As with most reality TV contests, the entertainment quota in Arabs Got Talent is especially high during the audition stage, from the hilarious antics of those in denial about how little talent they really have, to the incredulous reactions of the judges to what they see on stage.
Now that the competition is more serious, however, laughs are few and far between, despite having two comedians – Saudi actor Nasser Al Qasabi and Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy – on the judging panel. Helmy’s only attempt at comedy on Saturday night was when he pretended to be asleep at the end of the episode, just before he was asked to vote.
For the second time in a row, the judges were tied in their votes for the Mayada Crew dance group (made up of six men and a woman from Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria) and the Very Bad Team (six men from Algeria, Morocco, France and Italy). It was left to the audience to decide and they chose the latter to proceed to the finals.
They were joined by Algerian performer Nabilson, who received the highest number of votes for the eight acts that performed on the third live episode of the show. A former rugby player who can no longer play after an accident, he describes himself as a street sport performer and his act involves gravity-defying moves that resemble extreme gymnastics, set to a musical soundtrack.
The judges were united in their appreciation of his talent. Najwa Karam told him he could be cast as Superman. Nabilson ended his performance by presenting Karam with a red rose.
The light-hearted flirtation continued throughout the episode, with Jaber and Karam dissolving in giggles repeatedly for no obvious reason, adding fuel to rumours that they are dating.
However, Karam teased Jaber by saying his heart belongs to another: the Saudi singer Aisha, who delivered the standout performance of the night with her rendition of Nina Simone's Feeling Good, accompanied by Middle Eastern instruments.
