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The retired NYC subway conductor kept the judges on their toes during his audition on "America's Got Talent" before flooring them with a wild twist.
Booker, who hails from Long Island, was among the most popular acts to show off his talents with an unexpected display that none of the judge's saw coming.
After taking the stage, armed with a microphone, Booker, a record-holding competitive eater who has dabbled in rapping, was asked if he needed a sip of water as the judge's continued to muse about what the act was going to be.
"I think he's going to be a comedian ... one of the judges whispered, while another added, "I thought he was singing ..."
None of the above.
Instead, Booker had shot glasses delivered to the judges filled with four distinct "beverages" while he had full beakers of the same liquids placed in front of him.
"Y'all each have a sample of what I'm about to do if you want to play along," Booker said with a smile.
Inside those containers? Glad you asked.
First, Booker put down a jar of pickle juice, relatively benign, but he was just getting started. The former subway conductor then sampled a staple known to all New Yorkers: hot dog water, complete with two hot dogs at the bottom.
Mel B. and Sofia Vergara had enough at that point, but Booker was undeterred.
Up third? As the judges squealed, Booker put down a helping of creamed corn — which Howie Mandel also sampled from his shot glass — before the grand finale: hot sauce.
Cowell, the only judge who didn't usher Booker off the stage, jokingly fought off Mel B., who was trying to save the man from himself as he pounded the hot sauce.
At the end of the day, Booker didn't make the cut.
"Because this is the 20th season, we want something that is amazing," Mandel said after the fact. "The fact that I can do it means it's not that special."
After receiving a gallon of milk from host Terry Crews, Cowell sent him off with a smile on his face.
"Eric ... I really like you," he said. "So I'm disappointed. I would have said yes."
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