S11.E14: Live Performances 2

[Drogo]

The second 12 of the top 36 acts take the stage of the Dolby Theatre. For the first time three Golden Buzzers go head to head in one live show. Sal Valentinetti, Calysta Bevier, and Dorothy Williams are back to win America's vote for a coveted spot in the Semifinals.

[Diana Berry]

Wow was that the first time someone got hurt live?  I felt sick.  Glad he seemed ok

[UsernameGoesHere]

4 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Wow was that the first time someone got hurt live?  I felt sick.  Glad he seemed ok

Uzeyer fell from his ladder last year. Also a couple of years ago someone from the Chicago Boyz broke their leg.

Edited August 3, 2016 by UsernameGoesHere

[candall]

Maybe there's something wrong with me.  I don't want to watch when, say, people's nipples are in danger of ripping, or some other hideous injury might happen.

And I don't understand increasing the 'entertainment value' by blinding yourself with strobe lights for the stunt that broke your back in three places.  I didn't believe her when she said (I think) that this would be their first time with the strobes, but I did believe her that she was scared. 

Edited August 3, 2016 by candall

[dbklmt]

I haven't seen it on the west coast yet, but I want to know; who got hurt?  Put it in spoilers for someone else that doesn't want to know.

Edited August 3, 2016 by dbklmt

[Drogo]

51 minutes ago, dbklmt said:

I haven't seen it on the west coast yet, but I want to know; who got hurt?  Put it in spoilers for someone else that doesn't want to know.

Spoiler

Ryan was shot in the neck by AmberLynn with a flaming (but padded) arrow. He's okay, some bruising, mostly to his ego.

[Juneau Gal]

Holy cow I hate the danger acts, even without an arrow to the neck. From the ridiculous to the sublime: I could watch Viktor Kee all day long. 

[krawz555]

I was at the this show today.  First, the flaming arrow. When it happened, we all sat frozen not knowing if it was a real accident or just part of the act.  Nobody moved or clapped.  And I agree with Simon....stop critiquing the guy and get him some first aid!!!!

And!!!!  The Throwings act???  The guy swinging the girl from the air??? WAS TAPED!!!!!  They taped the entire segment about an hour before the Live show began!  The whole thing!  From Nick introducing them, the judging and Nick introducing the next act!  And then, during the show when it was shown on tv, they showed it to us as well...the TAPED segment!!  I'm guessing they were worried something really horrible and gruesome might happen that they did NOT want shown on LIVE tv!  Taped! Everything else was completely live.

I have to say, I've been watching this show for years and seeing the acts LIVE, at this stage of competition with all the production done to the acts was really so much better than seeing it on tv.  It's loud,  the fireworks, the flames, the music.  The acts are just so much better live.

[dbklmt]

Tonight's show for me had some visually beautiful acts much better than those that performed last week.  It also had lots of acts which are perfect for a Vegas club minus the two young singers, Kadie Lynn and Calysta Bevier.

My thoughts:

First up the singers:  Moya Angela who I said previously that I didn't like because of my experience with her in "Dreamgirls" was much better than I expected.  I liked her mainly because she sang a fairly tame song which actually told a story.  Mel B didn't like that she had toned down the singing histrionics, but I did.  She got 5 votes from me this week.

Not a fan of the 12 year old singer from Texas, Kadie Lynn, who played the guitar with the raspy voice and sang the country gospel song.  She was a Zzzz for me.  Since 7 will move on I did give her 4 votes and I'm expecting from the crowd reaction which had lots of Tweenies that if needed they'll save her from elimination as they did last week for Lori.

Sal Valentinetti, Heidi's Golden Buzzer, looked GR8 losing 50 pounds and he sounded good, but I agree with Howie that he should stick with the standards.  I didn't like this song as much as his last one, but the staging was exceptional.  He got 6 votes from me.

The best of the singers for me was the cancer survivor, Calysta Bevier.  Nice to see her hair has grown back since the auditions.  Howie was right that she was the 1st flawless performance of the night.  I loved her!  She got all 10 votes that I could give!

The only dance group, Flip who was a wild card entry was good, but for me they got NO votes and I think they will not move on to the semi finals. 

