On the Season 11 premiere of America’s Got Talent, a singing group composed of four large African-American men dressed all in black with tattoos and gold teeth shining introduce themselves as Linkin’ Bridge. Two of them are cousins. They met the other two when teenagers, but they say, “We’re like brothers.” In their pre-show package, they say if anyone crosses one of them, there’s going to be trouble. They intentionally put on an intimidating front.
When Linkin’ Bridge walks on the AGT stage, new judge Simon Cowell asks a couple of rudimentary questions like how long have you been together and why have they decided to compete on the show. They don’t say much, just that they’ve been together “for a while.” There’s an awkward silence on the stage. But when the tough-looking group breaks into a sweet and gorgeous a cappella version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the crowd goes nuts. All of the judges even Simon Cowell cracks a grin. America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
