ESTIMATED READING TIME: 16 Mins.
The year that will soon pass us by of 2020 has been quite a memorable one in the one section of our American society that sees people like you be the stars of their own TV show. But earlier this summer while you were probably busy following the serious business of the last MTV Challenge season of Total Madness, if you happen to be an overall reality TV fan besides just watching this show you might've spotted someone familiar on one of the biggest shows in the non-scripted universe.
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| All AGT Photos Courtesy Trae Patton/NBCUniversal |
Last week, we saw a second representative of a series airing on a competing traditional TV outlet outside of the ViacomCBS walls be the first rookie to bite the dust on The Challenge: Double Agents. But while it's the manner of which he was sent home that had us talking at night's end, the latest person to make the ride from the Peacock at 30 Rock down to this cable TV icon based in Times Square from is one who, a year ago this summer, provided viewers with a great performance that proved that you can inspire anyone to follow their dreams and become an overnight sensation. And that golden moment Joseph Allen went though is the focus of this edition of Before They Were MTV Stars.
The idea of television talent showcases is not anything new: those in Generation X grew up watching Star Search, which saw the first national television exposure of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and so many others in the company of Johnny Carson's longtime Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon. Then a decade later came American Idol, which launched into the stratosphere the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert and so many others. There is also The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance, and lots more in giving America's top talents a chance to show their stuff. And this doesn't take into account physical competitive reality shows like American Ninja Warrior, which introduced us to "Ninja" Natalie Duran from last year's two War of the Worlds Challenges.
In the mid-2000's, Idol became a television phenomenon and it not only brought back into the spotlight Paula Abdul and turned Ryan Seacrest into the hardest-working man in entertainment... it also helped shine a light on a relatively-unknown record producer and scout of emerging talent. Simon Cowell was part of the iconic original trio of judges of him, Paula and Randy Jackson, and who also performed the same role of critiquing bad performances as bluntly as anyone in the universe on The X-Factor both in America and in Britain. But he also had a hand in helping create a third venue for stars being made on the small screen -- but it didn't necessarily have to do with finding the very best singer.
In the mid 2000's when Friends signed off, Katie Couric left Today and a certain orange-haired man got to famously fire executives-to-be, NBC would find itself in a big rut. While it was rejuvenated in adding the NFL to its schedule as did the unique new game show Deal or No Deal, in 2006 Simon offered the Peacock another idea to try and boost viewership, and while the man who would later lead CNN during the Trump White House, Jeff Zucker, was company boss. And after helping bring Idol to the pantheon of U.S. television and X Factor into a British phenomenon, he looked to something else.
Something that's as old as television has been variety shows, which dates back to Sid Caesar hosting Your Show of Shows on NBC seventy years ago. The idea was simple: an array of acts encompassing anything from magic and juggling, to sketch comedy and musical performances, taking over an hour to 90-minute spot on primetime television. This form of entertainment, carried over from the stage in the Victorian era, is still popular in other parts of the world from the Philippines to England. But after the series finale of Univision's Sabado Gigante with Don Francisco aired in 2014, except for helping influence the late night daypart, variety shows no longer air in American primetime... except for one.
When Kaycee was a witness to the AGT Season 15 auditions earlier this summer, a season interrupted by the pandemic shutdown ultimately crowned Sacramento-area spoken word poet Brandon Leake $1 million richer. In the past, the show helped introduce the country to ventriloquist Terry Fator who headlines his own Las Vegas gig at The Mirage as does magician Mat Franco; singer Grace Vanderwaal who's become an accomplished pop star since winning in 2016, and has also been a stop along the journey of America's Best Dance Crew legends Jabbawockeez. And on Season 14 last year, there was Korean-American Kodi Lee, a legally-blind autistic singer and pianist from Utah who inspired viewers en route to being crowned champion.
Joe grew up in a blended family where his mom and dad got divorced at an early age and got remarried to other parents of both African- and Asian-American descent, and as a result would find himself living in a full house in every sense of that word as the youngest of a diverse set of a dozen siblings. As they saw him compete on the dirt and watch his many injuries pile up like trophies in an award cabinet - and in being the most important people in his life, Joseph's parents suggested that he quit going cycling and pursue going to college, and he took their advice as he went off to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. And while he was in the desert, he would find a new talent that would ultimately bring him to the big stage.
At GCU, Joe first eyed taking a major in mechanical engineering but soon he changed plans to digital production as he was starting to become fascinated with music, something he first got a taste of when performing in his elementary school's choir in 3rd grade. And shortly after, he was singing, doing songwriting and performing music on campus... even doing a local TV commercial for a college located in the nation's fifth largest populated city. At the end of his freshman year, he had already dropped a 10-track EP, The College Lifestyle, all by bringing what he learned of writing, recording, producing and mastering his own music from YouTube... even using his own closet in his dorm room to do it all before heading into the campus' own on-site recording studio and become its very first client.
Joseph would spend many days and nights during his college years producing and recording his music -- piano included -- and where his music would eventually become viral when his songs became popular on the Antelopes campus, and in the social sphere when a song he wrote and dedicated to his mom Karen Allen-Smith made waves on Facebook as he grew his social media following. Her son would ultimately receive his diploma in April 2019 with a digital film production degree and a business minor as he moved west on I-10 to Los Angeles in pursuit of that all-important record deal.