Next are the danger acts which I can do without although they do fit in with a Vegas show.

Ryan Stock & Amber Lynn I never watched the other times they were on, but since I read here that someone was getting hurt I watched it all the way through and like everyone else was shocked when he got shot in the throat with the burning arrow.  Sorry for the accident but don't care to see them ever again.  They got no votes from me and I don't think they will move on to the semifinals.

Sofie Dossi was good the first time around but I agree with the judge that said that it was too similar to the previous act only using fire this time.  I still gave her 4 votes as I think she'll move on to the semi finals.

Throwings were the best of the danger acts and got 10 votes from me.  Sorry to hear from krawz555 that it was taped but it was still awesome.  I even applauded at home after it ended and I didn't do that for any of the other acts.

Sos & Victoria really came up with more costumes than I've ever seen in this type of act although it was too bad one got botched.  I really liked their ending.  I remember the first quick change act that AGT had many, many years ago and that one was much better than this one.  I gave them 4 votes since I think they may move on.

Next are the two magicians or as I call them, a la con artists, The Clairvoyants and Steven Brundage.  I just don't like The Clarivoyants and gave them NO votes but they'll probably move on.  Really glad that Steven Brundage got a wild card back into the show and I loved his rubik cube trick.  He got 10 votes and better not get eliminated this time.

Then comes the STAR of the night for me, Viktor Kee.  His staging was so Vegas and that act was perfection.  As Mel B said it was "simple but magical".  He got 10 votes and he had better be in the semi finals.

My choices by my votes for the Top Five are Viktor Kee, Calysta Bevier, ThroWings, Steven Brundage and Sal Valentinetti.

[MsTree]

Did anyone besides me see the juggler actually drop a ball?  Strange how no one mentioned it.

[Doug]

Not impressed at all with Steven's trick. I was able to tell he switched out the cube right away and the cube he showed wasn't Howie's. No votes from me. The clairvoyant I found to be great. They got 10 votes from me.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Doug

[dbklmt]

31 minutes ago, MsTree said:

Did anyone besides me see the juggler actually drop a ball?  Strange how no one mentioned it.

I believe it happened right at the beginning as all of a sudden there were four balls and the red one was gone only to reappear later.  Is that what you're referring to?

[AhFillAck]

33 minutes ago, MsTree said:

Did anyone besides me see the juggler actually drop a ball?  Strange how no one mentioned it.

Yep, I saw it, and even watched it again to make sure that he is indeed human and capable of a mistake! I actually was pretty shocked that he dropped that, and was surprised (and relieved!) than none of the judges harped on it. Some of these caterwauling singers can hit horrendous bad notes and not one judge will call them on it, so I was ready to be super pissed if they made a stink over that one lil ball. God, I adore Viktor. LOVE!! Damn. I love him.

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, MsTree said:

Did anyone besides me see the juggler actually drop a ball?  Strange how no one mentioned it.

Yes, I did. And it seems a little unfair that the judges mentioned Sos and Victoria's slip up but not his. I think he's TCO as far as the variety acts. He was good tonight, but why the smoke effects that made it harder to see what he was doing?

I've liked Kadie Lynn in the past, because it was cool to see such a young girl doing classic, old school country, a la Patsy Cline. But tonight she sounded like every other young country singer.  Not a good song choice, too many back-up singers, too much echo effect. But she will probably go through, because America loves the Christian country stuff.

Sofie Dossi was an early favorite of mine, but I feel like tonight I saw her do the same act for the third time. By contrast, I felt like ThroWings varied their act, and I could feel the added danger. I don't know why Simon was so down on them. He was borderline insulting, and it looked like the woman was about to cry.

WTF also with him telling Sos he was annoying? That seemed personal, and not like a valid criticism of their act.

IMO, if anyone was annoying it was The Clairvoyants. The trick was good, but there's something about their presentation, a certain smugness or slickness, that I don't find appealing.

None of the singers did anything for me. I like Sal's style of singing, but he's vocally not that strong, especially when you compare him to any of the singers he models himself after. I could imagine him singing at smaller casino lounges around the northeast, but a Vegas headliner he's not. His uncle comparing him to Frank Sinatra was pretty farfetched, though I get the family pride.  

