S10.E25 Final Performances

[theabsolution]

10 finalists perform for 1 million dollars

Edited September 16, 2015 by theabsolution

[UsernameGoesHere]

Oz was fabulous. No clue how he did it and I don't really care either. It was great. I'm surprised they had him go first.

 

So glad that Uzeyer's act didn't end in disaster this time. He was never going to win, so I don't mind that his act was small and, well, kind of lame. I'm just glad he's okay.

 

Benton zzzzzzzzz.

 

Gary Vider is not funny. Only one joke got a smile out of me (the long distance relationship). The rest was just bad and boring.

 

Major stagehand fail during Piff's act. I love him but this was just okay. He was way better last week.

 

I cracked up at Albert the puppet coming out on his Hoveround. I hope Paul wins!

 

I did not like the CL Band's song choice.

 

Derek Hughes... oh dear. I have never been a fan, but I just felt bad for him tonight. Why did he think the rope stuff was a good idea?!

 

I can't imagine it happening, but I really wouldn't mind the Regurgitator winning. He's amazing! This was probably my favorite act of the night.

 

Oh look, sob story Drew gets the pimp spot. I did actually laugh at a couple of his jokes, but overall he is painful to watch for me. His material is decent, it's just... him. I'll be pissed if he wins. He's a better comedian than Gary Vider though.

 

Paul or the Regurgitator for the win!

[tl613]

Overall I think this is the worst Finals I have ever seen. A lot of the acts did not step it up in my opinion, and there were really no wow moments for me.

 

Oz has never impressed me. The judges are in on it. Plain and simple. I find it ironic Penn & Teller are on tomorrow, as they will tell you everyone is in on the act, no matter how much they swear they are not.

 

I like Uzeyer but this was a total let down. I understand he is hurt, but this was more like an audition than a show-winning Finals act. I could have done without the whole helicopter sound effect.

 

Benton was awful as usual. He should not have gotten this far. Enough said.

 

Gary was not very funny. The whole long distance relationship/restraining order joke is old. I'm pretty sure someone used that last year too. 

 

Piff was okay. You could totally see his helper replace the robot dog with the real one. It was overly convoluted for such a simple trick.

 

I don't think Paul was as funny as he usually is, but I was impressed with him doing so many different voices in rapid succession. I do kind of agree with Howie though (shocking) that all the voices are pretty similar. I like that he incorporates technology into his act.

 

I did not like CraigLewis Band's song choice, but I did have it stuck in my head for awhile after they were done. Compared to Benton, CraigLewis Band DESTROYED him. He is not in the same league as these guys. Not even close. Vocal acrobatics aside, they are showmen. Benton is more "hey watch me stand here and strum this gee-tar."

 

Derek Hughes was a huge disappointment. He calls putting a cut rope back together his best trick? Seriously? No one is going to pay to see that. If this is your last act, do not go with the trick you would START your show with. Go with the trick you would END your show with.

 

Stevie's act was good, but felt too similar to what he did last time. I was hoping to see the Rubik's Cube trick instead. Still very good performance though. Nick's reactions definitely upped the entertainment value.

 

I like that Drew's material has to do with his disability, but if you really think about them, they are forced and do not make sense. Calling to pay a bill while grocery shopping? Not believable. So today, saying his stutter gave his girlfriend problems when he tried to give her his number? She did not know what numbers to write because of his stutter? Here's an idea, WRITE IT DOWN FOR HER. Common sense. Joke did not work for me.

 

For me, Stevie and Paul were the best acts. I like CraigLewis but I will never pull for a singing act unless it is something amazing like Terry Fator. I think America will be stupid and vote for Benton and Drew, and one of these guys will win. As someone who loves magic, this year was absolutely terrible.The singers were mostly bad, the comedians were bad, the dancers were bad. For all the hype of this being the 10th anniversary season, it was a major letdown.

Edited September 16, 2015 by tl613

[Vermicious Knid]

Some of them did not seem to get the memo that this was the FINALE, for a million dollars.

[Commando Cody]

The judges pissed all over Uzeyer, but they told the two worst acts of the night - Benton Blount and sad comedian, Gary Vider how great they were.  

 

I was so bored tonight.  I think all of the acts phoned it in.  Like this wasn't an important night or anything. 

 

No one for the win, based on lack of interest on the performer's parts.  

[bluepiano]

Wow, that was pretty awful. Seemed that so many of the acts had nothing left for the finals. My rundown, from worst to best.

 

Derek Hughes - Really? Restoring a cut rope? Probably every kid magician's first trick.  And it took him forever to get there. The blondes were more annoying than sexy. Maybe because it smacked of desperation. It was like he knew he had to distract people from how lame the trick was.

 

Uzeyer - The less said the better. America did not do him any favors by bringing him back.

 

Drew Lynch -Now, like a couple of previous posters, I'm wondering why his stutter is under control in the interview segment. In his talking head he seemed very likeable. Then he started his act with a cackle before even telling a joke, and he lost me. Sorry Howard, he is not a good writer. His jokes makes no sense. It may sound harsh, but in my book he's a novelty, not even really a comedian. But he got the pimp spot, and he could win on the sympathy vote.

 

Gary Vider - I've heard some variation on the restraining order joke way too many times. The whole Ryan Gosling thing fell really flat. Unfunny from start to finish.

 

Benton Blount - So tired of this "America's got to take care of my family" crap. But apparently he's got some huge social media following? On a night when other acts fell flat, a singer has an advantage of always being the same. Winning is not out of the question. I think he will be at least top 4. If either he or Drew wins, the show would lose a ton of credibility. (Whatever credibility it has left)

 

Piff- Got really tired of the "it's okay Heidi," "he's not really hurt Heidi" etc etc. He was harping on that last week too. I have to say that I've been underwhelmed by him all season. Never found that "I don't give a damn" persona that funny.

 

Craiglewis Band - If a musical act has to win, let it be them. Musically not really my cup of tea, but a solid performance.

 

Paul Zerdin - It's true that because his voices sound similar the last bit did not have the "wow factor" he was going for. He also stumbled and called the grandpa puppet Sam. He's funny and inventive and would be a respectable winner, but it was a little bit of an anticlimax. His best appearance may still have been his first.

 

Oz - Seemed to be a variation on the same trick as last week, but I always find him entertaining, and unlike some of the other acts, he did bring it for the final. Why put him first? How do they determine the order? That could be a real disadvantage..

