Kimberly Winter, a 34-year-old performer from America, flew across the pond with one goal in mind: to sing for her favourite judge, Simon Cowell.
“I flew all the way from America to sing for Simon. He’s my favourite, I love him. I’m here to perform for you, Simon,” she declared at the auditions.
Her ambition shone through as she expressed her desire to “make it worldwide”.
Expectations were set for a classical opera performance, as hinted by hosts Ant and Dec.
However, as the opening chords of ABBA’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’ began to play, Kimberly took everyone by surprise—not with her voice, but by burping the lyrics of the song.
The judges’ reactions were immediate and visceral.
Both Bruno Tonioli and Alesha Dixon were visibly disgusted, leaving their seats and buzzing Kimberly off the stage.
Despite the unusual act, Simon Cowell found a silver lining, amused by the audacity of the performance. “We weren’t expecting that…. it was so stupid, it was brilliant. And that’s a compliment. Where do you see this going if you were to go through?” he asked.
Bruno was not so forgiving, expressing his disappointment succinctly: “No, no, she can’t go any further.” He later added, “I am bitterly disappointed.”
In a surprising twist, Amanda Holden showed solidarity with Kimberly, joining in with her own burp, acknowledging the effort involved in the act.
Even Simon’s son, Eric, joined in the burping fun.
This prompted Bruno to change his mind, albeit reluctantly. “Just because I can’t possibly imagine how you’re going to out-gross this grossness, I’m going to say yes,” he conceded.
In the end, with Simon and Amanda’s affirmative votes and the audience’s backing, Kimberly managed to secure a contentious advancement in the competition.
Her performance, whether viewed as a breath of fresh air or a bizarre antic, is certainly one to remember.
Britain’s Got Talent continues Saturday nights on ITV1 and ITVX.
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