Edited August 3, 2016 by bluepiano

[candall]

I saw Viktor drop one of the white balls in the middle of a juggle and he was very smooth about recovering it.  I also think the red ball was supposed to be glowing and lost its lightbulb right after it dropped.  But that's all okay, he's just so sinuous and interesting to watch.

My favorite part was when he maintained the line of balls on his back--I guess you'd have to start with building up those muscles on either side of your spine to make a little trough?  But whatever, that was some serious musculature control!

To me, his act is sort of related to the contortionists, but I like what he does with his body better.  I always feel the contortionists are in a lot of pain, in spite of their smiles.

******

The quick-change artists were odd tonight.  In their first performance, I don't remember thinking she looked like she was wrapped in six bolts of fabric.

[Frankenstein123]

WOW, well this was certainly a night of mishaps, Mel B-isms and ghostly interventions, but even with all of this I found it MUCH more exciting than last week. Let's just get on with it:

12. Sos and Victoria - Was the rug store she wore weighing her down so much she required an extra hour to wobble her way on stage? That's the only explanation I can come up with as to why they got the pimp spot... they tried though...they really did...there just was NOWHERE to go with this and the sloppy mistakes, annoyed facial expressions and music sounding like armpit farts through a leather vest didn't help.

11. FLIP - Yup, this happened.

10. Calysta Bevier - When they have to add a projection on a piano to spice up your ballad, you know even the producers are bored. This is classic Simon hype train followed by an obligatory standing ovation that's probably written into their contract As someone who watches Britains Got Talent, i'm quite used to seeing him try to manipulate us all into thinking his golden buzzers are the best thing to ever happen in entertainment, but people have been seeing through his BS for years now on that show...we'll know if America falls for it or not soon enough. Look, she seems like a sweet person and I have NOTHING against her, but take away the story and you are left with a very average singer that fails to impress. 

9. Moya Angela - A very safe and adequate performance that failed to set the world on fire. She's a vocal powerhouse, but she's been consistently giving us "good enough" and not "chills down my spine" performances and without a clear sob story, much of a fan base and middling reaction from the judges, she's going to struggle.

8. Kadie Lynn Roberson - If tape face needs to take a day off and find a replacement, then Kadies step-dad has the shtick absolutely PERFECTED. It sounds like I have it in for singers at this point, but I don't...I regularly watch shows like The Voice and root for my favourites there, but I'm just sick and tired of average singers with dull, safe, predictable song choices delivering middle of the road performances, which unfortunately includes everyone I heard tonight. You can essentially take Moya, Kadie and Calysta for me and put them in any order you want, none of them were bad by any means, but not great either..just...average. I like Kadie's calm nature and she's certainly mature for her age, but she got drowned out too much to have much of an impact. 

7. Sal Valentinetti - I didn't think it was possible for one direction to get any cheesier, but Sal managed it. His voice is like smooth velvet and I usually love this style of music, but tonight felt like a midnight performance on a cruise ship that's been out at sea for far too long. There's a fine line between cool and cheesy when it comes to this style and Sal was closer to the latter, but what saves him a bit IS his over the top/cheesy personality that goes along with the performance, it's enough to at least make the whole thing pleasant and fun and probably why I have him higher than the other singers tonight (even though objectively Moya is a better vocalist). 

6. Ryan Stock and AmberLynn - Objectively speaking they should be much lower, but I can't look past the fact I did enjoy the act more than the singers up until...what happened. I like to read up on acts and do some research when I'm interested enough and Ryan is certainly one of the more fascinating ones this season. Beyond the sideshow trappings he's fallen into on AGT, he's an accomplished sword swallower, juggler, comedian, magician (even SELLING tricks he comes up with to other people), fire breather and even starred in his own TV show on the discovery channel for 3 whole season. So it seems the man was born to entertain and is almost a "best of" compilation of all the other acts on the show. It's a shame it all went wrong like it did yesterday as I think this is probably the best act of it's kind to appear on the show, certainly in terms of presenting it in a way that's amusing and easier to accept...but even if it HAD gone right, I don't think they would have had a better chance to get through. 