 

Stevie Starr - I hope he wins, just because it's such a unique, oddball act, and I think he's genuinely a strange, oddball character in a world that is rapidly becoming bland and homogenized. I have a sense that he lives to perform, and probably doesn't have much of an off stage life. Which in my book scores him points, as we never had to watch video of his cute kids or loving family.

Edited September 16, 2015 by bluepiano

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I was imagining how Piers would have reacted to this pile of meh.  A million dollahs??!!!!!!!

 

Oz clearly was the best-presented and evoked the most wonder.  Not even close.  He's been terrific all season.  He deserves it.

 

Vider, the comedian, was actually funny tonight!  Then he went and told an unfortunate anti-semitic joke.  Wrong stage, dude.  Wrong time.

 

Piff was the biggest letdown for me.  He had a fantastic chance to wow us and he blew it.  Bad.

 

Friggin' Uze had no business getting through last week and should have bowed out gracefully to whomever was next.  He had to know he had no shot.  Ugh.

 

Howie has never betrayed how pre-written his remarks are so blatantly as he did tonight.  Wow.  It added to the blah this whole enterprise was.

 

What a turrible way for Howard to take his leave.  He was left to reassuring losers.  The man got paid, though,  The man got paid.

[Wings]

 

What a turrible way for Howard to take his leave.

 

Is Howard leaving the show?

 

 

Oz has never impressed me. The judges are in on it.

 

Oz was the only good act.  I do not believe the judges were in on that one little bit.  If he needed help he would have used audience plants.  The judges would not have put him through if they had to be part of his act.  I can hear Howard going off on that now.

 

 

Penn andTeller are on tomorrow, as they will tell you everyone is in on the act, no matter how much they swear they are not.

 

They  never give away anyone else's act. 

 

 

Stevie was the only one who did a finale worthy show but I don't find him entertaining.  And I never saw him bring up that 5th thumbtack and no one mentioned that.  

 

I was the most disappointed in Derrick.  He had so much good material up until last night.  I thought he was a strong contender. 

 

Hate to say it but I can see Uzeyer making F2 if not winning on a sympathy vote.  Ugh  Terrible finale!

Edited September 16, 2015 by wings707

[Jaye]

As poorly as everybody else performed last night, I still hope that somebody other than Stevie Starr wins.  It would be terrible if he won America's Got Talent after five other countries didn't consider him good enough to win their version of the show!  (He was eliminated in the semifinals of both Britain's Got Talent and Italy's Got Talent.  He made the finals but didn't place in the Czech-Slovak version of the show.  He did somehow manage to finish 7th in Germany's version and 4th in France's version.)

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I was so bummed about Derek's performance. It was clunky and lacked charm, which he usually has in spades. It was also such a beginner trick, and wasn't presented with any flash. The DJ and dancers, meant as humor, just showcased how lackluster the whole thing was. Based on last night, Oz deserves to win it.

[KarateKate]

... that was it? Really?

[Indy]

Wow super underwhelming in general.  I think I miss the days where the finale had four or five contestants and they all did huge show stopper routines.  This was just another audition round.

 

My favorites are Paul & The Regurgitator.  I'm cool with either one of those winning.  I would also be fine with Oz, I think he's really impressive but his acts always bore me until the last 60 seconds.  I enjoy Piff but he was just sort of meh for me last night.  I liked him better in the earlier rounds. 

 

Drew was funnier for me than Gary last night.  Neither one were fantastic but Drew got me laughing more.  I assume Drew's stutter being more pronounced when he's on stage has something to do with nerves/anxiety. Stuttering can affect people in weird ways. I've seen people who can barely eek a word out without stuttering sing as if they had no impediment.  So probably when he's calm in front of the camera and can do a million takes, or when he's just with family and people he's comfortable around, it isn't such a wild stutter. 

 

My DH and I both dozed off right before Derek Hughes went on.  We woke up, realized we missed someone so we hit the rewind to see what we missed. Apparently nothing, that was such a lame final act.  I get that he's not a big, boom, showy magician but really? Rope tricks? 

[Shermie]

I haven't watched this season, but family was talking about it so I tuned in.

My comments are based on seeing these acts for the first time, so buh? Some of these acts were, shall we say, not very good. These are the ten best? Hasn't there been speculation other seasons that some acts get offers when they're in the semi-finals so they are intentionally mediocre so they won't win and be contractually obligated to the network? That seems the best explanation for the poor performances here.

The mentalist, the ventriloquist and the regurgitator were good. So were the two singing guys. They are all finale-worthy, but like most, I'm not a fan of singers in this show.

The crooner guy was fine, but nothing special. The magician was lame, the comedians were not funny and the one who stutters is only there put of pity, it seems. Sorry, but I would never pay to sit through someone stuttering for an hour unless he was hilarious - and this guy wasn't even close.

Not sure I get the dragon guy. Magician, comedian, novelty act? Seems like your weird cousin who volunteers to entertain at a kids birthday party. I assume he was better in the prelims, but I don't get what his act actually is.

The ladder guy seemed daring, but if injuries kept him from doing his best then it seems kind of pointless to still be there. It would be like a singer with laryngitis still trying to compete, what's the point?

[Wings]

Piff started very strong and went downhill quickly.  His dog does not add anything to his act and the name Mr Piffles is not creative; I think it is pretty dumb, really.  I liked him at first.  He got me with the line, "............you may have heard of my older brother........long pause......Steve."  THAT is good.  

 

Drew's only material is about his stutter.  How far can he take that?  And I agree with Howard, stop laughing at your own jokes.  As I have already said I think that is a tool to give himself a break since he can laugh without stuttering.  It buys some time and may soothe his nerves. 

 

I don't think Paul is all that good.  Try to do it yourself, it is quite easy.  I don't have to move my lips, even slightly.   Terry Fator is the one to study.  He can do radically different voices, sing beautifully and yodel!  And you have to have appealing puppets.  His only shining moment was with Howie as his dummy.  

 

Derrick, they sell your rope trick on amazon and youtube tells you how it is done.  And you did this for the finale?  

[marketdoctor]

 

Some of these acts were, shall we say, not very good. These are the ten best?

 

For the most part, I would agree with both of these statements.  There were a few acts I liked better that didn't make it, and a few that had an off night.  

