‘Talent’ gets weird, wild and ... weird

Yes, “America’s Got Talent,” plenty of it. But the NBC reality competition also offers lots of lunacy, often inspired.

The top-rated summer series (Tuesdays, 8 EDT/PDT), halfway through its audition episodes, has featured memorable singers, dancers and escape artists. Three of them – Zurcaroh, Michael Ketterer and Courtney Hadwin – won the coveted Golden Buzzer and a free pass to the Season 13 finals.

Along with the sublime, there’s a compelling sideshow: acts whose crazy brilliance is their ability to defy categorization. Many quirky performers show talent, too. Here are five acts that impressed the judges.

1 takes: Spit takes, glorious spit La Fontane Umane

The performance of “Titanic” tearjerker “My Heart Will Go On” by the four tuxedoed men, looking like refugees from a college a capella group, resulted in waterworks, just not the expected kind. They didn’t sing; they spouted impressive streams of clear (and then colored) water. These Human Fountains, as their name translates, became an unusual streaming service.

2 The Sinister sleight of hand: Sacred Riana

Magic tricks are supposed to surprise, not scare the daylights out of you, right? Judge Mel B reeled in shock and horror at the scary photo trick pulled off by The Sacred Riana, a demurely dressed young woman whose stony silence put everyone on the edges of their seats.

3 Belly laughs: Yumbo Dump

It’ll be hard to top Yumbo Dump as the best name for an act. The two men made the most of their girth to imitate the sounds of a water droplet hitting water, a cork being pulled and a UFO. They followed each sound effect with a joint cheer: “Feels so good!”

4 Slice in the dark: Aaron Crow

The magician, no stranger to danger, put the judges and audience on edge with his version of the silent treatment. The imposing performer scared judge Howie Mandel further when he brought him and two audience assistants on stage, hot-waxed his eyes shut, covered his head in layers and then swung his sword in various stunts, like slicing a pineapple perched on top of Mandel’s head.

5 the For his next act, he’ll throw in kitchen sink: Hans, International Superstar

Multi-skilled Hans was bold in fashion choice and self-description: “International superstar, sex symbol, accordionist, home-wrecker, Madonna fan.” Hans’ performance started with a “Cabaret”-inspired accordion solo that turned into a rip-roaring rendition of “Proud Mary” capped by an impressive, cringe-inducing leg split.

For the spellbinding Sacred Riana, silence was golden. TRAE PATTON/NBC