5. ThroWings - A clear case of an act simply not translating well on a show like this. I'm sure whatever move she did that originally broke her back was REALLY difficult and impressive if you knew what to look for, but they didn't manage to convey that to the audience and it just looked like more of the same. But I really enjoyed that "more of the same" this time around too...kudos to whoever came up with the stage show and picked the song, it DID manage to make it exciting even if I knew exactly what they were doing. At least for me...

4. Sofie Dossi - She's fallen into the same manhole as every other act of her kind on the show and clearly ran out of material after the auditions, BUT the act was very polished and managed to entertain...for the absolute LAST time. I have a VERY hard time believing she can show us anything new after this, but I like her enough to want to see her get through. Why am I so soft on Sofie and ThroWings and hard on Sos and Victoria when they all essentially did the same exact thing? Hypocrisy perhaps...I am trying to be a bit more subjective with my rankings and just go with gut feeling/how much I enjoyed it and I'd still want to see more of her than Calysta for example...

3. The Clairvoyants - On a night with countless missteps and near deaths, it was nice to see something this polished. The chalkboard bit and things being written slightly differently is a nice catch and a throwback to Oz's final performance from last year. They might not be the most innovative magic act this season, but I adore the showmanship on stage and there's something about their whole look, the accents, the story that just works REALLY well for me. If nothing else, it gives tumblr something to work with thanks to Simon's facial expressions. 

2. Steven Brundage - Little does Simon know, Harry Potter was actually a documentary. I'm continuously impressed with Steven's skills both as a rubics cube solver AND a magic creator. Apparently he came up with this routine all by himself right before the live finals and to be able to do that shows skill and innovation beyond the likes of even Mat Franco. They weren't the hardest tricks to figure out, but I think he did a better job than Jon and I continue to look forward to what he has in store for us.

1. Viktor Kee - Magic. Pure magic. Not the card kind, not even the mind reading kind, just...magic. The mistake was unfortunate, but he recovered so nicely it hardly mattered and every time I see him I'm just transfixed, the whole act is mesmerizing from beginning to end and captivates me unlike anything else this season. 

A bit of an interesting one to predict this time. Steven and Clairvoyants should both be 100% safe and sailing through considering how well they did. Sal and Calysta were both not at their best, but should still have enough fans to push through. The worst I see them doing is one of them getting to the Dunkin Save, where they will get through with ease thanks to the judges. I'm not at all sure about Viktor, but I have a gut feeling he's in the top 5 for this time at least, I wont be shocked if I'm wrong, but I think and HOPE he manages it. Never underestimate the "southern charm" vote which is why I think Kadie will end up in the Dunkin Save and probably win that. The last spot I'm going to give to Sofie as the judges save. The third spot in the Dunkin Save will probably be either Moya or ThroWings, who will both get eliminated. 

So in order of most to least likely to qualify:

1. Clairvoyants
2. Steven Brundage
3. Sal Valentinetti
4. Calysta Bevier
5. Viktor Kee
6. Kadie Lynn Roberson
7. Sofie Dossi
8. Moya Angela
9. ThroWings
10. Ryan Stock and AmberLynn (Pity votes...maybe?)
11. Sos and Victoria
12. FLIP
 

[Commando Cody]

I can only go by who I lost interest in during the act and who I didn't.  

The Clairvoyants. Their act is too slow. It drags.

The contortionist girl. Her act is the same. Only she shot an arrow blindfolded. It also takes too long for the set up. It drags. Also, it has been done on this show before.

Rubick's Cube guy. It was the exact same trick, except he did it again. Pretty redundant. I'm not sure where he goes from here.

The little dancing girls. I zoned out and didn't see the end. There wasn't much going on. Kind of like that boy group they lost to the first time.

The singer who had cancer. I'm not sure if she can make it one more show on pity votes or not. 

ThroWings. I was annoyed with the strobe lights. It made it more difficult to see the throwing. I didn't like that part. I never believed that she was scared and while they were throwing, I was thinking she probably can do this with her eyes shut. Probably because she did some of it with her eyes shut. I did enjoy what I could see though. 

I don't know what was up with the quick change people, but I agreed with Simon. They as a couple are kind of annoying. I think it was the song choice and the bitchy attitude on the part of the woman. It also dragged when she kept changing into the same dress with a different color. I started to wonder when it was going to stop. Not soon enough.