More specifically:

 

Oz the Mentalist was as good as he's been.  His getting the predictions at the end was very smooth, even though I knew that was what was going to be in the envelope.  (Getting the judges away from the actual buzzers was clever.)  I don't know specifically how he did the trick, but I will support him enough to say the judges didn't have to be in on it; he could have done that trick with four random people from the audience (but in this show's format, that would take too long.)  Well done, sir.

 

If Piff wins it'll be for his total body of work and the relatively clever opening packages, though Howie's face on losing a $20 and also the $20 "that someone defaced" was classic.  This is a tough venue for close-up magic, but he might have been overcompensating a little for the flak he got for "putting Mr. Piffles in danger."  I wonder if Penn & Teller will mention having met him before (on "Fool Us.")  Of all the acts, he's the one I could see working best as a recurring show.

 

Derek Hughes tried to make the rope trick interesting--the problem is, there are so many rope trick people that it was really hard to do something clever and original, even if you do it well.  (He did it extremely well, though.)

 

As much as I enjoyed the opening number, to paraphrase Colin Quinn:  if you're a variety competition, and it's the finals, and there are a lot of you, and you still need special guests for the finale--there's something wrong.

 

I was worried the ladder guy was really close to the edge of the steps a few times.  Still, both the ladder stunts and the hat trick at the beginning were impressive.  (The hat spinning was a nod to other people who have tried it; it's harder than it looks--not impossible, but it takes practice.)  

[A Boston Gal]

Just in case no one's gotten the point of the previous posters...

 

The finale was ABYSMAL! I cannot  believe everyone dropped the ball so badly...did the producers schedule rehersals that kept everyone up for the previous 24 hours? Were the contestants not fed? Did a rival show infiltrate the staff and purposely give the performers bad advice? Granted, I wasn't too thrilled with the crop of finalists (no Ira & Miriam, no Alondra),  and all season, I've felt a general lack of contestants who deserved my devotion, but this? Unfathomable.

 

PIff is a professional, but his act depends on the "slow burn", or if you will, the "slow annoyance."  Aside from the error we could see, his act was way too rushed, and his trademark pacing was off. The others I don't really care enough to relive, but I do wonder if America had known Uzeyer would be injured enough not to perform at his peak during the finals, would they still have voted him in?

 

The Regurgitator for the win. And that's taking into account that I never saw the fifth tack appear, either. ;)

Edited September 16, 2015 by A Boston Gal

[UsernameGoesHere]

Overall I think this is the worst Finals I have ever seen. A lot of the acts did not step it up in my opinion, and there were really no wow moments for me.

 

Yep. This is the weakest finals I can remember since I started watching a few years ago. I think part of it is due to it being a top 10 instead of a top 6 this year. With the extra 4 finalists, there are still some weaker acts that could've been weeded out if we only had a top 6 (Benton, Derek). Then of course we just had otherwise good acts like Piff who flopped. But we have Howie saying it was the best finals ever.

 

I didn't like that all the judges couldn't comment on some acts due to time constraints. Um, couldn't we just have ditched Flo Rida or whoever at the beginning to make time?

[needschocolate]

Drew needs to stop telling jokes that contain dialogues.  His jokes are about the situations his stutter causes, but if the jokes contains a conversation, then both people in the conversation have a stutter and it makes it more difficult to understand what the joke is supposed to be.  

 

I have a feeling Derek's wife and kids said - "Oh no, we are not moving to Vegas.  You will be doing an act every night and we still won't get to see you, but we also won't get to see our friends.  And it is really hot in Vegas. We would see you more if we just leave things the way they are."  So he decided to do the trick he didn't do for the first audition round because it was to lame.  

 

I didn't like any of the singing acts.  

 

I have never cared for Woody Allen, so Gary has never impressed me.  I like his roommate better than him.  

 

The ladder guy would be great in a Cirque du Soliel show.  

 

I could see Oz, Stevie, Paul, or Piff winning this - not based on last night only, but based on all their performances.

[LadyMustang65]

As has been pointed out many times before, the finale was underwhelming.  Only Oz, Paul, Drew and Craig Lewis Band brought their A games.  At least for me.  I love Piff, so I voted for him anyway just based on his overall performances.  Howard was right - BB was most definitely flat in the first verse of that song.  Have no clue how he managed to be the last solo singer standing when just about everybody else is better than he is.  <sigh> 

 

Our family is rooting for Drew.  We just adore him.  He makes us laugh out loud every single time, and he just seems like a really sweet person.  I have seen several people posit that if he wins, it will be because of pity votes, but I have to disagree.  There is absolutely no need to pity this kid.  He's a shining example of making lemonade when life hands you lemons.  He's got a great attitude about what happened, and he uses it to his advantage inviting us to laugh along with him at his troubles.  If he wins, I believe it will be because people find him both funny and likeable.  We would also be fine with Paul or Craig Lewis Band winning.  We thought Paul was great last night, and we had no trouble differentiating between the character voices.  Yes, there's some similarity, but then again, his puppets are, I thought, a family unit, and someone who doesn't know us really well is hard pressed to tell which sister they're talking to in my family on the phone.  So while I agree with those who pointed out that Terry Fator is much better in that regard, I personally don't find it a problem either.  Craig Lewis Band absolutely killed it last night, and they too would be a worthy winner.

 

I could get behind Piff winning just based on his overall performance week to week.  Oz has been consistently good and amazing, but we're just not quite as drawn to him as we are to the others.  I can't speak to VomitMan because I absolutely cannot stand to watch his act.  Totally grosses me out.  I went into the kitchen to wash the dishes while he was on last night, and the rest of the family were Facebooking while he was on. Not one fan out of 5 in the household. 

[Frankenstein123]

I see a lot of negativity and disappointment echoed around this final, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I think the main problem is that people were expecting AMAZING "WOW" moments because this is the finals, but everybody who got there fell into two categories: A. acts that have already shown their biggest surprise moments in order to get this far and B. acts that have been small all along and never attempted to do anything huge. On that note, I shall individually try to give my impressions on all the acts:

 

Oz Pearlman - WHAT a start to the finale, it's a shame the rest of the night couldn't keep this level of excitement up, but Oz certainly delivered. You can probably guess this trick quite easily if you are a fan of mentalism, but thats not really the point. It was a perfectly executed, well presented and very very slick piece of magic that left you with that "WOW" feeling the show was looking for. In terms of skill as a magician, Oz has been the best magic act all season and the only one who could compete with Mat Franco. He's also one of the only acts who leaves you with the impression that he has a LOT more in store and is only showing a small portion of what he knows.

