#23: Rudi Macaggi (Seasons 1 & 5)
Opposite Bruce Block on the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Rudi Macaggi. In contrast, he was once criminally underrated but wound up impressing greatly.
When Macaggi first appeared during Season 1, he wasn't even a regular competitor. Instead, he was filed into a "Wild & Wacky" sideshow competition that saw him competing against a girl belching song lyrics and a guy kicking himself in the head.
Needless to say, they were no match for Macaggi.
It worked out in the end for him though. At the end of the W&W sideshow, Macaggi walked away with a brand new car.
Four years later, Macaggi returned as a true contestant for Season 5, and for anyone who remembered him from the W&W showcase, expectations were high.
And make no mistake: Macaggi did deliver upon them, at least at first. For his first live performance, Macaggi performed a stunt in which he did a handstand over an operating circular saw.
It didn't have any of the fun or silliness of his Season 1 performances, but to his credit, it was also what pretty much everyone already familiar with Macaggi said he should have done. And it was likely only because he had the misfortune of being sorted into the toughest round of quarterfinals that he did not initially pull enough votes to advance.
What Macaggi should have taken away from this disappointing finish was that drama and danger were not what America would go for. Given a second chance, something silly and fun like he had previously been known for would have been the better bet.
Fortunately for Macaggi, he did get a second chance. For the first ever wild card round, Sharon Osbourne chose him as one of her four acts.
Unfortunately for Macaggi, he didn't get the message. When he was invited back, he performed another dangerous stunt with a long, dramatic buildup -- the exact same format that hadn't worked out for him during his first live appearance.
The moral of Macaggi's story is that, if everything goes perfectly and you still don't get the results you were looking for, it most likely is not worth repeating.
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