I like Sal's voice. I didn't like the song choice.

I think Moya has a good voice. However, something was wrong with that song. I'm not sure what it was. The arrangement maybe. Sometimes it seemed like she didn't know when to take a breath. It seemed rushed in spots. It seemed off. 

Viktor has style. He has taken juggling to a new level. Less carnival - more showmanship. I saw the ball drop and I was so relieved that Piers was no longer on the panel. He was such a jerk. One little mistake like that and he was leaning on the buzzer. Plus someone like Viktor was not exactly Piers' cup of tea. 

I found Kadie difficult to understand when she was singing.  She sounded a little mushy to me. Every time someone exclaims something like "She's only 12" I get a little annoyed. If she was 20 how would she be judged?

I couldn't believe the woman archer missed from such a close range. 

Nick looks like he has some future goal with his hair. I wonder what the plan is. 

This episode seemed stacked with favorites. I wouldn't want to guess who goes through, but it's silly when the judges look so astonished when their favorite gets eliminated. The act who goes through is standing there while the judges proclaim that America got it wrong. It's kind of crappy.

[Mama No Life]

The problem with the quick change duo is that their timing was off tonight and it is quite obvious how they do it.  They need to go.

I get Kadie's talent but I'm not interested in another country singer.

And yes, the clairvoyants are so smug I hate them!

[Drogo]

I never get this critique about "upping the ante" and "taking it to the next level."  Some acts can do it (like the magic acts who can progressively move up their chain of impressive tricks) but...

• How does a quick-change duo up the ante other than adding more outfits or participants to their 90 seconds, which naturally adds to the sloppiness?
• How would an act like Throwings take it to the next level?  Could he throw two girls instead of one, perhaps?  Or she could throw him?
• Sofie Dossi is a hand-balancing contortionist who can perform archery with her feet.  Really the only thing she could have done to "keep getting bigger and better" is withhold that information from the Judges at the beginning and just show you her contortion, then show you the hand-balancing in the Quarterfinals, then the foot archery in the Semifinals... and risk being cut all that time. 

Serious question... are singers really "upping the ante" each week by singing a different song? 

[Frankenstein123]

19 minutes ago, Drogo said:

I never get this critique about "upping the ante" and "taking it to the next level."  Some acts can do it (like the magic acts who can progressively move up their chain of impressive tricks) but...

• How does a quick-change duo up the ante other than adding more outfits or participants to their 90 seconds, which naturally adds to the sloppiness. 
• How would an act like Throwings take it to the next level?  Could he throw two girls instead of one, perhaps?  Or she could throw him?
• Sofie Dossi is a hand-balancing contortionist who can perform archery with her feet.  Really the only thing she could have done to "keep getting bigger and better" is withhold that information from the Judges at the beginning and just show you her contortion, then show you the hand-balancing in the Quarterfinals, then the foot archery in the Semifinals... and risk being cut all that time. 

Serious question... are singers really "upping the ante" each week by singing a different song? 

It comes down to the judges expecting acts to get better week after week like a normal competition, but with most danger/acrobatic acts it's always translated to "up the ante", which places HIGHLY unrealistic expectations on them.

The worst in doing this is Simon, who has a history of buzzing acts because they "didn't step it up" and offering ridiculous examples like "well you should have been on fire or something". For the audience, surprise is the key. Acts that can consistently change things round after round are somehow seen as superior and more interesting and voted for. Singers usually get compared to their last performance and people can go "Oh she sounded better today" or "oh I like this song MUCH more" but as soon as an acrobat repeats something from their last performance, people get confused and disappointed because it lacks the surprise element. Years of shows like the voice and x factor have made people used to the fact that they will see/hear something different every week, even if it's riduculous when applied to variety acts.