 

Uzeyer - I found this to quite fun and entertaining. His biggest problem is that he showed us his biggest and most dangerous acts far too early (a problem that MANY of these finalists had) so anything he did today would have seemed underwhelming in comparison. He's such a great performer and has SO many different things he can do that it's a bit of a shame he's only become to be known as danger act. He showed us some new things today though and I found the stairs bit quite impressive, doubly so if you consider he was hurt.

 

Benton Blount - Yup, that was singing alright. You know I could sit here all week and try to come up with things to say, but at the end of the day I'm simply not a fan of him and nothing he could have done would have impressed me. He's a decent singer with a boring and forgettable stage presence. Unfortunately he has a huge fan base who will help him get far.

 

Gary Vider - The introduction video was STILL the best part about his act, but I actually thought he improved a tiny bit from last time. He's definitely a hit or miss comedian and for me, he misses more than he hits, but there was nothing really bad about him last night either. I just wish his routine was a bit more cohesive and had an overall theme, rather than just him coming on stage and telling 5 completely random and unrelated jokes.

 

Piff the magic dragon- I actually really liked this, if you think of it as a comedy routine then I think it was a very strong one. The problem is when you start looking at it as a magic act, in which case one of the tricks was botched and the other one was a letdown. But I'm not really understanding what people were expecting from him, he's always been a very small close-up magician with a gimmick. I simply don't think he HAS some big "WOW GIVE HIM THE MILLION DOLLARS" finisher, which confirm my suspicions that he's simply not an act that works on the big stage, Fun, enteraining and great on a small stage and I would definitely pay to see him, but his tricks have always been small and thats just what works best for him.

 

Paul Zerdin - Again, I see a lot of people being disappointed in him and I think they were expecting another gimmick. But I think he made a good decision in just going back to basics and showing us what a great ventriloquist he is. I found his whole act engaging, charming and funny and he even managed to recover nicely after a few slip-ups. Unfortunately for a lot of people it seemed like a step back and this is another case of an act blowing all their biggest surprises too early in the competition.

 

The CraigLewis Band - Say what you will about singing acts on this show, but these guys really do deserve to be here. At times it felt like watching a guest performer rather than a competing act. They tend to get shouty at times, but besides that they look great, sound great, perform great and are very very fun to watch. I'm not really into the idea of a singing act winning again, but these guys are a cut above the rest of them in the competition.

 

Derek Hughes - Oh Derek, Derek, Derek...The only truly big bomb of the night unfortunately. I think a lot of what I said about Piff applies to Derek as well, he's simply a small close-up magician with a comedic presentation, he was never going to have a million dollar worthy "WOW" trick and he's never claimed otherwise. But where Piff's act was still amusing and funny, Derek fell COMPLETELY flat tonight. I get what he was going for with the DJ and the dancers and the banter, but it was just going nowhere for a very long time and I think he could feel it. He seemed to get more and more nervous and the whole thing just came across as uncomfortable in the end.

 

The terrible camerawork on this show didn't help either, when he was supposed to show people that the 3 ropes had all changed sizes and 1 had gotten longer and 1 smaller, the camera instead decided to focus on Howie's increasingly bewildered "get me out of here" face, leaving the whole first part of his act completely ruined. It's like if they had zoomed in on Mel B's boobs the moment Oz was revealing what was written on his letter.

 

Stevie Starr - He's been doing his act the longest out of anyone else here and tonight it really showed. He's just a great entertainer who knows how to wrap the entire audience around his finger and keep then engaged and entertained. Week after week he's shown us new things and he even manages to be funnier than many of the actual comedians on this show *coghgaryvidercough*. Has he been doing this exact same act for 30 years now? Yes. Is it still impressive and unique? YES. I can only imagine the outcry if he won this show, but in terms of uniqueness, he's hard to beat.

 

Drew Lynch - Giving this guy the last spot in the finals pretty much secured his victory I think. I know a lot of people  dislike him and think people are only voting out of pity. And while that might be true to some extent, he IS a pretty good comedian and a strong writer even without the stutter. I genuinely did laugh at some of his jokes last night and he has a natural stage presence about him.  I find his material much funnier than Gary Viders and although he's not the strongest comic they've had on the show, he's not JUST getting by basedon pity votes alone.

 

Phew, that's FAR too many words up there. I'll repeat what I said above, I enjoyed this finale quite a bit, but at the same time it left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It's a shame too, because I find this lineup to be one of the strongest in AGT history. We know all of these people are talented and deserve to be here, but last night didn't really leave us feeling amazed, everybody just sort of did what they've always done.

 

It's a case of poor planning for most of the acts, they used up their biggest/most impressive bits early on in the competition, leaving them all feeling a bit underwhelming in comparison. But if we ignore the fact that nobody really WOWE'd us, it was still a fun night with the only real failure coming from Derek.

 

I'm even more confused about who will win after last night, with most of the acts not stepping it up, it's nearly impossible to tell what will happen, but I shall try to group them into 3 categories.

 

Definitely out of the top 5: Uzeyer, Derek and Gary. One underwhelming due to injuries, one failure and another one that simply doesn't compare to the rest.

 

Maybe in the top 5: Benton Blount, CraigLewis Band. With the variety acts the way they were, the singers could really pull an upset by simply being a little bit more impressive.

 

Most likely in the top 5: Piff, Oz, Paul, Regurgitator, Drew. I think Drew, Paul and Oz are locks, whereas Piff and Regurgitator might surprise and be replaced with some of the singers.

 

Final overall predictions:

 

10. Derek Hughes

9. Gary Vider

8. Uzeyer

7. CraigLewis Band

6. Regurgitator

5. Piff

4. Oz

3. Benton Blount

2. Paul Zerdin

1. Drew Lynch

 

But it's still anyones game, so who knows.

 

 

 

[b2H]

QUOTE

What a turrible way for Howard to take his leave.

Is Howard leaving the show?

 

 

Yes, I heard on his Sirius show last week, Howard has already stated and told NBC that he's done.  It's just taking too much time away from the radio show and he would prefer to do that.

 

Apparently, he announced this a couple of months ago (all the articles I found on this were dated the last week in June):

 

http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/06/24/howard-stern-leaving-americas-got-talent-quitting-quit/

Edited September 16, 2015 by b2H

[Panopticon]

Oz Pearlman - Perfect execution... and no, I don't think the judges were in on it, I think it was slight of hand performed excellently. A deserving finalist who would be a deserving winner.

