10/27/2024

Union Suits on America's Got Talent?! Part II

Last week I introduced you to two talented Japanese boys who appeared on the NBC America's Got Talent show this past summer. The costume of one of them, Taro, consisted of a union suit. After their initial "animal acts," Taro, still in just his white long underwear, takes his seat once again, places a unicorn mask on over his head, and readies himself for their next act. 


He again thrusts his body upward, hands one direction, feet another, creating a perfect unicorn in a union suit:


Gomi reappears, holding an inflated pink balloon: 


 

AND POP!!! 



                                                          How'd he do that?!?!?

Taro tears off the mask and jumping up, signals his appreciation for the audiences' applause and... 

 

...begins immediately stripping off the union suit he's been sporting. But, what's this? A hairy chest? No, it's more long underwear, revealing he's now wearing an animal-print union suit! 



 
 Taro grabs a brown cover from the back of his union suit, pulling it up over his head, and takes his well known position for what's to come!




Upon Taro taking his position, Gomi comes out from behind his black curtain. He too is now stripped to his long underwear, wearing a similar, animal print union suit!  He pulls on a mask. But what's this, Gomi's mask is on backwards!!  And, he straddles over and places himself on top of Taro's head! What are these crazy Asian boys up to now?!



Gomi unceremoniously plants his rear end right on top of Taro's upturned head. The crowd lets loose with a thunderous roar of laughter... it requires two to make a giraffe!


The crowd and judges can not contain themselves! Merriment prevails!




Both the boys stand up in their print underwear, taking another, well deserved bow!




Just then, Sophia says into her microphone that she's not sure as to what had happened but that it was "ridiculous nonsense, sort of a dance, quick-changing type of a performance." And then she adds, "I really think you deserve this"....






as she slams the golden buzzer sending the boys to the live rounds for upcoming voting by the television audience!  Simon looks on, astonished. The boys are astonished too!







They are exuberant as golden confetti rains down on them!





As the golden confetti flutters down, Sophia joins the boys on stage with heartfelt congratulations as they get a standing ovation from the audience. They can't believe they've been such a tremendous hit on one of the world's most popular talent shows! 


 

Simon walks up to the stage and told the Schumacher team they were "brilliant."  And so they were.


 

There was only one other time in rememberance when a contestant appeared on America's Got Talent in just his underwear. That was when Glen Philip stood on statge in just his long underwear drawers with no undershirt. 


Again, my thanks to NBC Universal / Peacock and the entire ensemble of America's Got Talent!

 







10/19/2024

Union Suits on America's Got Talent?! Really?

Union Suit Fans, did you happen to watch NBC's America's Got Talent, Season 19, this past summer, featuring Simon and Heidi, Howie and Sofia? If you did, maybe you caught Episode 7 where two boys from Japan appeared in their union suits. I had not seen that before on this show. Their contibution was absolutely fantastic and the audience and judges eventually went wild. In fact, Sofia, pushed the golden buzzer as she was so taken with them and their performance.

The duo go by the stage name of "Schumacher" (for some reason) and had perfected their talent over the past ten years. It was the first time Yuya Gomi and Ryu Taro had ever even been in the United States. There they were, standing on stage in front of America's most famous judges and an overflow theatre crowd, dressed smartly in matching suits and dress shirts. Would they dance, sing, do magic?  Well, no. But their act WAS magic. 


After introduction by the judges, all of a sudden, Taro starts pulling off his clothes and shoes. His shirt and vest come off, followed by his pants. In the meantime, Gomi walks off behind a black curtain that had been previously erected....




In the blink of an eye, Taro strips down to a white union suit! Gomi returns with an animal mask. Taro takes a seat in just his long underwear as the audience stare in questionable wonder. 

 


Suddenly, holding the mask over his partner's head, Gomi drops the mask on to Taro's head who quickly erecs his body into a sort of standing crab position.


The result? A boy is transfigured into a dog!  
That's what I said, a dog. To everyone's surprised, a canine now stands in front of Gomi, America and the world?



Taro barks as the mask tongue wags happily. Simon, the audience, 
and I, at home, break into hysterical laughter while Sophia gazes at the transformation, a bit puzzled.

A dog in a union suit? Amazingly unique! 

As the dog mask is removed, the boys jump to their feet, receiving long exuberant applause....


Taro, in his white long underwear, is triumphant!


But, they are not finished. Taro begins frantically wrapping black electrical tape over his union suit, placing it all around his arms, legs and torso: 

 



Gomi returns to the curtain while the crowd anticipates the possibility of another masked marvel....Taro continues wrapping black tape over his white underwear....


Gomi does return with another mask as Taro takes his previous position on the stage floor: 



A new mask, this one black striped, is purposely dropped on Taro's head and "presto," a zebra stands there on all fours as the crowd and judges go crazy! 



 

The boys rise to accept another robust accolade from the audience.


Taro removes the tape from his union suit and dispenses with the zebra mask while Gomi heads back to his curtain.  What's next?!?!

 

Well, you'll need to watch for my posting of Part II of Amercia's Got Talent to see what these boys, known as "Schumacher," have planned next. If you can't wait, find this episode on NBC Universal / Peacock or simply google this very talented duo.
You'll not want to miss what comes next!