GCU president Brian Mueller, who heads the world's largest Christian university by enrollment and is the only for-profit in NCAA Division I, told the college newspaper, "He has that kind of effect on people. He's very enthusiastic, charismatic, people-oriented and has a lot of friends at GCU. When he gets in a setting like that, he just makes people feel good." And on the way to the graduation stage, there was the most important event to take place during his senior year...
This would be the third time he had auditioned for America's Got Talent and not only would it be the charm in finally taking the stage... but Joe kept it all a secret to he fellow Antelopes as they decided just by chance to go to a taping during this weeklong retreat. As those lucky students had no idea of the surprise they were about to get, they joined an audience of 3,000 packed to the rafters of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium for the audition phase. This theater has been a longtime host of the Emmys and big awards shows, American Idol's Hollywood Week and various other events in its 90-year existence. And the stage every AGT performer auditions on is the same one as where Michael Jackson first unleashed his signature moonwalk at the Motown 25 anniversary concert, which also coincidentally aired on NBC.
Seated in front of the GCU students were the judging panel of not only Simon Cowell, but also 10-season judge & Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel, Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union. And waiting backstage was show host Terry Crews, who Joe met up with before taking the stage. When he asked him when he thought he knew he was meant for this moment Joe told Terry, "I think it was the moment when I started talking," and he made a deal with the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star that if one of the show's signature moments happened to him during this part of the competition, he would pick him up like Patrick Swayze famously lifting up Jennifer Grey on the dance floor in Dirty Dancing.
And when he took to the AGT stage to perform his original rap/sung track "Footprint" which he wrote especially for this occasion, this was what unfolded next...
Once Joseph fell to his knees getting choked up in the last bit of his performance, an audience who stood up midway through gave him a standing ovation with Howie, Gabby, Jules and Simon leading the way as his parents also watched from up in the balcony. Once things settled back down, as he tried to hold back his tears he would tell the judges, "I just feel blessed. This is crazier than I thought." After he gave a shoutout to his family Gabby would tell him, "Dreams come true on this stage, and I think we're seeing your dream come true," and Julianne added, "I am literally crying as well. There's a new generation with millennials, and putting out there what's good in this world. I believe you are so good, I'm a fan!"
For someone whose personality is larger than life in the world of television talent shows, Simon chimed in, "You got the best reaction for doing nothing we've ever had on this show, like you got a standing ovation before you even performed. You got amazing energy, I gotta tell you... and I like your voice as well. You got a great tone, I love you. Look, Joseph, first impressions to me are everything and watching you get the reaction before you even started was astonishing. That was an amazing audition. I loved it." And as the last judge to say anything, Howie would say, "From the moment you walked out, your smile is electric. You walked out with such exuberance, and that's what life is. You know, Life is a series of moments, people at home are talking about this moment. People in this room are talking about this moment."
Once he pressed the magic button, Joseph became an overnight sensation amidst the golden confetti and Terry coming out on stage to give him a lift. He would say amidst the audience chanting his name, "This is crazy. This is a moment I've dreamed of for a long time. This is like nothing I've ever imagined. Thank you guys so much."
And when he relived that magical moment, Joe recalled: "It was surreal but real at the same time. I remember backstage, Gabrielle comes up to me. She's hugging me, and then she says, 'All I know is I better not get some horrible tickets when you perform at Coachella.' When you hear that from someone like that - oh, dude - it shakes you. This whole experience has been an emotional roller-coaster, man."
When it aired that summer, Joe traveled back home to Texas for the communal experience of watching it with family and friends in a local restaurant where every TV in the room was tuned to his performance. Mom Karen told NBC affiliate KCEN of the experience, "He is a jokester, so he is like, 'Mama, guess what?' and I was like, 'What boy?' "He said, 'I actually have an audition.' It's just been exciting just watching him through the process and enjoying it and just going through he is super excited."
Given the his entire family has played in his upbringing and in particular his mom, when Joe returned for the live shows two months later he dedicated his quarterfinal performance to Karen. And though he did not progress further into the semifinals, "Mama" served as a tribute to how important she is to him.
What Joseph went through last week on The Challenge was aplenty: him being despised by his lively British partner, deciding to take a gamble on this franchise's resident ginger man, and being manhandled in that elimination battle... and he's been hearing plenty of the doubters in the seven days since. But while his time as an Agent in Iceland lasted all of four hours in TV time (including the preseason special), nothing can match the impact he had that early summer's night of a year & a half ago.
Joe got the chance to finally take the America's Got Talent stage in front of family, friends and fellow students amidst the madding crowd that makes it more than just a typical hometown performance and one seen in our living rooms on free-to-air & in a family friendly setting. When you put on an incredible performance that spurs emotions and an even incredible reaction afterwards, you know you have made it - and all the hard work of spending that time in the dorm perfecting that music seemed all worth it.
And this may be just the start: Joseph's social media standing has been growing in the now eighteen months since that national TV debut, including over 150,000 followers on YouTube in addition to that viral moment that's been streamed over 40 million times there. And just today, his first full-length album was released which bears the name of the song that made him a star, and Footprints immediately vaulted to the Apple Music Top 100. It's just the beginning of a star of the future who we are sure to hear from a lot in the coming years, and it's all made possible by that one unforgettable Golden Moment.
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