By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
NEW YORK — Hopes of capturing a million dollar prize and show in Las Vegas have apparently come to an end for former Houlton resident Sam Johnson.
Sam Johnson
Johnson, a member of the Class of 1998 from Houlton High School, now a resident of Burlington, Vt., was appearing on the NBC television show “America’s Got Talent” hoping to win the grand prize of $1 million.
He was eliminated from the show on Aug. 14 by a vote of the public.
“All aspects of working with AGT was a phenomenal experience,” Johnson said. “Dealing with producers, technicians and lawyers on the behind-the-scenes stuff was interesting, difficult and at time hilarious. Some aspects of the production they are completely on point, others … they are not. What impresses me the most is the lightning speed at which they produce the show. A huge staff tackles a huge job and gets it done with flying colors.”
Johnson performed three times for judges Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel and was dubbed a “danger” act for his ridiculously complex stunts.
In his first appearance, Johnson performed on an 80-foot sway pole, where he did a handstand without any harness or safety net.
For his second appearance, Johnson lit his trademark top hat on fire, doused himself in gasoline and then proceeded to juggle on a unicycle on top of a slackwire.
“Something as foolish as dumping gas on your head and performing in a flaming hat must be rehearsed to an ultra refined level,” Johnson said. “There are so many things that can go wrong and you must have complete understanding of how far you can push it before you get hurt.”
In his final appearance on the show, which aired Aug. 20, Johnson was back on the sway pole a day earlier at Queens College, only this time, instead of doing just a handstand on the pole, he stood atop it, and using his legs, caused the pole to sway back and forth. He then tied a short rope around his leg and caused the pole to drop like a pendulum, to the shock of the judges and audience.
Johnson said he has performed that particular act hundreds of times.
A master juggler and aerial artist, Johnson has performed at various festivals, carnivals and as a street performer for most of his life. He currently lives in Burlington, with his 5-year-old son Phineus and works as a lawnmower mechanic.
While he technically did not get to perform on the stage of Radio City Music Hall, standing on the historic stage was an overwhelming experience.
“Just standing up on that stage you got the feeling you were standing on sacred ground,” he said. “In the silence between the judges’ comments and the applause you could almost hear the spirits of past performers telling you to seize the moment.”
Many performers on the show will be a part of a national touring group, but Johnson does not expect to be a part of that crew.
“Realistically my acts are too physically large to take on their tour and too dangerous to perform on a regular basis, so no, I’m not going on tour,” he said.
In July, Johnson journeyed to the Shiretown for the 15th reunion of the Class of 1998.
“I drove up on Saturday, attended the class reunion Saturday night and drove home Sunday night,” he said. “Even with all that driving it was one of the best weekends of my life! I felt like I went back in time and got to be in high school again. After spending the evening catching up with old friends I went out to camp for a 2 a.m. swim in the pond. I was floating on my back looking up at the stars sucking up the moment. Everyone had a great time.”
While performing in New York, a second, mini-Houlton reunion was held when some of his former classmates surprised him.
“Billy Jo Taylor, a dear friend and classmate of mine wanted to come to New York and see my performance,” Johnson said. “Billy has kept in touch with Lindsay Edgar and Eric Sussman, two Houlton natives who now live in New York City. We all got to hang out and have dinner for a few days. It was wonderful to have friends from the North Country around to share the moment with. I also didn’t pay for any drinks!”
Appearing on a nationally televised show has resulted in bit of face and name recognition. People will now walk up to him on the street and ask to shake his hand. And while his time on America’s Got Talent has come to an end, his time on television may not have.
Now that AGT is over Johnson is focusing his attention on a television series that follows the lives of street entertainers called “Street Performers with Sam Johnson.” He would also like to make a return to the County to perform at Houlton Agricultural Fair.
“One thing I am looking for is a meeting with a network or an agent with connections to a network,” he said. “I’m putting the word out to everyone. So, if people know of anyone with connections, please contact me directly at slackwiresam@gmail.com.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, Johnson has already begun test shooting and hopes to have a rough pilot in November/December that he will post on his website. A demo video of the TV show can be found at http://streetperformerswithsamjohnson.com.
He will also be selling T-shirts featuring a cartoon drawing of himself with flaming torches and another on the sway pole that were created by his sister India Johnson.
“I have bigger fish to fry, specifically my TV show ‘Street Performers with Sam Johnson,’” he said. “I have begun test shooting and things are going great. For real fame I need to get my TV show picked up … and I will. Stay tuned!”
