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How Duo Desire’s “Sexy” and Dangerous Act Made Sofia Vergara Literally Scream
Duo Desire set out to perform their “love story in the air” but the aerial act had some moments of sheer terror for Judge Sofia Vergara.
Duo Desire’s aerial act on America’s Got Talent was the perfect mix of passion, love, and pure terror.
Married couple Denis and Jilliana Bazhenova took to the air to perform their steamy profession of love, but their tricks were so dangerous they had Judge Sofia Vergara screaming in her seat, literally.
“That was spectacular. It was sexy. It was perfection. I want to see more,” Vergara told the pair after collecting herself.
Duo Desire Auditions for AGT
With dreams of one day performing in AGT’s Vegas live act, Denis and Jilliana set their sights high and knew they’d have to deliver something the Judges had never seen before to earn the coveted yes votes necessary to continue in the competition.
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“We’re going to be performing together our love story in the air,” Jilliana said before taking the stage. “Today, we chose scary tricks, more dangerous tricks, because we dream to perform in AGT Live at Luxor in Las Vegas.”
Their awe-inspiring act was the culmination of years of preparation. Jilliana was just 19 years old when she stumbled on the aerial arts.
“I was looking for some workout class. I found Groupon for an Intro to Aerial class,” the 29-year-old recalled. “I didn’t know what it was going to be to start out. I couldn’t touch my toes, couldn’t do one pull up, but the feeling that I got when I was in the air, I just knew it was for me.”
Eventually she connected with Denis — who grew up dancing — and the pair discovered they made great partners not only in the air, but in life.
Even the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t keep couple from perfecting their craft. After gyms across America shut down, Denis and Jilliana headed to local parks where they tossed their aerial silks into the trees and took off into the sky.
“We would drive to the park with the ladder in the back of the car and we managed to slowly create Duo Desire,” Jilliana remembered.
At their AGT audition, the perfectly toned pair walked hand in hand onto the stage. After Vergara told the couple to “have fun” on stage, Denis took off his shirt and tossed it in the corner before the act began.
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Jilliana began perfectly posed in the splits before she was raised into the air and started to spin. Denis then grabbed onto her legs and they both lifted into the air, quickly spinning around in the gravity-defying feat.
Their next trick had Denis grabbing onto the silk and raising into the air, before pulling Jilliana into the air behind him.
But it was their final trick that had Vergara screaming and grabbing onto Judges Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum.
Jilliana rose high into the air, holding the silks with her arms, before Denis grabbed onto the bottom of the silks and rose into the air. In a death-defying move, Jilliana then let go of the silks, dropping several feet before clutching onto Denis who still hovered over the stage.
“That was incredible,” a stunned Host Terry Crews said from the wings.
The Judges were also blown away.
“As somebody who’s seen a lot of aerial acts and is very jaded, that was one of the most impressive things I have seen in a long time,” Judge Howie Mandel remarked.
Vergara wasn’t the only one to have a physical reaction to the dangerous performance. Klum said her palms were “so sweaty” as she watched the pair.
“You were flying so fast up there,” she said. “Moments that we have not seen before on this stage. So incredible.”
JIlliana admitted the pair had set out to “scare you guys a little bit” with the ambitious routine. And the strategy definitely worked.
“I mean it really felt to me you were putting everything on the line for this and you know what? It paid off. You got your first yes,” Cowell said.
The three other Judges quickly followed suit, giving the lovebirds four yes votes and sending them on in the competition.
While it’s not clear just what Denis and Jilliana have in store for the live round of competition, it's sure to send both soaring to new heights.
Keep watching more of America’s Got Talent as the competition continues, Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock. Following AGT, you can watch Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC and next day on Peacock.
