When Mary Ellen Wolfe-Nielsen and her husband, Tyce Nielsen, first competed on “America’s Got Talent,” they were doing it to make a name for themselves. The Salt Lake City-based trapeze artists — who became the first trapeze artists in the show’s history to reach the top 10 — were doing it for stability. They wanted a career that would allow them to provide for their young son, Jaxx.
This time around, on “America’s Got Talent: The Champions,” they’re competing to win.
And on Monday night, Duo Transcend got a lot closer to its goal, becoming one of six acts to make it through to the finals.
The competition in the semifinal round was tougher for the Nielsens, who were directly competing against the acrobatic team Duo Destiny and the high-flying balance beam act Sandou Trio Russian Bar, featuring Cassie Sandou — a native of Price, Utah.
To set themselves apart, the Nielsens upped their game and created a fire-filled circus atmosphere on stage. Performing to the “The Greatest Show” from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack, Duo Transcend split its time between the air and ground, first doing tricks on the trapeze before dramatically dropping and switching to spinning on roller skates.
“I was so stressed about getting my Velcro skates on super fast and not having them fly off!” Mary Ellen Wolfe-Nielsen said in a Facebook post.
At first, Tyce Nielsen spun his wife around by holding onto her legs. And then, blindfolded, he began to spin her rapidly — using only his neck to hold her.
All four judges gave the pair a standing ovation.
“I mean, I actually feel like I am in the greatest show on Earth,” judge Alesha Dixon told Duo Transcend. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you and I didn’t want it to end. It was lovely. Well done.”
“There’s always a concern from when you’ve done a great previous show. Can you step up into the semifinals? Can you progress? Tonight, you were in control of everything,” judge Simon Cowell added. “I thought the theme was immaculate. I loved one act leading to another. This was everything but more than I could have ever hoped for you two, genuinely.”
In the end, it was the judges’ support that got Duo Transcend through to the finals, choosing to vote the act through over Duo Destiny.
Sandou also made it to the finals. Her flame-filled balance beam act led judge Heidi Klum to shout, “You have to be one of the six! You have to be.”
But only one act will be crowned the winner next week. The season two finale of “AGT: The Champions” airs Monday, Feb. 10.