 

Uzeyer - I felt a bit guilty for voting for him last week after he fell, but my guilt was completely assuaged because I got the chance to watch him again and I enjoyed it. He shouldn't win, but he's a solid, unique act. For those who have wondered whether anyone would pay money to watch him... I periodically pay money to Cirque du Soleil to see acts in this genre.  

Benton Blount - You know, I actually kind of like his voice. But it's hilarious that through quirks in the voting system, matchup issues, and whatever else, THIS is the last solo singer standing. He's not that good. He shouldn't win. There shouldn't be solo singers on this show anyway. But if he wins, by virtue of being the last standing solo singer with no one to split the vote,I will laugh.

Gary Vider - I didn't laugh. There have been many better comedians on this show. 

Piff - Not his best performance, but he was fine, and a deserving finalist.

Paul Zerdin - Anything would have been a let down after his fantastic, epic Howie-as-dummy stunt last week. But he wasn't bad. In fact, he was very good and would be a deserving winner.

Craig Lewis Band - I thought that this was their best performance. They're practically the only act who managed that. Let's give them the prize!

Derek Hughes - Wow. That's about as badly as someone can collapse without forgetting the words or falling off his ladder. Why on earth would he choose to do a trick everyone knows how to do, drag it out ad nauseum, and cover it up with noise for style over substance? Unless like someone speculated above he was trying not to win.

Stevie Starr - I still haven't watched him even once. It would be amusing for me to have watched the whole season... except for the winner.

Drew Lynch - This is who got the pimp spot? He's... not funny.

 

[Wings]

I think Oz may win, given he was  flawless.  He was confident, topped his previous acts and is a compelling man.  Or maybe I am saying I hope he wins.  He has not been my favorite but his performance last night was prize worthy compared to everyone else.  

 

Sympathy votes will put Uzeyer and Drew in the final 5.  Why do people do that?  The performer knows that is happening.  It is not a statement that you appreciate their talent and skill.   It says, we feel sorry for you.  Who wants that?  It is humiliating.  If it gets you a million, who cares, but neither will win.  Saner voting minds will prevail.

 

ETA:

 

http://hollywoodlife...-quitting-quit/

  

I hope this is true. I would love to see Simon in his position; I have missed him!  And they need someone who tells the blunt truth.  I appreciated Howard's presence and ability to push the X button without hesitation.  

Edited September 16, 2015 by wings707

[Frankenstein123]

I get why people would be disappointed with Piff (I laughed harder during his act than anyone else last night, but the actual trick was sloppy), but I'm really quite shocked to see a lot of people say that Paul was a failure. I think he did what a good ventriloquist SHOULD do and that's bring a bunch of puppets alive on stage and make it feel like an actual conversation between different people. I thought it was funny, charming and entertaining. Maybe people have just come to expect more gimmicks out of him after the Howie mask or wanted to hear new voices (which he is CLEARLY capable of:

), but overall I still don't see how he was a disappointment. Edited September 16, 2015 by Frankenstein123

[tl613]

I don't think Paul was a disappointment from a technical standpoint. Being able to voice so many characters at once is amazing. I was disappointed though, with his material. I think he even pointed out himself that the audience did not laugh at one of the jokes. The last performance with Howie made me laugh so hard and I was hoping this would be even funnier somehow.

[Squirrely]

I'm usually really dumb with magic and can't quite figure it all out, but Oz caught my stink eye twice. First was taking the envolopes back from Howie while the judges walked up on the stage with him. What was the point of letting Howie shuffle them? Second was how sloppily the names were filled in when he revealed the written sheet. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

Wish the ventriloquist would have saved last week's act for this week. There was just no topping that.

Meh, I don't care who wins this slop fest as long as it's not Benton.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Squirrely

[saber5055]

The judges pissed all over Uzeyer, but they told the two worst acts of the night - Benton Blount and sad comedian, Gary Vider how great they were.

 

 

This. This made me so mad. Why not just say "Good luck" and "You've been great" to Uzeyer instead of saying negativity over and over.

 

And Blount ... OMG. I was listening, not watching, and Howard was correct in saying he was flat and off for the entire beginning of that song. And choosing One Direction's song that I love and singing it poorly REALLY made me wish I could see One Direction and not ever Benton Blount, never ever again.

 

Piff got the bad edit that let all viewers see the fake dog being replaced with the real one. 

 

I liked the CraigLewis singers okay, plus they looked good and were entertaining.

 

I had forgotten Oz by the end of the show and only was reminded of his act by reading here. Bodes poorly for voting. But I liked his act, one of the better of the evening.

I like that Drew's material has to do with his disability, but if you really think about them, they are forced and do not make sense. Calling to pay a bill while grocery shopping? Not believable. So today, saying his stutter gave his girlfriend problems when he tried to give her his number? She did not know what numbers to write because of his stutter? Here's an idea, WRITE IT DOWN FOR HER. Common sense. Joke did not work for me.

 

 

You have read my mind. Jokes are not funny if they defy common sense.

 

Paul, boring. Derek ... trick ropes you bought in a joke shop? Yikes to both these guys. Paul was hilarious last week. What happened?

 

Heaven help me, I've hated The Regurgitator all season, but last night he was my favorite. He was funny and was having a blast doing his tricks. He made me smile, as crazy as his act is. If he wins, I'm all okay about it.

[silversage]

Some of these acts are one or two act wonders and fell flat as time went on. I wonder if they only have a few things planned and are surprised when they got voted through and had to scramble for more ideas.

Edited September 16, 2015 by silversage

[Wings]

I don't think Paul was a disappointment from a technical standpoint. Being able to voice so many characters at once is amazing. I was disappointed though, with his material. I think he even pointed out himself that the audience did not laugh at one of the jokes. The last performance with Howie made me laugh so hard and I was hoping this would be even funnier somehow.

 

 

I agree.  His material was not good.  He needs a writer to help him out.   His timing on that joke was off.  He made the puppet talk in his voice and he the puppets.  It was very clever and well done but he did not set it up well.  His entire act was scattered and didn't tie together at all.  The baby, old man and little boy did not relate to each other at all.  It was 3 separate acts on stage at the same time.  

[Wings]

This show needs to change their audition process to attract good acts.  The show runs too long for many to take themselves out of their lives to give this a shot.  Shorten it, tighten up the requirements and limit the type of act.  NO singers, they just take up time and bore the shit out of us.  Well, they present a time to take a bathroom break or get a snack if you are watching in real time so there is that.  Skip the acts with 100+ members.  They never make the finals and waste time.  We want to see good talent. 

