S09.E14: Quarterfinals: Week 3 Performances

[maraleia]

The third group of 12 acts perform live.

[mtlchick]

Can I vote for Scooby to win? Christian was amazing but as a dog lover, Scooby was outstanding.

[kechara]

I really hope that little boy doesn't go through. I am evil.  But he's so annoying.

 

Otherwise, I thought that there were more people tonight who should have gone through than other weeks and I'd happily trade.

 

I was not impressed with the woman comic particularly and the act with Desmond the spirit was kind of interesting but the guy isn't that great a narrator.

[Mumbles]

I do not understand why the judges propped up Wendy Liebman. There was dead silence in the audience for her opening jokes (Fabreeze, perfume from magazines, heh) and the age stuff didn't get better and didn't stop. Yet they carried on as if she killed. And then they talked about her command on stage - uh, this woman had HBO comedy specials, I would hope she had some stage presence.

 

This was not such a great night, despite what they're trying to say. The only act that made me smile was the dog.

 

Howard is right, the alter ego for the magician is so lame. And kind of creepy.

 

And "surreal" is the overused incorrectly-used word of the night. No, Wendy Liebman, performing at Radio City is not ""surreal", nor is it for you, Dog Kid (but I cut you slack because balancing a dog on a handstand is somewhat surreal.)

[peggy06]

I am right there with Howard about Mike Super. The Desmond stuff makes him look like the complete charlatan. I normally feel magicians should be allowed their secrets, but I badly want to see his exposed. That thought occurred around the time they showed his young child talking about Desmond. Seriously? If my Dad had done that to me, I'd never have slept another night. I'd have been scarred for life. His whole faux-wide-eyed demeanor is bugging me too. As for the meat of the act, once again we have a magician who needs to spell it out for the mark. "Did you feel anything touch you?" "Did your hands get warmer?" Are you kidding me?

 

Don't get me wrong, I can't spell it out exactly how he achieved the effects, but I am sure it was Phony Spiritualism 101, sleight of hand, and a good dose of the power of suggestion. If he is skilled at the last two, he doesn't need to insult me with the first one.

 

The judges saw an amazing night of television; I saw a bunch of OK acts. Christian and the dog were my standout act. Nobody else grabbed me. I did miss a few though - they must have been the amazing ones. The 3 dancers who kicked off the show, the girl singer (Anna), the soldier singer, the Makepeace brothers, they were just all right. Oh, and not to hate on a little kid, but the piano prodigy isn't that good. He appears to hide sloppy playing with speed and histrionics. "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" isn't a discordant piece; those were bum chords he was playing. I hope for his sake this boy genius act is trumped up for the show, because it sure isn't going to help in in real life. Once again, these judges are simply pathetic when it comes to judging classical music, or really any music but disposable pop.

Edited August 13, 2014 by peggy06

[helenamonster]

Dragon House "The Agents": I feel like I should be more into this act than I am. I just think they're boring as hell and really aren't that great dancers (doing the arm pulling behind the head thing does not even begin to count). Maybe it would be more interesting if they had one of those tron light suit things that were all the rage a couple years ago? And the one guy who was like, "We have a lot more to show, blah blah blah" ...um, then why didn't you show it? Your act has been the same all three times we've seen it. Next!

 

Anna Clendening: Color me surprised she didn't get the pimp spot. Maybe I'm just heartless, but her performance didn't move me in the slightest. She's at a disadvantage in my book because she's a singer and has a sob story, but still. Also, can we maybe not exploit the very recent Robin Williams tragedy to get people to vote for her? I am all about removing the stigma from mental illness and getting people to talk about it openly, but I feel like people are going to vote for her so she doesn't kill herself. That gives me the heebie jeebies.

 

Cornell Bhangra: Maybe it's because this is the first time I've seen them, but I really enjoyed this. It was fun, energetic, colorful, and just all around good.

 

Kieran & Finian Makepeace: Yawn. So unbelievably forgettable. They just couldn't fill up the stage, even when they got to the more energetic part of the song.

 

Mike Super: I totally agree with Howard that Desmond has got to go, but that's kind of this guy's shtick now so it would be weird if he dropped it. I was ready to write him off at first with his David and Leeman-esque suggestions about where Mel should have felt the tap/burn. But then he tazed her and I pictured the producers scrambling to censor what I'm sure was a lovely string of expletives, and I changed my mind. I'm willing to give him another chance if he can do a better, non-suggestive job. Also, OH MY GOD HOWIE SHUT THE FUCK UP IT IS 2014 YOU CAN'T SAY SHIT LIKE THAT. "Guess what I did to you last night!" Ew ew ew!

