Who is singer Ben Lapidus? AGT contestant receives mixed reactions from fans after his "parmesan cheese" performance in Episode 11

AGT contestant Ben Lapidus receives mixed reactions from fans (Image via benlapidusmusic/Instagram)
AGT contestant Ben Lapidus receives mixed reactions from fans (Image via benlapidusmusic/Instagram)

America's Got Talent (AGT) Season 17 aired a brand-new episode on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at 8.00 pm ET on NBC. The two-hour time frame saw the first set of acts in the quarterfinals round. The quarterfinals will last five weeks, with each week having 11 acts, out of which 2 will go ahead in the final round, after calculating America's votes.

Ben Lapidus was back on stage with a rock version of the Parmesan Cheese performance, creating chaos among the judges and audience. While the judges were again shocked by the song, viewers had mixed reactions to his performance. Some cheered him vigorously, while others slammed the show for putting him through, leaving other talented contestants hanging.

Fan favorite judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum were back on the judging panel and entertained the audience with their quirky personalities. Along with viewers, they chose 54 acts and a wild card contestant, comedian Jordon Conley, to move into the quarterfinals, out of which 10 contestants will compete in the final round.


AGT contestant Ben Lapidus leaves the audience spinning with his performance

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During the audition round, Ben performed his Parmesan Cheese song and received the X buzzer from the AGT judges one by one. As a result, his journey in the reality talent competition would have been over. However, what followed was one of the top moments in the franchise's history.

As soon as the judges marked their disapproval and the contestant was about to leave, the live audience cheered for him and started chanting "parmesan." This gave Ben a much-needed second chance. The judges, apart from Howie, realized that viewers had become big fans of the contestant and then removed their X buzzers.

The song has become extremely popular, and the full studio version is also available to stream now. His newest singles include Grad School, Call Your Mom, and Never Mine to Lose.

The singer was raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He revealed to NBC that growing up in Pennsylvania made him love music even more.

“I grew up just completely immersed in the pop-punk, emo, hardcore-punk scene in Pennsylvania. So that was my bread and butter musically from a songwriting perspective. So everything I do that seems like a parody of that comes from a place of such deep love and gratitude for this music and has really shaped my entire life.”

The AGT contestant is also a podcast sound designer and has a time-traveling narrative comedy podcast titled Who Killed Avril Lavigne?


AGT contestant Ben Lapidus receives mixed reactions from fans

Viewers back home had mixed responses to Ben's performance in the quarterfinal round. While some felt that his performance was much better compared to some of the other acts on the show, others weren't sold on his concept and delivery.


Season 17 of America's Got Talent (AGT) has been extremely popular amongst viewers and lived up to its name of being one of the most watched talent competitions in the country. So far, the installment has seen a multitude of talents from magicians, acrobats, dancers, singers, and many variety acts who have gone on to become household names in the country and are well-recognized worldwide.

Contestants who performed in the first round of the quarterfinals included saxophonist Avery Dixon, comedian Don McMillan, singer Ava Swiss, acrobat duo Stefanny and Yeeremy, and animal act Veranica, among many others.

Tune in to an all-new episode of AGT tomorrow at 8.00 pm ET on NBC to find out which two acts are moving one step closer to the finals.

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Edited by Sayati Das