On the third Battle Round of The World’s Best, the final acts will perform again this time for a chance to advance to the Championship Round. Two American acts will compete against each other and they couldn’t be more different. Liliac Band consists of five long-haired gothic looking kids dressed in black who head-bang and sing heavy metal covers by “devil music” producers including The Prince of Darkness himself Ozzy Osbourne. The other is gospel singer Vonnie Lopez & The High Praise Choir.
The World’s Best is often compared to the well-established televised talent competition America’s Got Talent. But Lopez says it’s different because “it’s a global and inclusive type of celebration.” Sure the three judges are American (actress Drew Barrymore, country singer Faith Hill and drag queen TV host RuPaul) but the contestants also have to face the “Wall of the World” which consists of 50 experts representing 40 or more countries. “What the world views as great and what America views as great can be two different things,” says Lopez.
Lopez was born into a religious family: both her father and grandfather were pastors. She was born tone deaf and prayed everyday that God would help her learn to sing. As a teenager, she found herself no longer tone deaf and credits its sudden disappearance to her faith. Keep that in mind when Vonnie sings “Amazing Grace” and delivers the line, “I once was blind but now I see.”
The World’s Best airs Wednesdays at 9 pm on CBS, right after Survivor. [NOTE: Stream any CBS show through Amazon Prime or CBS ALL-ACCESS. Both options offer free trials.]