 

Adrian Romoff: Ugh, next.

 

AcroArmy: I thought their Judgement Week performance was much better. This one spent way too much time changing formations and the act really never got any momentum going.

 

Wendy Liebman: I liked the whole thing about her age but the rest was forgettable.

 

Sons of Serendip: This was a truly beautiful performance, the only good singing one of the night.

 

Blue Journey: Also beautiful. I'm glad the directors have finally figured out the value of keeping the camera still on these types of acts (they did the same with Aerial Animation last week).

 

Christian Stoinev: This guy and his little dog just make me smile.

 

Paul Ieti: His voice does nothing for me and I was bored to tears.

 

My picks for the top five: Cornell Bhangra, Mike Super, Sons of Serendip, Blue Journey, Christian Stoinev

[theatremouse]

Re: Desmond, methinks the chair was wired. I don't know how he did the bit on the hands, but the extra billowy fog getting billowier as the spiel went on was not subtle. I kept expecting his super clunky leading "did you feel it on your right shoulder" "ok fine I guess yeah" was going to be a setup for some reveal that he had not led directly into, but no. It was just plain-clunky, instead of faux-clunky-as-misdirect.

 

I was not impressed by Cornell Bhangra. It seems like the new way for acts to covince the judges they are special is to do hip-hop-fusion with any other dance style. And the judges seem to be buying into it. It didn't strike me as so new or unique that I'd dig it just for the concept, and the execution wasn't so brilliant that I'd dig it just based on that. I mean, it was fine, it was entertaining enough, but I felt like any group of solid dancers with a good choreographer could've done the same act with the right costumes. And, puh-lease with the not-sneaky handheld camera close up dude jumps out of the audience bit. Was that supposed to be exciting or surprising? To me it read like...obvious things to do in a variety act 101: have dancers come out of the audience who originally appeared to be regular audience members.

 

Not that I was especially impressed by anyone else tonight either...

Edited August 13, 2014 by theatremouse

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Chop the chopstick kid off the show.  How many clunker notes were there.  Seriously bad clunker notes?  I heard at least six.  More like ten.

 

I wonder about Blue Journey - they spent most of the time writhing on the floor and if I am in the audience, would I want to look at the screen?  If I don't, would I just see senseless movement?  Best-ever dance on AGT?  Not even.  Darn good, but as a live act?

 

For me, this was an especially weak quarterfinal.  Bhangra and Acro Army had the best execution of concept, to me.  Nice touch for Bhangra to bring a lead cast member from the audience as they did.

 

Dograbatic was good.  I'll be shocked harder than Mel B. in a magic act if they don't get through.  I am grateful Sharon O. wasn't there to be seen seeing it!

[buttered toast]

Desmond guy had ashes on his thumbs, which he transferred to Mel B's palms when he grabbed her hands to press them into fists.  Very old, very lame trick which would have been clearly visible from beginning to end if the camera wouldn't have mercifully cut away to an even lamer shot of the judges' table just as he grabbed her hands.  If you rewind and watch, you'll see exactly what I mean.

[BeatrixK]

Re: Desmond, methinks the chair was wired. I don't know how he did the bit on the hands, but the extra billowy fog getting billowier as the spiel went on was not subtle. I kept expecting his super clunky leading "did you feel it on your right shoulder" "ok fine I guess yeah" was going to be a setup for some reveal that he had not led directly into, but no. It was just plain-clunky, instead of faux-clunky-as-misdirect.

 

Well...we rewatched the burnt hands thing:  here's exactly how 'Desmond' did it:

 

Dude reaches into his bag...tells Mel B to stick her arms out in front of her...goes to assist her with her 'hand height'.  CAMERA CUTS AWAY TO JUDGES TABLE..(Which is where I suspect that he got soot on his fingers, and, when he touched her hands to move her hands and ball her fists...that's when the soot got transferred to her hands.)  Howard is Spot on - Desmond is dumb, and too creepy to make the show enjoyable.

 

The dog act and the dancers were my favorite.