 

I want more comics and animal acts.  Last Comic Standing had many talented people who would never apply to this show because it runs too long and they would lose too much income.  

 

I don't care who wins.  ***slinks off and to continue rant in bathroom mirror.***

Edited September 16, 2015 by wings707

[ratgirlagogo]

Agree with others that this is a relatively weak group compared with previous years.  My overall favorites are the CraigLewis band  and Oz.    They are  both awfully, awfully good and have not put on one weak performance.No matter what happens  I will be surprised if we don't see and hear more from CraigLewis in particular not matter if they win or lose.

 

I also like Piff even with the technical fuckup with the dog replacement.  This is another guy that could realistically sell tickets.  Uzmeyer and Steve Starr are also solid acts but probably only as part of some kind of multi-act circus type show, but they would be featured acts in such a show.

 

Meh on all the others.  I find Drew Lynch especially annoying because he always seems to me to be playing the character that Michael J. Fox plays on The Good Wife - someone who is deliberately exaggerating his disability to play to the jury and undermine his opponents.  Why does he stutter more on stage than in his interviews?  He has a camera on him and an audience in the interviews.  I've always enjoyed watching Geri Jewell and of course the above-mentioned Michael J. Fox (and Richard Pryor late in his career after he developed MS) so I don't object to him using his disability as a basis for his humor.  But I hate me a sob story.

[saber5055]

Talking about times made me think ... last night Piff seemed to go on forever, yet Drew's set was 90 seconds, right? Last week Uzeyer wanted another 90 seconds and couldn't get it. But the magicians (and Paul) got something like two or more minutes.

 

Or else they just drag on and FEEL longer ... ?

[Frankenstein123]

Talking about times made me think ... last night Piff seemed to go on forever, yet Drew's set was 90 seconds, right? Last week Uzeyer wanted another 90 seconds and couldn't get it. But the magicians (and Paul) got something like two or more minutes.

 

Or else they just drag on and FEEL longer ... ?

 

It's an odd thing for sure, they used to have a 90 second time limit, but now it's just all over the place. For the actual lengths though: Drew actually went on for 3 minutes, as did Gary. Derek, Paul and Stevie got about 5 while Piff and Oz stretched it nearly to 6. It would be interesting to know if they actually limited Drews and Gary's performance or not. Oz kind of NEEDED all that time, but theres really no reason Derek and Piff got to go on for THAT long.

[saber5055]

Thanks, Frankenstein. Your post made me think perhaps the show gave each contestant a time to fill. Piff got way too much time, or at least I felt his act was padded to stretch it out. Same with the rope trick guy, he coulda/shoulda cut his act in half. Or filled it with some good magic. Or even a second joke-store purchase. Maybe he got surprised with more time added at the end and that was all he could come up with.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Oz was fabulous. No clue how he did it and I don't really care either. It was great. I'm surprised they had him go first.

It looks like he's very adeptly writing on the outside of the envelopes with either a tiny stylus or maybe a sharpened fingernail. The paper is the kind that marks appear on in response to pressure.  So as he hears things from the judges, he's writing on the envelope and the marks show up on the carefully folded paper inside.

 

He used a similar technique in some of his earlier tricks.

 

Otherwise ....

There were a lot of bad performances in the finals. Maybe this is because we've seen them before. Maybe they're just bad.

 

Ranked in order from worst to best:

 

10. Drew Lynch ... the same old shtick. Not even funny jokes. As I've said before, the show is not "America's Got Courage."  And I'm still not convinced his disability is real.

 

9.  Derek Hughes .... was this a joke?  I've seen better magic at a 9 year old's birthday party.

 

8.  Gary Vider ... lost me at the joke about Jews being cheap.

 

7.  Benton Bount .... nothing original, just off-key covers of pop hits

 

6.  Uzeyer Norunzov ... probably should rank lower but he's still a great showman even without the big ladder. He could be a big draw in Vegas.

 

5. Piff the Magic Dragon .... Oh Piff.  Some weeks you've got it. Some weeks you don't..  He didn't have it tonight.  Still hasn't lived up to the quality of his act in the week NPH golden-buzzered him.

 

4. Oz Pearlman ... just because I think I know how he does the magic, doesn't mean it's not impressive.

 

3. Stevie Starr ... not my thing, but a clever act and certainly unique

 

2. Paul Zerdin ... cool act that we haven't seen before

 

1. The Craig Lewis Band .... super match of musical quality and performance.  They have zero chance of winning but they are the best act, IMHO.

Edited September 17, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[backformore]

Drew needs to stop telling jokes that contain dialogues.  His jokes are about the situations his stutter causes, but if the jokes contains a conversation, then both people in the conversation have a stutter and it makes it more difficult to understand what the joke is supposed to be.  

RIGHT!  that's the fundamental flaw with his humor.   His act is based on the fact that he stutters.  He tells stories about people misunderstanding him.  But when he tells the story, he's stuttering through it, creating another situation where it's heard to understand him because he stutters.  The way his stories are set up, you need two people re-enacting the dialog -one who stutters and one who doesn't.   Either way, he's at most mildly amusing, not funny.

 

I can't figure out why the show was such a total dud.  Here's my tongue-in-cheek working hypothesis - Stevie whats-his-face, the regurgitator, has a terminal illness in his digestive system.  The illness is self-inflicted, so it's not covered by any insurance policy.   The only way he lives is if he wins the competition, so he can afford the expensive  treatment..  All the other contestants agreed to throw the contest in order to let him win.  They couldn't just drop out, so they performed as poorly as they could in order to let him win.   It's like the heart-warming stories of the athletic teams who let the disabled kid on the opposing team score the winning point, even though it means they lose. 

If there's another theory, I'd love to hear it. 

[RemoteControlFreak]

I can't figure out why the show was such a total dud.  Here's my tongue-in-cheek working hypothesis - Stevie whats-his-face, the regurgitator, has a terminal illness in his digestive system.  The illness is self-inflicted, so it's not covered by any insurance policy.   The only way he lives is if he wins the competition, so he can afford the expensive  treatment..  All the other contestants agreed to throw the contest in order to let him win.  They couldn't just drop out, so they performed as poorly as they could in order to let him win.   It's like the heart-warming stories of the athletic teams who let the disabled kid on the opposing team score the winning point, even though it means they lose. 

