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Brian Pauwels competes in 'Got Talent'
Brian Pauwels (27) from Beringen, Belgium aims to put baton twirling on the map in 'Got Talent' tv show. Good luck, Brian!
Published on September 11, 2026 at 21:58
From selling candy bags with De Zonnebloempjes in Kerkhoven to shining on the big stage of Got Talent a few days later : for Brian Pauwels, the contrast could hardly be greater. Tonight, the 27-year-old twirler appeared in the second episode of the Belgian-Dutch talent show. His goal was clear: to put baton twirling on the map for a large audience. And he succeeded, as Brian managed to convince the jury and advance to the next round .
That some explanation about his sport is still necessary became apparent immediately before his performance. When Brian mentioned that he does baton twirling, it was not immediately clear to every judge what it was called— "button twirling?" —and what exactly that entailed. That uncertainty did not last long.
Brian explained that he has been twirling for twenty years and that his career is gradually coming to an end. At 27, he wants to quit at the height of his career. Got Talent could therefore become a special platform for him to give one of his final performances.
Once the music started, Brian showed that baton twirling is much more than tossing a stick in the air and catching it. He combined the technical work with dance and moved smoothly across the entire stage, while the baton sometimes went meters high into the air. It was precisely that combination that impressed the jury and added an extra dimension for Soundos El Ahmadi.
The act did not go entirely flawlessly. The baton landed on the ground once, something Dan Karaty addressed afterwards. Brian explained that such a mistake results in a point deduction during a match. For Karaty, it mainly underscored how difficult the discipline is: every throw has to be right again, and the difficulty remains, no matter how many times you have performed the movement.
The rest of the jury was also impressed by the height of the throws, the timing, and the combination with dance. James Cooke furthermore praised the way Brian continued professionally after his mistake and simply finished his act.
Next, it was up to Karen Damen, James Cooke, Soundos El Ahmadi, Marc-Marie Huijbregts, and Dan Karaty to vote. There was little doubt about the result: all five judges voted yes. With five out of five, Brian can therefore convincingly advance to the next round of Got Talent.
For those who have been following Brian and De Zonnebloempjes for some time, his level naturally came as no surprise. Earlier this year, Brian was voted Lommel Resident of the Year 2025 by Beeldig Nieuws . Although he lives in Beringen, he has been closely associated with Lommel for many years and is one of the figureheads of the twirling association De Zonnebloempjes. He started baton twirling at the age of eight and grew into one of Belgium's top performers. Among other achievements, he became Vice World Champion, achieved strong results at European and World Championships, and was the first to be named 'Best Belgian' in twirling in 2025.
In addition to his own achievements, Brian has been trying for years to raise awareness of baton twirling. This is no unnecessary luxury: the discipline is still not recognized as a sport in Belgium and, moreover, regularly faces prejudice. With his performance for a large Flemish and Dutch television audience on Friday evening, he was given a particularly large platform for this.
And while the baton is slowly heading towards the proverbial hook for Brian, his mission is clearly not over yet. In Got Talent, he now gets the chance to show once again what twenty years of training can lead to. We are certainly curious to see what happens next!
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