 

And how did the Indian dancers get on the show?  WEre they youtube act or something?  Never remember them from the early rounds.

 

ETA:  buttered toast above caught it too - the camera cutting away didn't help the 'illusion' - just made it more painfully obvious he needed more help than 'Desmond' to accomplish the task.

Edited August 13, 2014 by BeatrixK

[Babalooie]

Another explanation for the magician and Desmond - Mel B. was in on the illusion.  How many other "magicians" have supposedly clueless bystanders in the crowd who are working with them in reality?  Criss Angel and David Blaine come to mind.

[Mumbles]

I too thought Mel may have been in on it, when he asked her if she felt someone touching her shoulder she started saying something like, "Yeah but you..." and he shushed her up.

[marketdoctor]

I will give Anna Clenending slack regarding Robin Williams since she was the singer-with-anxiety in the first round, too. I'm not sure if the producers were too restrained or too busy to capitalize on a connection; the acts were set before the news hit.

I agree with Lonesome Rhodes about the dog act/Sharon Osborne interaction. I liked the Punjabi dancers, though I wonder how they'll follow up. That audience bit only works once.

I don't think Mel B. was in on the magic act. There might be a rule against that, since she is a judge...usually, using an audience plant is lazy unless done for comic effect.

[walnutqueen]

I could have skipped everything except Scooby.  Meh episode for me.

[kechara]

I have seen other dancers from Dragon House who were so amazing.  These guys were ok,

[bluepiano]

Once again, these judges are simply pathetic when it comes to judging classical music, or really any music but disposable pop.

 

So true. They have no standards by which to judge. As with many people, anything that is "classical" impresses them, because it smacks of culture, and they don't want to appear uncouth or uneducated by failing to be impressed. But there are 9 year olds who are true prodigies who play beautifully, far beyond what this kid is capable of. It's the same with the opera singers who go on this show. Many of them are technically weak, and would never make the grade on a real opera stage. (At least the woman who sang opera in a bikini seemed to realize she needed to have something else going on.)

 

Don't get Dragon House "The Agents." We've seen the same kinds of moves so many times before, and with more flair. And when you put all the background dancers up there it's just distracting, and makes what they're doing out front seem not that special.

 

 

Anna Clendening:  but I feel like people are going to vote for her so she doesn't kill herself. That gives me the heebie jeebies.

 

 

Exactly. And I find it offensive that her mental illness (or whatever you want to call it) has been used as a gimmick to help sell her act. Had she just come on and sang without the back story I doubt she would've even made it out of the auditions. And I truly believe that her panic attack in the last round, where they had to find her and convince her to go on. was totally staged. We know that the producers like to play up the sob stories, but that kind of manipulation is on another level, and in really bad taste.

Edited August 13, 2014 by bluepiano

[LoneHaranguer]

 

And, puh-lease with the not-sneaky handheld camera close up dude jumps out of the audience bit. Was that supposed to be exciting or surprising?

Does being surprisingly poorly done count? Once the dude has joined the group he should look like he belongs there; this guy didn't. His stripped down outfit, designed to be easily hidden, just didn't go with the more flamboyant outfits everyone else was wearing. If they couldn't rig a way for his outfit to be augmented after dropping his disguise, what the group was wearing should have been toned down (not necessarily to match, but to be in the same ballpark).

[Shermie]

I liked a blue Journey's act because it's pretty and clever, but for the sake of the audience, they should stick to a vertical show. My sister drives a blue Journey, just sayin'. Dumb name.

Another dumb name is Dragon House "The Agents". Just pick one, it's too wordy.

The only singers I liked were the group. I hope they, Blue Journey, Scooby and balancer, and AcroArmy go through.

Piano Boy was pitchy, dawg. Wendy Leibman has done that age bit on Just For Laughs, FFS. She better not go through. I thought she was a tallish woman, but seeing her with her family, she must be 5'4" tops.

[helenamonster]

And how did the Indian dancers get on the show?  WEre they youtube act or something?  Never remember them from the early rounds.

 

The Today Show did a separate audition. People could send in videos of their act and then I think Today picked a final three for viewers to vote on. Cornell Bhangra won and was sent straight to the quarter-finals of AGT.

 

I will give Anna Clenending slack regarding Robin Williams since she was the singer-with-anxiety in the first round, too. I'm not sure if the producers were too restrained or too busy to capitalize on a connection; the acts were set before the news hit.

