You may have have noticed him rollerblading around Montrose in a Spandex jumpsuit with bedazzled inline skates, but now Juan Carlos is getting national attention. The YouTube sensation hit the big screen on NBC’s America’s Got Talent in an encore performance Tuesday night and about 50 friends and fans joined him at Phoenicia's MKT Bar for a viewing party that turned into a big celebration.
His smile filled the room as he proudly rollerbladed around the downtown restaurant in a tight black Spandex jumpsuit, often striking a pose and waving to fans. They stopped him constantly to congratulate him on his performance and ask him to pose for selfies. He gave each of them a huge hug, and for some lucky fans, even a kiss on the cheek.
“My experience on the show was better than I ever expected,” Juan Carlos exclaimed. "The only thing I was nervous about going on the show was leaving my little dog Heidi at home.”
"I am so grateful that all of these people came out tonight to support me, it truly means a lot," he told CultureMap.
Since he was a teenager, Carlos has loved to entertain people and make them laugh. But his life changed after a producer for America's Got Talent saw a story about him in Houstonia magazine and contacted him to try out for the show.
During his audition appearance, which was originally telecast Sunday night, he won over the judges as soon as he stepped onstage in a glittery red Spandex suit. (He designs his costumes, making sure sure each glittery bead is glued on to perfection.) "I would like to give you an award already for best entrance," judge Howard Stern said.
After his performance to "These Boots are Made for Walkin'," though, Stern was not as complimentary, but the shock jock was overruled by the other judges who voted to send Juan Carlos to the next round in Las Vegas later in the seasons.
“My experience on the show was better than I ever expected,” Juan Carlos exclaimed. "The only thing I was nervous about going on the show was leaving my little dog Heidi at home.”
From starting out with an old flip phone and a pair of homemade sparkling roller blades, Carlos now has over 1,900 likes on his Facebook fan page and more than 136,000 views on his YouTube video audition from the show since Sunday. A previous YouTube video of him dancing to the Chris Brown song, "Look at me Now," has received more than 800,000 views.
At the viewing party, fans and friends jumped up and cheered throughout his performance. The 49-year-old rollerblader/dancer was smiling broadly while watching himself on TV.
“He has this magnetic love about him. He is inspiring, he makes you smile and he is a good dancer. He is the whole package," said Carolyn Casey Figueroa, his friend and fan.
"His personality is so addicting, you just can’t get enough of him and you just can't help but fall in love him," said his close friend and neighbor Theresa Hildreth. “ If you’re having a bad day and you run into Juan Carlos, you’re no longer having a bad day any more.”
As the night came to a close, fans and friends enjoyed a cake with "We ♥ our Montrose Roller Blade Dancer" written in icing and signed a "Best of Luck" banner. Juan Carlos blew kisses while striking one of his sassy poses to the crowd as his friends and fans cheered.
Juan Carlos at MKT Bar.
Gin Design Group designed the interior of Good God, Nadine's. Photo by Becca Wright