[Updated September 16, 2015.] Two of the more interesting acts on this season’s America’s Got Talent involved guys putting things in their mouths: the “professional regurgitator” Stevie Starr and the guy with the firecracker in his mouth, Wayne Hoffman. Both performers showed some magic talent that kept the audience gasping for different reasons.
During his audition, Stevie Starr showed how he could swallow things and then . . . regurgitate them. Starr started with some numbered coins, showing his ability to regurgitate on command. He ended with something pretty amazing involving sugar. Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Howard Stern all voted for him to go on to the next round. Is he really swallowing those things or is it a trick?
Seeing Starr’s talent, you might wonder why you have never seen him before this appearance. Well, if you lived outside the United States, you might have seen him earlier. He appeared on the 2010 season of Britain’s Got Talent, making it to the semi-finals. And, before coming to the American version of the show, he also had appeared on the Czech and Slovak version, the German version, the Italian version, and the French version of the Got Talent series.
Even if nobody told the judges about Starr’s previous performances, at least one of the judges should not have been too surprised. Howard Stern had Starr on his radio show back in the late 1980s, as show in this video. Anyway, we will have to see if Americans embrace regurgitating as much as those other countries.
As we have noted before, unlike some shows like American Idol, there are no rules preventing someone with a previous career from appearing on America’s Got Talent. So, contestants like Starr can get second (or third. . .) chances like this one. It is pretty cool that America’s Got Talent gives people a new chance, but I think it would be more interesting if the show were more open about telling us the full backstory of contestants.
Another highlight in the first round of auditions was Wayne Hoffman, a magician/mentalist who did a pretty amazing stunt with firecrackers in his mouth. I have no idea how Hoffman was able to avoid exploding his mouth, but his act was fun to watch.
Like Starr, Hoffman has been around awhile. For example, he has a career using his skills in giving motivational speeches. He was featured on NBC’s TV show Phenomenon, and like Starr, appeared on Howard Stern’s show. In 2012, Hoffman published a book motivational book entitled Mind Candy
With Hoffman also advancing on America’s Got Talent, it appeared we would be seeing much more of both these guys. [See updates below.]
Wayne Hoffman August 2015 Update: Wayne Hoffman, for unknown reasons, mysteriously disappeared from America’s Got Talent and did not appear in the Judge Cuts round. His Twitter account and Facebook page does not tell us whether he had to leave for some reason or quit the competition on his own. The America’s Got Talent Wiki provides no insight either. On June 30, 2015, though, he opened his own show “Mind Candy” at the Trump Taj Mahal in Las Vegas, so it seems likely he decided to leave America’s Got Talent after some other options opened up.
The Regurgitator August 2015 Update: After advancing through the Judges Cuts round, Stevie “The Professional Regurgitator” Starr gained enough votes on August 26, 2015 after his performance at Radio City Music Hall to move to the Semi-Finals. In a video from August 25, 2015, he does something amazing with Heidi Klum’s ring and a lock. The trick was similar to one he had done on Britain’s Got Talent, which also confounded experts on how he does it. Some folks make a case for explaining the secret of how the Regurgitator does his act, but he is still a great performer.
The Regurgitator September 9, 2015 Update: This week, Stevie “The Professional Regurgitator” Starr advanced to the finals of America’s Got Talent. His performance that earned him a spot in the finals is where he impressed viewers with his ability to regurgitate smoke into soap bubbles.
The Regurgitator September 16, 2015 Update: In the finals, Stevie Starr showed that he can keep coming up with new ways to entertain us with his regurgitating. This time, he ramped things up by incorporating fire into his act. We will find out tonight whether he wins, and it is most likely going to come down to being between him and the inspiring and funny comedian with a stutter, Drew Lynch, who also has been great throughout the season.
Who is your favorite act on this season’s “AGT”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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