 

This is true, but they still brought Robin Williams up and it seemed like blatant manipulation to me. The wounds are still fresh from his suicide and we've been hearing from every single news outlet how important it is to talk about these issues and to help people who are facing them. Which is absolutely true, but voting Anna through because people are afraid she'll do something drastic if she's eliminated is icky and not at all how situations like this should be handled. I'm hoping people are a little more sensible than that but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

 

Exactly. And I find it offensive that her mental illness (or whatever you want to call it) has been used as a gimmick to help sell her act. Had she just come on and sang without the back story I doubt she would've even made it out of the auditions. And I truly believe that her panic attack in the last round, where they had to find her and convince her to go on. was totally staged. We know that the producers like to play up the sob stories, but that kind of manipulation is on another level, and in really bad taste.

 

I also find it offensive, especially, as you mentioned, the obviously staged attack she had during Judgement Week. It's things like that that make it hard for us to have an honest conversation about mental illness. I've been accused by my peers of faking my anxiety to get out of tests and exams, and this show staging an attack is only going to help convince people who are already leaning that way that anxiety isn't a real disease and that anyone who claims to have it is a faking faker who fakes. Last night felt like they were trying to ride the Robin Williams wave by being all, "Hey, look at us, we have a contestant with anxiety and depression and we're not afraid to talk about it! We're doing what all the experts on the news have been saying to do! Don't forget to vote for her so we don't have another tragedy on our hands!" It's insulting and exploitative.

[kechara]

I think they're Dragon House The Agents, because they're a small part of the whole Dragon House - there are something like 23 of them

http://www.danceinforma.com/USA_magazine/2013/01/07/getting-to-know-the-dragon-house-crew/

[daughtersofanarchy]

I agree, helenamonster and bluepiano, with what you both said about Anna the singing girl.  I thought the panic attack we saw in the past was staged, too.  Then last night the producers had to drag her parents into it to try heavily to convince us that all that has been presented to us about her is genuine.  And on top of that, the producers had to use dopey, clumsy, Howie to try to turn audience sympathy for Robin Williams into votes for this girl.  Truly disgusting.  And what I cannot figure out is why - why are they so hell-bent on pushing this girl along?

 

After all of that, I couldn't muster much enthusiasm for the rest of the show.

 

When piano boy got into the serious part of his playing I honestly thought the piano was out of tune at first.

 

For me, the magician was not impressive, and agree with all of you who agreed with Howard about Desmond.

 

Acts I would want to go through:  Sons of Serendip, Scooby and maybe the acrobats.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Then last night the producers had to drag her parents into it to try heavily to convince us that all that has been presented to us about her is genuine.

The more they hype her affliction, the worse it'll be for her, and the less the viewers will be inclined to believe that the person being presented would be appearing on a live show on one of the major broadcast networks during the prime evening viewing hours.

[TiredMe]

Glad I just watched the recap show since they cut all the backstory crap out. I only really enjoyed Scooby guy. I thought the female comedian was awful and couldn't figure out why they praised her. I never even cracked a smile at her.

[theatremouse]

I'm sure I'm a jerk for feeling this way, but he loses points with me because the dog's name is Scooby. (Just as he would if his dog were named Spot, Rover or Clifford.)

[mtlchick]

 

Wendy Leibman has done that age bit on Just For Laughs, FFS.

 

NOW I remember where I heard her name before.  I'm surprised she's competing on this, she's been here for Just for Laughs a few times and that's pretty prestigious in itself. 

Edited August 14, 2014 by mtlchick

[Diana Berry]

I suspect the piano boy will be final 2 with the judges picking him(yea I heard the bum notes, too). Wake me when it's over.

[theatremouse]

Desmond guy had ashes on his thumbs, which he transferred to Mel B's palms when he grabbed her hands to press them into fists.  Very old, very lame trick which would have been clearly visible from beginning to end if the camera wouldn't have mercifully cut away to an even lamer shot of the judges' table just as he grabbed her hands.

See, this is also a major problem I have with magic acts on the show, rather with the show and magic acts, rather than the acts themselves. The damn editing regularly cuts to the judges at moments when slight of hand is happening. So I too frequently can't judge for myself whether the performers are any good at it, because I don't get to see the shot when they do it.