If there's another theory, I'd love to hear it. 

Could be.  But if it's not that, here's another theory:

 

It's impossible for most comedians, magicians or acrobats to come up with 6 or 7 or whatever it is different acts that remain entertaining and also raise the bar each time.  It's also not a good test of what they'll do in a Las Vegas show.  

 

That's why by the finals their acts are either stale (Piff, Lynch) or they try to do something different that totally bombs (Derek Hughes).    

Edited September 16, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[LibertarianSlut]

Stevie...I never saw him bring up that 5th thumbtack and no one mentioned that.

Yeah, I noticed that too. The 5th thumbtack is probably in the same place as that second mouthful of smoke that he didn't produce last week.

Now I'm going to be hard on some of the favorites, but it's the finals, so if there ever were a time to be hard on them, this is it:

Paul Zerdin--er, how did he get his rightful voice back? He was at the point in the act where he had dropped his voice onto the floor of the stage, and he's in this funny conundrum, sharing the same voice as the puppet. Then the camera pans away, and when it comes back, Paul has resumed speaking as himself. How did he resolve that?

Oz--I know the act ended really strongly, which is great, but there was an internal inconsistency that ruined the trick for me. So Oz gets all the judges on the stage making sure we know they're placed *in no particular order.* it is so important for their placement to be random that he even lets them switch at the last second. Ok, Oz, you've convinced me--they're in random order. What will come from this? Well, as it turns out, nothing. See, when Oz visited the judges, he handed them each an envelope, but this is where he loses me--the envelopes weren't numbered or otherwise marked. So, just because Mel B was sitting in the first seat, she got the first envelope. But there was nothing to distinguish the first envelope from any of the others. If Oz had written the number "1" on the envelope he gave Mel, and two, three, etc., on the others, I would have been suitably impressed. But the envelopes weren't marked with numbers, so all of the previous attention to how RANDOMLY everyone was seated rang irrelevant to me. And one can't say he handed out the envelopes in a special order, because that could have just been a product of a false shuffle. There is no excuse to not plainly writing numbers on his envelopes if he wanted to showcase that, although the judges were seated randomly, Oz foresaw where they were going to sit. Unless I'm missing a major piece of this? Again, not taking away from the end of the act; just not impressed with this aspect of it.

I don't think The Craig Lewis "Band" is good. Their voices aren't good, they don't really dance, what's their appeal?

I said about all there is to say about Drew Lynch two weeks ago, so I'm just going to add: I thought his shtick was supposed to be the funny situations a stutterer finds himself in as he navigates the modern world. So his premise of a real world scenario has got to be solid. The problem is, it's not. Last time he was on the phone with a creditor at the grocery store, which is kind of odd, and this week, he can't convey his telephone number. As someone said up thread, why not just write the number down for the girl? Or if you're on the phone, but she still doesn't know your number somehow, text it to her. His foundation has got to be better. Tell us about something that happened at the DMV, Drew, or any other scenario where normal people get frustrated. Then build on the frustration of navigating the DMV, or the college registrar or whatever, and make us laugh as to how a stutter makes it all the more frustrating. But it doesn't work to invent frustrating scenarios that no longer exist in 2015.

Also, I think the judges cancelled out the idea of this being a family show when Heidi said she wanted the jokes to hit her like "bang, bang, bang," and the other judges sexualized that (not that I care, but it is what it is). But it didn't sit right with me that this is the second time in a row that Drew brought us adult material in his act, this week vis a vis his girlfriend's breast size. Oh how wholesome and all-American of you Drew!

On to the judges...

It is really reviling that this is the second week in a row that Howard essentially tried to remove Uzeyer from the competition through his comments. It is SO patronizing. Rather than judging the act, he consoles Uzeyer. Um, it's not over yet Howard! Don't act like he's out of the running just cause you want him to be. He should have learned his lesson last week when he lamented Uzeyer's act, only to have him make it to the finals.

And was I the only one who was just the least bit creeped out when Heidi literally lit up and started clapping when Gary V made his Jewish/cheap joke? Especially in light of the fact that she is on record as not liking him? And how, last year, a comedian made an innocuous joke about not wanting to learn German and her comment to him was "I think you just offended everyone in here"? Just some food for thought.

Edited September 17, 2015 by N. Bluth

[saber5055]

It looks like he's very adeptly writing on the outside of the envelopes with either a tiny stylus or maybe a sharpened fingernail. The paper is the kind that marks appear on in response to pressure.  So as he hears things from the judges, he's writing on the envelope and the marks show up on the carefully folded paper inside.

 

 

The key word is "folded." That paper was folded inside the envelope. Impossible to write on. Before when he revealed writing, the paper was flat inside an envelope.

 

I just watched Uzeyer again and I liked him. The judges were horrible to rank on him.

All the other contestants agreed to throw the contest in order to let him win.

 

 

Oh, wow. If you are proven correct, Backformore, my hat is off to you! Brilliant.

 

p.s. Just watched the rerun of Blount's performance and it was NOT the same one as last night. He wasn't flat and off key in the beginning this time. WTH?

Edited September 17, 2015 by saber5055

[yamashinaryu]

Was that an audition episode for the next season? 

[Frankenstein123]

Yeah, I noticed that too. The 5th thumbtack is probably in the same place as that second mouthful of smoke that he didn't produce last week.

 

 

He DID regurgitate it, you could clearly see it on his tongue seconds before he spit it out and Howard went "There it is". It's kind of hard to see because it falls in such a weird angle, but it's definitely there, just like the smoke last week (camera turned away the second he regurgitated it, when the camera went back it was near his right ear)

 

 

 

. See, when Oz visited the judges, he handed them each an envelope, but this is where he loses me--the envelopes weren't numbered or otherwise marked. So, just because Mel B was sitting in the first seat, she got the first envelope. But there was nothing to distinguish the first envelope from any of the others. If Oz had written the number "1" on the envelope he gave Mel, and two, three, etc., on the others, I would have been suitably impressed. But the envelopes weren't marked with numbers, so all of the previous attention to how RANDOMLY everyone was seated rang irrelevant to me.

 

 

There WERE numbers on the envelopes, theres a very clear 3 on the one Heidi gets and a 1 on the one Mel B gets, for some odd reason he decided to give them the envelopes in a way that basically hid the numbers unless you specifically looked for them. He should have had the envelopes the other way from the very beginning, numbers clearly shown, but I guess he just messed it up.