The fact this show goes on for as long as it does absolutely fucks over any acrobatic/danger/juggler/quick change/contortion act and has done so from the very beginning.  The chance of a contortionist or an acrobat winning this show is absolutely 0% because they simply do NOT have enough material to consistently surprise and "up the ante". Some acts are just NOT meant to last 18 rounds in a competition like this, but the show has never cared or tried to do anything about it, the judges just put through acts EXPECTING them to somehow drastically step it up the next round while washing their hands of all responsibility. You can train 25 years to do something REALLY amazing and do it better than ANYONE else in the world, but it will amount to squat on this show if you can't do 8 other amazing things even BETTER. It's unfair and it always has been.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Frankenstein123

[Mama No Life]

But isn't the point to get a show in Vegas? This is my first year of watching, so I might be wrong.  But if you can't put together several rounds of interesting performances then how can you have a show? I can't imagine anything more boring than throwing or Rubix's guy for 90 minutes.  Gah.

[marketdoctor]

Quote

Serious question... are singers really "upping the ante" each week by singing a different song? 

Not to me.  They're not coasting on the song they (probably) sing best, but the ways to "amp up" a singing act involve adding elements that become part of the act--a band, dancers, or special effects.  (We have yet to see someone singing in front of a projection screen that tells the story of the song, though they've done some flames, snowflakes, etc.)

The only thing that got me about Viktor Kee was that I've met more technically competent ball jugglers* (and in a 90 second act, a drop stands out more.)  That said, it's the best contact juggling I've ever seen, and some excellent, original presentation.  I'm hoping for him to go forward.

My heart's not made of stone, but I think there were better song choices for Calysta Bevier--she didn't seem as good as last time.  I still wish her well, but to me it didn't seem like it fit her voice.  OTOH, I wonder how many people realize that "My Church" is about finding inspiration, not about a specific religious world-view.  (If it helps people live better lives, that works too.)

The camera work was not the friend of the Rubik's Cube guy; this time it just about showed how the bigger trick was done.  (Spoilered below; he did it well.)  I'd seen a trick much like the Clairvoyant's blackboard trick done live; it's a very good trick but not magic (and I'm not sure of specifics).  I don't know how they did the jellybean trick specifically, but to me that one was more impressive.  YMMV, of course.

ETA:  Glad Ryan is OK--that was revealed during the show, but even so, he took a risk, and bore the pain with great professionalism.

 

Spoiler

He gave Simon a "random" cube that was easy to create behind his back with a set number of turns-for instance, if you turn a cube 90 degrees and then turn a side 90 degrees, after 10 turns or so it can look random.  Then he swapped Howie's cube out with another one that matched the other two hidden under the tails of his coat; you can actually see most of the swap if you watch for it.  That's why instead of showing a close-up of Howie's cube before the switch, the camera pulled back, and instead showed the switch itself.  Please DO NOT try this trick unless you can do the switch as smoothly as he did.

Edited August 3, 2016 by marketdoctor

[AZChristian]

Someone upthread mentioned Nick.  We don't watch the show regularly, but watched last night because we knew it was getting close to the end of the season, so we'd (hopefully) see good acts, rather than those which were shown just because they were so bad they were laughable.

Then we saw Nick.  What in the world?  Short, tight pants to show that he wasn't wearing socks with his sparkly shoes, jacket with a chain to close it instead of buttons, and the hair.  We always thought he was really good as the host, but his appearance last night was just distracting.

JMO.  YMMV.

[UsernameGoesHere]

12 hours ago, krawz555 said:

And!!!!  The Throwings act???  The guy swinging the girl from the air??? WAS TAPED!!!!!  They taped the entire segment about an hour before the Live show began!  The whole thing!  From Nick introducing them, the judging and Nick introducing the next act!  And then, during the show when it was shown on tv, they showed it to us as well...the TAPED segment!!  I'm guessing they were worried something really horrible and gruesome might happen that they did NOT want shown on LIVE tv!  Taped! Everything else was completely live.

This is nothing new - the show has been taping danger acts in advance for years. I'm mostly surprised to hear they didn't do it with Ryan.

[Lady Iris]

I ff'd the flaming arrow act because I can't stomach those kinds of acts especially when they're shoving stuff up their nose.  When I got to the judging and heard the reactions I rewound to see it. Was that a funnel he shoved down his throat to catch the arrow or was there a stopper at the end that the arrow was supposed to hit? That could've been so much worse. Could've hit his face or his eye and that would have been monstrously horrible. Glad he was ok. Very lucky.

Bring on more Viktor Kee! He is utterly mesmerizing and I was glad too they didn't call him out on one dropped ball. He recovered quite nicely.