 

I guess in this case if you watched closely, paused and rewound you could see, but still it is a major complaint of mine. The editing often makes it hard to see dancers steps, hard to see the magicians doing what they do. It's highly suspicious. They're editing so we are more likely to need to take the judges word for it. If they're going to do the silliness with America votes at least let America see the act. Cut away on singers as much as you want, I can hear them, but a magic trick that involves disappearing or reappearing something...if you cut away and back (and I'm not just talking about Mike Super) it's not a magic trick. It's just camera work. I can make a video of myself making stuff disappear too if I edit it. Way to ruin the magic. Pun intended.

Edited August 14, 2014 by theatremouse

[Indy]

I adore Christian & Scooby.  They're both adorable and really good.  I love that the dog really looks like he's having a good time (and when the spotters came out when Scooby got up on Christian for their trick, I swear the dog looked towards one of them with a look like "bitch please, we've got this").  

 

I also really liked Blue Journey & the AcroArmy.  Blue Journey especially, with their use of the floor as a second screen.  I'm not sure how that would look in person, but on TV it was really cool.

 

Props to the camera guys this week for staying relatively still.  Not as many obnoxious pans to the judges or audience as in the past, which really helps the big group numbers.  And I'm glad whoever was running the strobe lights last week wasn't there this week...though it did seem like we traded strobes for excessive spotlights for Week 3 - oh well, less seizure-inducing.  

[helenamonster]

theatremouse, when I went to rewatch Mike Super's act, I noticed that when he told Mel to fold her hands into fists and the camera cut away to the judges, he said something like, "I don't want to touch your hands." The problem is, we didn't see whether he did or not and, like you said, have to rely on the judges to call out what we didn't see.

[Zuleikha]

I think Mike Super's act would have been good in a stage show where we had no reason to believe someone was a shill (although someone always can be... but we tend to assume not when they're pulled out of the crowd). Everything he did, except possibly the ash, can be explained as Mel B. being in on the act. It makes it hard to be impressed. It was just a poor choice of trick for this show. If she was a shill, he needed more illusions like with the ash where there's still a trick. If she wasn't, he should have had a way of randomly selecting someone from the audience, so it would be less easily dismissed.

[helenamonster]

She might have been in on the first two parts of the trick, but something tells me she was not expecting to be tazed.

[Kromm]

She might have been in on the first two parts of the trick, but something tells me she was not expecting to be tazed.

Mel didn't have to be in on anything.  I think it's actually pretty obvious how each stage of that was done.  The taps were power of suggestion (which is why they screwed up the number).  The soot on the palms was a bit of subterfuge with him touching her and leaving those behind.  The shock was having the chair wired (which is why he had to have her sit).  

[bluepiano]

...and this show staging an attack is only going to help convince people who are already leaning that way that anxiety isn't a real disease and that anyone who claims to have it is a faking faker who fakes..

 

Well said. I can imagine a scene in which she resisted wanting to be part of this, and the producers pressuring her and telling her that it was her best shot at getting to the next round. Which she did.

 

As for her performance, I thought her major stylistic change, from her appearance to the song she sang, was a terrible miscalculation. As Howard said, in her first couple of appearances you felt she was doing music that was close to her heart. The other night  there was nothing the least bit distinctive about her. Again I'm sure it was producer manipulation. Most of these contestants are so young, you get the sense that they don't have the wherewithal to stick to their guns and perform what they want to perform.

 

 

 

.Cut away on singers as much as you want, I can hear them, but a magic trick that involves disappearing or reappearing something...if you cut away and back (and I'm not just talking about Mike Super) it's not a magic trick. It's just camera work.

 

100% correct, theatremouse. I could not believe that cut away to the judges table, especially as the camera stayed there for several seconds, which in the context of a magic trick felt like forever. By the time they cut back to the stage, the flow of the trick was ruined for the TV audience. That was clueless direction. Unless the cut away was intentional because there was something they didn't want the audience to see.

 

I thought that Mike Super's lack of any real response when Howard told him to get rid of Desmond was the give-away that Desmond really was just part of his schtick. If Desmond had been his "spirit friend" since childhood I think he would've at least gotten defensive, the way people generally get if you say something critical of their religion or some other deeply held, long time belief.

 

.

