The retired NBA star was a special judge during the second night of Judge Cuts on Tuesday.
When the Indian acrobatic dance crew V.Unbeatable took to the America's Got Talent stage during this season's auditions, they wowed the judges with their unparalleled athleticism. On Tuesday's new episode, they hit the stage again for the Judge Cuts round, and took their act to the next level.
NBA star Dwyane Wade joined the judges panel as the night's special guest judge - -where he took a seat next to wife Gabrielle Union -- and the recently retired basketball star was floored, and seemingly terrified, by the epic performance.
Before they kicked off their act, the captain of the crew, who are based out of Mumbai, introduced themselves to the audience, and explained why they came on AGT in the first place.
"We are here to fulfill the dream of a boy whose name was Vikas," the crew leader said, explaining why each of the performers had the name "Vikas" on the backs of their yellow shirts.
As they explained, they were doing rehearsals six years ago when an accident occured, causing a kid named Vikas to suffer a tragic fall.
"His body was paralyzed," the young performer recalled, fighting back tears. "After a few weeks, he passed away, and we were all broken. His dream was to be on a stage like this, so we are doing all this for him."
It's not hard to understand how such a horrible accident could happen when you watch the group perform. Their act is a mix of dancing in perfect unison while also forming human pyramids and throwing one another through the air.
The mind-blowing performance incorporated balancing stunts, acrobatics, stunning lifts, amazing dives, and ends with one of the youngest members sitting in a plastic chair held 20 feet in the air by a tower made of other performers.
Wade had a hard time even watching without cringing, considering how dangerous the act truly was. However, when it came time for him to give feedback -- after the other judges had showered them with praise -- he gave them the best honor they could have hoped for.
"My heart is beating at a rapid pace that I've never felt before," Wade said, adding that he appreciated and understood the "practice time it takes, and I know the sacrifice it takes" to get as good as they are at what they do.
"I had this saying, whenever I hit a big shot, whenever I hit a game winner, if it was one of those moments, I jumped up on the stands and I said, 'This is my house.' And today, on this stage, this is y'all's house," Wade declared as he slammed the Golden Buzzer and jumped on stage to give the group a big hug.
Out of 18 acts that performed on Tuesday, only seven could make it through. With the Golden Buzzer, V.Unbeatable's place in the finals was secured.
Another 18 hopefuls will give it their best shot next week during the third night of the Judge Cuts round, with guest judge Ellie Kemper. America's Got Talent airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
For more on the exciting season thus far, including last week's inspiring Golden Buzzer winner, check out the video below.
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