Ben Blaque on his BGT chances: "I'm going to give it my best shot"
Ben Blaque and his crossbow made quite the impression on Saturday’s Britain’s Got Talent and we don’t just mean on his assistant Simon Cowell!
After getting four big yeses from the Judges, we wanted to find out more about the man who would dare point his arrow at our very own Mr Nasty.
So, has his act ever gone seriously wrong? Was he worried about involving Simon? And how would he feel performing for the Queen? Find out more below…
He’s always wanted to step out on the BGT stage
Gracing from Springfield, Missouri, Ben says there are “many reasons” why he wanted to audition for BGT, with the main one being that he’d be able to show Simon his act. Ben explained: “I love England and I wanted to have a chance to showcase my act to the whole country. I also wanted to have a chance to personally perform in front of Simon. I was nervous facing the Judges, Simon - of course for obvious reasons - and then the very beautiful Alesha and Amanda. I was very happy to have such a great outcome and felt very blessed to have done well enough to get the four yeses. Especially from Simon.”
He was worried about having Simon’s life in his hands!
When asked if he had concerns about Simon joining in on his act, Ben stated: “I was nervous he might say no to helping me. Maybe it was better he didn't know what I was going to have him do before I asked him on stage. But that was the first time I used a human being on stage to do that part. He did amazing and was a very good sport and I feel very blessed to have him as a part of it. But, I will probably never do that again with someone there ringing the bell. He never said anything to me about getting injured but I think the look on his face said it all!”
He hasn't had a crossbow accident... yet!
Speaking of whether one of his performances has gone seriously wrong, Ben said: “Not to jinx it but no one has been seriously injured. I've had a number of mechanical things go wrong, like my bow string break a few times at the beginning of my act.” Phew…
His act is different from the rest
Seeing as BGT is jam-packed with talent, Ben claimed that he believes his skill is different from anything we’ve ever seen before. When asked what sets him apart, he said: “My act isn't magic or Illusion, but it fits in nicely as a variety act in magic shows, like a juggler or knife thrower might. Before I started the crossbow act, I wanted to be an illusionist. This didn't happen until I took a summer job as a crew member at the Kirby VanBurch magic show. Kirby had presented the crossbow act to me and after a lot of convincing he got me to perform it.”
He’d love to perform for the Queen
Setting his sights on the live Semi-Finals, Ben went on to state that he’s going to give winning the competition his “best shot”, adding: “I would feel so blessed to have the opportunity to perform for Her Majesty. I couldn't think of a better opportunity. I feel blessed to have done as much as I've done so far. Even if I didn't make it through (to the next stage), I feel happy to have done this much.”
Britain's Got Talent returns to ITV this Saturday (May 7) at 8pm!