Dancing Pumpkin Man. 11 years ago he was invented by Matt Geiler to fill time on a local newscast in Omaha. The spot came and went, but when the internet picked it up a few years later, the character would become an internet meme. Each year animated GIFs of his spirited, yet bizarre Halloween dance would be used to show people’s elation at the approach of the Halloween season. This week, Geiler reprised his role as Dancing Pumpkin Man once again, but this time on the national stage of America’s Got Talent.
Describing his talent as, “Spontaneous, joyful, comedic dancing,” Dancing Pumpkin Man took the stage in his signature black unitard with a jack-o-lantern strapped to his face, Geiler danced his heart out to Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.”
As you saw in the video, judge Simon Cowell wasn’t having it, but judges Howie Mandell, Mel B, and Heidi Klum let Geiler finish his performance. In the end Dancing Pumpkin Man would initially only get yes votes from Howie Mandel and Mel B, but would need three votes of yes to advance to the next round. “It was stupid, but I love stupid. So it’s a yes.” said Howie Mandel after the performance.
Dancing Pumpkin Mans biggest fan was Mel B. “My tummy hurts I’ve laughed so much,” she said. Refusing to let him fail, Mel B rushed the stage demanding someone change their vote stating that she wouldn’t leave the stage until someone did. Simon Cowell then reluctantly changed his vote, advancing Dancing Pumpkin Man to the next round of America’s Got Talent. “I do have a 3-year-old who I think would probably get it better than I would,” Cowell said of Geiler’s act.
“There are few times in a pumpkins life where somebody takes a stand for you, draws a line in the patch, and says, ‘Yo, either this guy stays or I go,'” said Geiler in a post-performance interview discussing Mel B’s decision to fight for his win.
With Dancing Pumpkin Man advancing to the next round he has a shot at winning $1 million. When asked by Howie Mandel what the judges could expect in his follow-up performance. Geiler responded, “All my moves are spontaneous expressions of jubilation, so you change the track, you change the game.”
