NBC Follows John McCain Tribute With Shirtless ‘AGT’ Performers in Dolphin Masks

NBC announced Senator John McCain’s passing in a special report on Saturday night, leaving at least one area with a jarring cut within their usual programming.

Twitter user Rob Beschizza shared a recording of his TV as the NBC special report wrapped up. After apparently interrupting the scheduled programming to make the announcement, the screen went back to a bizarre screen. Without any previous context, two shirtless men in dolphin masks wandered around a stage together.

The unlikely couple both held devices near their waist lines, apparently making the characteristic squeaking sound of dolphins. They stood under a banner that read “Dolphin Love Story,” and just as Beschizza’s clip came to a close, they leaned in to kiss their rubber masks together while squeaking emphatically.

Beschizza’s video went viral, with over 136,000 likes and nearly 46,000 retweets at the time of this writing. Many begged for context, while others felt that the clip was funnier without it. However, it soon became clear that the video was a part of America’s Got Talent.

“Dolphin Love Story” was the finale of a performance by Yumbo Dump, a Japanese duo that makes unusual sounds with their bodies. In this case, they noticed that a small air pump in their navels sounded like a dolphin.

The story came full circle on Sunday, when NBC apparently saw Beschizza’s videos making the rounds. In a separate tweet, Beschizza shared what happened when the video made it to YouTube.

“lol I uploaded this clip to YouTube and NBC is monetizing it,” Beschizza wrote. Attached was a screenshot of a message from the video platform. The network is watching the video’s performance online — seeing how many views it gets and who it reaches — and it could even be making them money through ad revenue.

Meanwhile, the video likely spells good news for the members of Yumbo Dump. The two comedians, Go Kashu and Daisuke Fujiwara, were one of the strangest acts to make it to TV this year. However, they cannot be easily dismissed either. Yumbo Dump went all the way to the semifinals in Asia’s Got Talent last year, but unfortunately, they could not go that far here in the U.S.

Yumbo Dump was eliminated from the show shortly after their “Dolphin Love Story” performance. Now, as free agents, the added visibility of a viral video could give Yumbo Dump a boost going forward. At the very least, the folks at NBC clearly see a potential benefit in the video, as the message the Beschizza received shows that they do not want it taken down.