Anybody have flashbacks to elementary school pics when they showed Calysta Bevier in a double shot or however you call it? I thought that was a more than a bit cheesy the way they filmed her.

[bluepiano]

6 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

Ryan Stock and AmberLynn - Objectively speaking they should be much lower, but I can't look past the fact I did enjoy the act more than the singers up until...what happened. I like to read up on acts and do some research when I'm interested enough and Ryan is certainly one of the more fascinating ones this season. Beyond the sideshow trappings he's fallen into on AGT, he's an accomplished sword swallower, juggler, comedian, magician (even SELLING tricks he comes up with to other people), fire breather and even starred in his own TV show on the discovery channel for 3 whole season.

I'm actually surprised to learn that Ryan has such an extensive professional background, because to me there seems something a bit amateurish about his act compared to some of the other danger and variety acts. Amber Lynn doesn't really contribute much, and this week was the first time she had an active role to play and she blew it. I didn't get the whole retro stage set and music, other than the fact that many hipsters are into fake nostalgia for an era before they were born. It didn't add anything.

All that said, it wouldn't shock me if they got through on a sympathy vote. Uzeyer got voted through the week he fell off the ladder.

Simon was certainly pushing this week to influence the voting for his favorite acts. I hope that ThroWings gets voted through just to show that he's not all-powerful. But I think he effectively sunk them. On the other hand, he loves Sofi Dossi, and she could continue to do the exact same act every time out and he'll never criticize her for it. Some of his personal preferences this year have been weird. He was also pushing for the 90 year old "stripper" and the 70 year old metal screamer.

Edited August 3, 2016 by bluepiano

[marketdoctor]

Quote

But isn't the point to get a show in Vegas?  This is my first year of watching, so I might be wrong.

I think you're close; my understanding is that it's to *headline* a show in Vegas, which gives them a little leeway if you've got (for instance) an act that gets thin after half an hour.  That said, it's hard for an act like the quick change artists to sustain that--they're very talented, but the whole point is to...do something quickly, and half an hour of quick anything can be exhausting.  It's also one reason a lot of jugglers do other things (magic tricks, comedy, etc.); it expands the performance beyond adding numbers.  Viktor Kee has interesting costuming and contact juggling, which helps--I'm not sure if it's enough, but it's the right direction.

[helenamonster]

Whoo, ok, I've finally caught up with this show. It's been a busy few weeks.

FLIP: They're very good, but dance crews never win this show, and rarely make it past the quarter finals, so I won't be surprised if they're eliminated.

Moya Angela: It's really hard for me to feel bad for someone who has actually performed on Broadway, even if they never got a chance at stardom. To be honest, very few legitimate Broadway stars receive recognition outside The Great White Way...not everyone gets to be Idina Menzel or Lin-Manuel Miranda. And being part of a Broadway ensemble and never moving towards a major part is not a sign of failure...do you know how many people would kill to be a part of a Broadway ensemble? Anyway, she's a good singer, but she didn't do much for me and has a career waiting for her if this show doesn't work out.

Viktor Kee: I love him. I LOVE HIM. I noticed he dropped one of the balls, but as someone else said above, it's pretty much the same thing as a singer hitting a bum note, which happens all the time on this show. He is just mesmerizing. But I have an unfortunate suspicion that he won't captivate Ameriker. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was eliminated, but I would be disappointed.

Kadie Lynn Roberson: She was totally drowned out by her back-up singers. The judges were right, she should really go back to more stripped-down stuff if she wants to stand out.

Ryan Stock and AmberLynn: I'm not a fan of danger acts and watched most of this through my fingers, but I felt really bad that he got hurt, especially after they joked in the intro package about her messing up. Glad to hear he's ok.

Calysta Bevier: Look, I respect her fight with ovarian cancer at such a young age, but she is so dull. It's interesting how different Simon is judging singers on this show than he was on Idol. I can't see him putting her past the auditions on that show.

Sofie Dossi: I don't care if her act is getting repetitive, I enjoy it every single time. She's incredible at what she does.

