‘Parmesan Cheese Guy’ Confuses ‘America’s Got Talent’ Judges + Screaming Vocals Confuses Them More
If we're making a checklist of things that are metal, you can now add "parmesan cheese" and 29-year-old America's Got Talent contestant Ben Lapidus.
The singer-songwriter from Doylestown, Pennsylvania left an impression on the viewing audience earlier this season when he debuted one of his original songs, a heartfelt acoustic ballad that he had penned about feeling embarrassed to ask for more parmesan cheese at a restaurant. Initially, the AGT judging panel wasn't having it, as Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel quickly pushed their buzzers to "X" him out of the competition. Even Heidi Klum, who agreed with the sentiment of the humorous song, eventually gave him an "X" as well.
But Ben's story didn't end there, as the audience rallied around him, giving overwhelming boos to the judging panel. After an impassioned plea from Lapidus, chants of "Par-me-san" from the crowd and a final comment of "The people want more parmesan," three of the judges flipped their votes sending Lapidus to the next round.
In a pre-taped package, Lapidus seemed more intent on showing more of his songwriting ability in hopes of advancing further in the competition. Dressed in a demim shirt and jeans, he returned to the stage with his acoustic guitar in hand, playing the beginnings of a very emo-feeling song with the lyrics, "Sometimes I feel so hopeless / Thinking of the things that feel so wrong in this world / My life's just a drop in the ocean / The world is my oyster / But I can't find the pearl."
But after a long pause, Lapidus stated, "Sorry, someone take this. This was a mistake," before bursting out, "I'm … I'm the … I'm the parmesan cheese guy," then ripping off his denim clothing to reveal black leather pants and an open black leather vest.
Suddenly, Lapidus was backed by a full band with a fiery orange backdrop as a "We Will Rock You" beat featured a different interpretation of his "Parmesan Cheese" song. What followed was a full on metal assault, leaving several of the judges stunned while Heidi Klum totally bought into the heaviness that Lapidus was laying down.
As the performance continued, it got more over the top. Lapidus' name was scrawled in Slayer-esque font on the drummer's drum skin, the audience were all given devil horn foam fingers to rock along, plumes of smoke raised from the stage and the guitarist ripped off a solo as sparks flew from his instrument. You'll even catch some double kick drum heaviness as Lapidus' performance gets more intense with him eventually hovering above the panel to scream and rock out for the audience.
Yes, for a second time Lapidus started getting "X'd" out by the judges, but the audience (and Klum) were all to engaged in the performance to care.
Regardless of how this turns out, it's safe to say that Lapidus rocked the stage and made "parmesan cheese" metal for everyone. Watch the performance unfold below.