By Matthew Pearce
Unlikely pole dancer Allan Reinikka has taken his particular set of skills to the United States, appearing in America’s Got Talent last week.
‘Rallycar’s’ star has risen since his performance on Australia’s Got Talent in October last year, with the bearded 62-year-old becoming an overnight sensation on social media.
The day after his audition went to air, Allan woke up to messages from two producers from the US.
“They asked if I’d be interested in auditioning for America’s Got Talent, and I said, ‘Yeah, why not’,” he said.
Allan flew to the United States in late March, attending the America’s Got Talent auditions in Pasadena, California, where he performed before judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel.
“When I got there the weather was raining and cold, with daytime highs of about 14 degrees… It was a bit of a difference from Rockhampton, which was boiling hot with 100 per cent humidity back in March,” he said.
“I had the dubious honour of being the first audition on the first day… they were still setting the place up and there were a few teething problems.”
Allan said America’s Got Talent did a lot of things a little differently to its Australian equivalent.
“We had to go through security every morning and there was a sign going ‘no guns or weapons’,” he said.
The judges were divided by Allan’s performance, with a ‘yes’ from Heidi and Howie and a ‘no’ from Sophia and Simon.
“Simon buzzed me pretty much straight away but he’s never been a fan of pole dancers,” he said.
While he won’t make it through to the next round, Allan said the audience had shown their appreciation for his performance with plenty of cheers.
“There would have been thousands of people auditioning and I was lucky enough to be in the 200 that got to perform in front of the judges, which is pretty good in itself.”
About half of those auditioning for America’s Got Talent were from overseas, with people from Canada and the Philippines in his group.
Allan said he was still surprised at how far his newfound pole dancing fame had spread around the world.
“Two weeks before I flew to America, I had an Italian producer call and ask if I wanted to do their show, but it was in four weeks, on the same weekend as Rockynats and I was already booked to shoot that,” he said.
With his episode of America’s Got Talent screening in the United States last week, Allan is relieved that his 15 minutes of fame may finally be over, and he can return to the quiet life.
“Then again, if Britain’s Got talent rang and wanted to fly me to Pommyland, who am I to argue?”