight, so we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out who gets the last coveted spot from Amanda.
Read on for our recap of all the action…
The Yeses
Rob King (4 yeses) – Normally, Rob would be working at the Lowry Theatre, manning its bar and restaurant, but when Britain’s Got Talent pitched up there for filming, the Manchester lad finally got a chance to grace its stage. With his boss Mike in the audience, Rob gave us a timely taste of Eurovision by covering Conchita Wurst’s 2014 contest-winning hit ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’. The judges were stunned by his huge voice and leapt to their feet in applause. “I’m so pleased that this show exists, because my goodness me, you deserve this chance,” said David. “It’s like we’re in a movie right now, you’ve got this amazing charisma and energy,” commented Simon.
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Jay Rawlings (4 yeses) – Simon looked a bit perplexed when Jay turned up in front of a row of chairs, but he soon perked up when the full-time performer announced he’d be attempting the Guinness World Record for most chairs balanced on someone’s chin – which was in fact broken shortly before his audition. With the help of his dad, Jay slotted the metal seats together and lifted them on to his face. Ten triumphant seconds later, Ant and Dec presented him with a certificate confirming him as the new record holder. “There was a danger element to that, which we haven’t seen before. You risked your life,” reacted an impressed Simon.
Graeme Mathews (4 yeses) – Part-magician, part-comedian Graeme invited Amanda up on stage to assist with his not-so-clever illusions – but he saved the best for last, surprising the audience with an actual trick. The children’s entertainer poured two cups of water and passed one to the new Heart breakfast host, before they did a ‘magic water dance’ to make the liquid disappear. While she wasn’t looking, he quickly drank the contents of his cup, before tipping it over his head. When it was Amanda’s turn, she could still feel the water and was reluctant to get her glamorous dress soaked – but true to Graeme’s word, not a single drop came out. Returning to her seat dry, she said: “You have an amazing personality and you deserve the very best.” Alesha, meanwhile, called him “a breath of fresh air”.
Angels Inc. (4 yeses) – Dutch illusion act Angels Inc. wants to go international, so they picked “the biggest show in the world” as a launchpad. Three of the all-female outfit’s members initially headed out on stage, surrounded by cages, chairs and a metal frame. As their performance progressed, more and more of them magically appeared from the contraptions – and the resulting group of fifteen ended with a dance routine for good measure. “This is one for the dads!” cooed David, a comment that Alesha took issue with. “I have to say, I’m sorry, this is not just for dads, this is for everyone,” she responded. “Girls will be watching you, rooting you on. That makes me feel proud to be a woman.”
Duo A&J (4 yeses) – While ‘don’t try this at home’ warnings are more typically associated with fire and sword play, this Ukraine-Coventry duogave us a different kind of danger this week with some incredible but precarious acrobatics. Alex began by rolling Julia along two narrow straps suspended from the ceiling, which lifted them both in the air as she dropped and swung from his feet. Several eye-popping twirls later, they concluded with Alex dangling upside down as he held a rope in his mouth, which Julia grasped as she spun around in circles. “It was absolutely beautiful, I love that it was really romantic and pretty,” reviewed David. “The fact that you were supporting her body weight with your mouth, I almost didn’t believe that was real,” gasped Alesha.
Mark McMullan (4 yeses) – Mark gave us one of the most emotional moments of the series so far when he turned up to fulfil two goals; pursue his passion for music, and do his brother proud. The 23-year-old chose to sing Les Miserables track ‘Bring Him Home’, which became deeply personal to him after a devastating brain injury left his older sibling Declan unable to do little more than hear. “You have the most gorgeous tone and quality to your voice, and I love your vibrato,” said Amanda, who described the moment as “poignant”. “Declan’s lucky to have a brother like you,” remarked Simon, who went to meet him afterwards. “You brought meaning to that song that I hadn’t thought about before. You managed to combine a real tenderness with that song.”
Iconic (4 yeses) – Mixed-age dance group Iconic lived up to their name by packing their two-minute routine with tributes to as many music superstars as they possibly could. Their members burst out of all corners of the theatre, dressed as the likes of Bruno Mars, Eminem, Whitney Houston, the Spice Girls and Queen star Freddie Mercury. As if that wasn’t enough, they even managed to squeeze in BGT hosts Ant and Dec, mimicking their moves from ‘Lets Get Ready To Rhumble’. “Everyone else might as well pack up and go home, because that was incredible!” grinned David. “We’ve seen a lot of dance acts, and what I judge it on is, what am I gonna remember, who has got imagination? You tick every box on that,” explained Simon.
The Nos
Dance Dynamics (4 nos) – David and Darren’s foot-shuffling and arm-swinging dance routine didn’t exactly fill the stage; in fact, the most entertaining moment of their audition came when Simon seemingly failed to recognise that they were moving to Alesha’s own single ‘The Way We Are’. Sadly for her, the tune came to an abrupt halt after four buzzes. “I didn’t like the dancing, but you’ve got great taste in music,” said the Mis-Teeq icon. “Without being rude, it wasn’t dance, and it wasn’t dynamic,” Simon summed up. “And the track – my God, what was that?!”
Rosie Mathew (4 nos) – Rosie made huge promises before facing the crowd, claiming “there’s not very many people that do what I do”. That would be because she is a singing aerialist. The Ayrshire acrobat gave a surprising vocal performance as she climbed her aerial silks and posed in mid air. “You can’t sing and do that at the same time!” exclaimed one audience member. It evidently wasn’t good enough, however, as all four judges reached for their buzzers. “The two things to me didn’t seem to work in perfect unison,” observed David. “It was just a bit boring. Once you were upside down, the singing was compromised,” added Alesha.
Which of this week’s acts would you hit the Golden Buzzer for? Pick your favourite in our poll:
Britain’s Got Talent continues next Saturday at the usual time of 8.00pm on ITV.
Catch spin-off Britain’s Got More Talent with Stephen Mulhern every week after the main show on ITV2.
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