#4: Sandou Trio Russian Bar (Season 6)
During Season 3, America was introduced to one of the most amazing acts ever shown on America's Got Talent: The Russian Bar, brought to AGT by the Russian Bar Trio.
America never got to see what else the Trio had to offer. After making the Top 40, they were forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained during rehearsals.
Three years later, the act was brought to AGT again, this time by the Sandou Trio Russian Bar.
And with "Russian Bar" right in the title, the fear was not that they would suddenly change directions the same way Gregory Popovich and Kevin James had, but that they too would push themselves too far just like the Russian Bar Trio had done so before.
This turned out not to be the case. They performed consistently through Vegas Week, and at the open calls, performed the Russian Bar over fire. The Sandou Trio was on the right track to deliver an epic win for AGT's variety enthusiasts.
Then came the moment of horror. After they were confirmed to have advanced, Nick Cannon asked how they were going to keep this going, to which the leader of the trio, Cassie Sandou, responded: "Russian bar is only one of the things we do."
In case anyone had forgotten about Mario & Jenny or Drew Thomas Magic, America got a fresh reminder of what a different direction for an act can mean from the Rhinestone Ropers the week after.
Nobody knew exactly what the Sandou Trio was going to do next, but somehow everyone knew, at least subconsciously, that it was absolutely going to suck. Yet even then, it's doubtful that anyone was fully prepared for just how bad of a turn the Trio was about to take.
In the semifinals, Cassie Sandou sat strapped into an upside down piano, singing and playing "Angel of Mine."
And she wasn't even a good singer. She sounded like a middle-aged Rebecca Black.
To make matters worse, Sandou didn't just take the "Russian Bar" out of "Sandou Trio Russian Bar." She also took out the "Trio." While she sang and played, one member of the trio held himself up on gymnastics rings, while the other member just stood there waiting to be put out of his misery.
You could tell by their facial expressions and body language that this was not their idea.
Lewis Black once joked about coming out before a live audience and saying "Guess what? I'm not really a comic. I'm a magician!" performing a pathetic attempt at the most basic of magic tricks, and then yelling at the audience "Close enough!"
That's a pretty effective metaphor for what Sandou did in the semifinals.
In the first round of quarterfinals, America sent home the Fearless Flores Family, Dezmond Meeks and the Fiddleheads so that the Sandou Trio could compete in the semifinals.
And this was Cassie Sandou's way of demonstrating her gratitude.
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