One woman’s act on America’s Got Talent had fans cringing as she got up close and personal with a rat.
Acrobat Melissa Arleth combined her own flexibility with remarkable animal training for an act that was a little reminiscent of Ratatouille. In it, Arleth trained a rat to follow her through an obstacle course, crossing a few gaps with her help. for the grand finale, Arleth stood on her head and did a split in the air. The rat then ran across the bridge created by her legs, to the audience’s dismay.
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Arleth’s act already has a substantial following online, where she goes by the name Cirque du Sewer. Now, she is taking her talents from Instagram to the big stage on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent. Her act was featured in a sneak peek published by E! News, with just a glimpse at the judges’ reaction. Gabrielle Union could not look away as she muttered: “Oh no, no no… no no…”
The full act will not be available until the episode airs, nor will the judges’ ruling. Some fans expect Arleth to get a golden buzzer just because of how unique her act is, but others are not so sure.
This season, Terry Crews and Julianne Hough still have golden buzzers to use, although from what we’ve seen so far there’s not much to suggest that they would use it on an acrobatic rat act.
Arleth boasts over 1,200 followers on Instagram, all of whom have decided that they are amazed by her performance. Many leave comments fawning over her rat companions, calling the animals “cute.”
As much as her act might stand out, Arleth has some stiff competition on America’s Got Talent. The new season started just over two weeks ago, but with two episodes per week things are already heating up. So far, three singers have been advanced — 21-year-old Joseph Allen, 22-year-old Kodi Lee and 11-year-old Tyler Butler-Figueroa. Allen sings and raps, while Lee sings and plays piano. Butler-Figueroa plays the violin.
While fans get acquainted with the new contestants, they are also getting to know the new judges as well. Heidi Klum and Mel B both left the show after serving as judges, and they were replaced by Union and Julianne Hough. In addition, Tyra Banks signed off as host, replaced by Terry Crews. Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell both returned as judges, Mandel for his tenth season and Cowell for his fourth.
America’s Got Talent airs on Sundays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