[Dancingjaneway]

So I'm going to voice a very unpopular opinion right now. I think the Craig Lewis Band was HORRIBLE last night. Both singers were off pitch and under pitch the whole time. They are entertaining to watch but if you can't sing on key you should get the boot. Paul was my favorite last night and I hope he takes it. I was absolutely SHOCKED to see Derek Hughes bomb so bad. I can't tell if it was of his own doing(thought he would go big and it backfired),if it was the producers telling him to take a dive or he's been offered a show already so he doesn't need to win AGT. If Drew or Benton wins this I will be pissed and yet not surprised. I HATE sympathy acts. I wonder who will replace Howard. Please NOT fucking Piers M. 

[mtlchick]

Admittedly I was charmed with Derek's bedtime story a few weeks ago despite it being really slow.  But last night he botched it and I think he realized it midway through.

 

Tough call to make.  All I can hope for is NOT DREW.  I don't find it him funny.

[RemoteControlFreak]

And was I the only one who was just the least bit creeped out when Heidi literally lit up and started clapping when Gary V made his Jewish/cheap joke? Especially in light of the fact that she is on record as not liking him? And how, last year, a comedian made an innocuous joke about not wanting to learn German and her comment to him was "I think you just offended everyone in here"? Just some food for thought.

No, you're not the only one.

 

I'm usually pretty thick-skinned, but as a Jew I was offended by Gary's joke.  There are a lot of people in this country who firmly believe the cheap Jew stereotype. I have encountered them.  It's not cool for a Jew to perpetuate this as a joke. It might be OK at a Jewish-only event, but I don't want to see  Heidi Klum, a German immigrant reportedly with Nazi ancestors, laughing at Jews.

[Vermicious Knid]

I still liked Piff, even though that wasn't his best. But I have a pretty off-kilter sense of humor. He's really more a comedian who does magic, than a straight magic act. And Derek, who purports to be a magician, was just terrible. All the dressing up of a rope trick that wasn't even interesting? Reminds me of the saying; you can dazzle them with brilliance, or baffle them with bullshit.

 

Paul doesn't vary his voices. When he used Howie as the puppet it was the same voice as Sam. That puppet mask was horrifying, by the way,.

[needschocolate]

RIGHT!  that's the fundamental flaw with his humor.   His act is based on the fact that he stutters.  He tells stories about people misunderstanding him.  But when he tells the story, he's stuttering through it, creating another situation where it's heard to understand him because he stutters.  The way his stories are set up, you need two people re-enacting the dialog -one who stutters and one who doesn't.   Either way, he's at most mildly amusing, not funny.

 

I thought about this to - having Drew's act be a comedy duo, like Martin and Lewis or Abbott and Costello.  But I think it may come off as one guy making fun of another guy's stuttering.  So, I have decided that Drew should write a book.  Talk about what happened and how he dealt with it.  Include a lot of jokes and funny anecdotes.  Then he can stutter in his dialogue, but the other person wouldn't stutter.  And he can laugh all he wants while writing it, and Howard will never know.  

Edited September 17, 2015 by needschocolate

[saber5055]

The 5th thumbtack is probably in the same place as that second mouthful of smoke that he didn't produce last week.

 

 

As Frankenstein noted, Stevie DID hack up the fifth thumbtack. He did it while still standing in front of the judges, before he went back on stage to blow fireballs. He even said he was going to cough up the fifth tack. And then he did. You guys who missed it just weren't watching close enough, or listening! (Not that I blame you, he can he difficult to watch sometimes.)

[MagnanimousRex]

Not sure why the producers wouldn't have the judges pick the top 5 and THEN have 'Murikuh vote on them.

 

It was hard to listen to Benton, hard to watch Uzeyer and Derek, and the rest just were kind of meh. 

 

And I hope we get a critical but human judge to replace Howard but not Simon or Piers.  They are old hat and hard to stomach. 

[bluepiano]

Vider, the comedian, was actually funny tonight!  Then he went and told an unfortunate anti-semitic joke.  Wrong stage, dude.  Wrong time.

 

Agreed. Probably some people might say, but he's Jewish himself, so it wasn't anti-Semitic.

 

I'm Jewish, and that would the kind of joke I might make when I'm with other Jewish people. But not to a general audience, where it's going to enforce stereotypes. So I thought Gary Vider saying that was not cool, and in way he was pandering for cheap laughs.

Edited September 18, 2015 by bluepiano

[Taeolas]

 

There WERE numbers on the envelopes, theres a very clear 3 on the one Heidi gets and a 1 on the one Mel B gets, for some odd reason he decided to give them the envelopes in a way that basically hid the numbers unless you specifically looked for them. He should have had the envelopes the other way from the very beginning, numbers clearly shown, but I guess he just messed it up.

 

Remember, he had the judges pick a number between 1 and 5 to 'pick' there envelopes. The effect was somewhat spoiled because Heidi and Howard picked 1 and 2 to start, so the 'randomness' isn't obvious. The envelopes, when he gives them to the judges, are marked with numbers.

 

I am PURELY guessing on this, but just in case, I'm spoilering this.

 

However, I doubt he could show the 'numbered' envelopes to start because he was marking the envelopes as they were picked, to make sure each judge got the right coloured paper. His final, final reveal, with the writing on his paper, was probably done one of two ways. He filled in the blanks while the other reveals were going on. Or one of the stage hands who attached the cables to the sheets planted a filled in picture sheet that he swapped the one he originally opened. The later makes more sense, since there's no real reason the sheet pulls couldn't have been set up before hand.

 

Still, as far as tricks go, I still really enjoyed it, even if I can guess how he did it. (Most of his other tricks, I have no clue how he did them.)

 

I love Piff (and I'm jealous that my sister is going to go see him in Edmonton in a few weeks apparently), but his final trick was too chaotic for me to tell what was going on. It didn't help that on WGN's "Masters of Illusion" they *just* had a pair of magicians reveal how to do a similar trick (their trick was loading an assistant into a box), so I was primed for that sort of switch, even if it hadn't been so obvious. 

 

As for the rest of the acts, I mostly skipped over them. Never cared much for the stuttering comedian from the start. Paul I did like, but his act could've stood more polish. Still manipulating 4 characters at once, including acting with two out of his hands, was impressive. The rest, I don't have any real comments on. 

Edited September 21, 2015 by Taeolas