Edited August 15, 2014 by bluepiano

[helenamonster]

I'm just wondering why the judges (or, lbr, the producers) aren't willing to call out magicians when they so obviously mess up. Let's take David and Leeman and Mike Super, for example. Both of them made egregiously obvious suggestions to lead their tricks the way they wanted them to go. But neither time did any of the judges say anything about it. They'll criticize them for their pacing or their hokey shtick, but they will not outright say, "Your trick was transparent. I know how you did it." What gives?

[Zuleikha]

Mel didn't have to be in on anything.

 

It's not important, IMHO, whether she had to be. It's that she could have been. When there's an obvious explanation of Mel-is-playacting-along for most of the trick, the trick isn't going to feel impressive even if it's actually accomplished another way. That's why I think if she wasn't in on it, he should have had some sort of random selection to pick an audience member. But I'm not convinced that she wasn't. I have a hard time believing he would have actually shocked Mel B, and the taser made a clear sound (so it's not like it would have been hard for her to know when to scream).

[Rambler]

Mel didn't have to be in on anything.  I think it's actually pretty obvious how each stage of that was done.  The taps were power of suggestion (which is why they screwed up the number).  The soot on the palms was a bit of subterfuge with him touching her and leaving those behind.  The shock was having the chair wired (which is why he had to have her sit).  

 

I didn’t think the chair was wired. She said the shocks really hurt, so if you are sitting in a chair and you receive a shock from the chair wouldn’t your first instinct be to leap out of the chair immediately? But that didn’t happen - instead she just yelled “Owww” while she continued to sit in the chair. She didn’t get out of the chair until he used the taser a second time. So to me that says she was in on the trick, but is a horrible actress and should stick to singing.

[Kromm]

I didn’t think the chair was wired. She said the shocks really hurt, so if you are sitting in a chair and you receive a shock from the chair wouldn’t your first instinct be to leap out of the chair immediately? But that didn’t happen - instead she just yelled “Owww” while she continued to sit in the chair. She didn’t get out of the chair until he used the taser a second time. So to me that says she was in on the trick, but is a horrible actress and should stick to singing.

My assumption is that if she wasn't in on it, then perhaps the shocks weren't really that strong, and she's just the type to verbalize/bellyache.

 

Actually if she HAD jumped from the chair it wouldn't have ruined the stunt/illusion in the least.

 

As for the taser sound, it was in my mind suspiciously loud.  Making me think that the fakery might have been less Mel and more a sound being played into a microphone planted on the stage.

[LoneHaranguer]

He may have used something on the principle of a joy buzzer, which uses a sudden sound and vibration to make someone perceive a shock.

[helenamonster]

The thing that makes me thing that Mel wasn't in on it (at least not the tazer part) is that she cursed bad enough for the show to censor it (I'm pretty sure I heard the beginning of an f-bomb). Sure, they could have told her to do that to keep up the illusion, but why risk them not getting to the censor in time and having to deal with the FCC later?

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Sure, they could have told her to do that to keep up the illusion, but why risk them not getting to the censor in time and having to deal with the FCC later?

There wouldn't have been a risk because they would have known it was coming, but in that case it's almost certain that what Mel said would have been completely blanked out.

[theatremouse]

The show never airs live, right? So no risks regarding f-bombs. Plenty of time for bleeping.

[peggy06]

I really don't know how the Mike Super trick with the taser was done, but I just cannot believe Mel B. was in on it. If any of the judges are in on any of the magic tricks, it completely invalidates the show. Sure, it's a reality TV competition, but there IS a format of performers/judges/audience, wherein the judges actually have a say in who goes through. And the judges critique the acts for the benefit of the viewers. For them to be complicit in an act that's intended to "mystify" the audience, for them to then pretend to be mystified as well, would be not only massively unfair to other acts, but I think it would disgust the audience if it ever came out and maybe affect the show's ongoing viability. If I really thought that was happening, I'd autmatically disqualify any magic acts on the show. And might just lose interest altogether. When acts are competing for a cash prize, I'd think they might have something to say as well.

[helenamonster]

Well, the show is "live" in the sense that it's most likely aired on a five-second delay in case a certain judge gets tazed and lets an f-bomb slip. It would just be so dumb for Mel to intentionally swear. Those censors can get wonky. I've watched plenty of award shows where they didn't get to it in time, and by the time the censor was over another no-no word was slipping out. I couldn't see any producer wanting to even remotely risk something like that.