The Clairvoyants: I was having trouble figuring out what bothered me about these two, but you guys cleared it up: they are Smuggy McSmuggersons, which is annoying cuz any reasonable person knows they're not really clairvoyant. However, I must say, they are good at what they do and I don't want my dislike for them personally to cloud how I feel about their talent.

Sal Valentinetti: God, he's so cheesy, like someone who's heard of The Sopranos but never watched it and tries to emulate it anyway. He just kept talking about "Tommy" as if we're supposed to know who "Tommy" is except some guy with a comically large cigar. He can go. Lord have mercy.

ThroWings: I like them, and I'm not super upset about them being pre-taped...I mean, they still did the act. I can understand the producers wanting to avoid showing a snuff film in case something goes wrong. Weird they didn't give that same consideration to Ryan Stock and AmberLynn, but maybe because there's a "trick" to what they do, they figured they'd be covered. ThroWings isn't a trick, it's an actual dangerous skill, and she has broken her spine doing it before.

Steven Brundage: I was shocked when he didn't make it past judge cuts, so I'm glad they got him back (but were there really that many people posting videos about it? huh).

Sos and Victoria: Like The Clairvoyants, I agree that there is something about these two that is just...unlikable. I appreciate quick change as a skill but it's really not sustainable for this show.

[SnarkyTart]

Is it possible ThroWings were pre-taped due to the strobe lights?  Exposure to strobe lights can cause epileptic seizures in some people.  I've seen acts (mostly musicians) where strobe lights are used, and the live audience is warned that anyone with epilepsy shouldn't view the act.  I know I've seen that warning before strobe lights appear even on pre-recorded television shows, so I wondered why this one didn't have a warning.  But I noticed the camera didn't really show the strobing of the lights, at least in the conventional sense. 

[EVS]

1 hour ago, helenamonster said:

Whoo, ok, I've finally caught up with this show. It's been a busy few weeks.

FLIP: They're very good, but dance crews never win this show, and rarely make it past the quarter finals, so I won't be surprised if they're eliminated.

Moya Angela: It's really hard for me to feel bad for someone who has actually performed on Broadway, even if they never got a chance at stardom. To be honest, very few legitimate Broadway stars receive recognition outside The Great White Way...not everyone gets to be Idina Menzel or Lin-Manuel Miranda. And being part of a Broadway ensemble and never moving towards a major part is not a sign of failure...do you know how many people would kill to be a part of a Broadway ensemble? Anyway, she's a good singer, but she didn't do much for me and has a career waiting for her if this show doesn't work out.

Viktor Kee: I love him. I LOVE HIM. I noticed he dropped one of the balls, but as someone else said above, it's pretty much the same thing as a singer hitting a bum note, which happens all the time on this show. He is just mesmerizing. But I have an unfortunate suspicion that he won't captivate Ameriker. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was eliminated, but I would be disappointed.

Kadie Lynn Roberson: She was totally drowned out by her back-up singers. The judges were right, she should really go back to more stripped-down stuff if she wants to stand out.

Ryan Stock and AmberLynn: I'm not a fan of danger acts and watched most of this through my fingers, but I felt really bad that he got hurt, especially after they joked in the intro package about her messing up. Glad to hear he's ok.

Calysta Bevier: Look, I respect her fight with ovarian cancer at such a young age, but she is so dull. It's interesting how different Simon is judging singers on this show than he was on Idol. I can't see him putting her past the auditions on that show.

Sofie Dossi: I don't care if her act is getting repetitive, I enjoy it every single time. She's incredible at what she does.

The Clairvoyants: I was having trouble figuring out what bothered me about these two, but you guys cleared it up: they are Smuggy McSmuggersons, which is annoying cuz any reasonable person knows they're not really clairvoyant. However, I must say, they are good at what they do and I don't want my dislike for them personally to cloud how I feel about their talent.

Sal Valentinetti: God, he's so cheesy, like someone who's heard of The Sopranos but never watched it and tries to emulate it anyway. He just kept talking about "Tommy" as if we're supposed to know who "Tommy" is except some guy with a comically large cigar. He can go. Lord have mercy.

ThroWings: I like them, and I'm not super upset about them being pre-taped...I mean, they still did the act. I can understand the producers wanting to avoid showing a snuff film in case something goes wrong. Weird they didn't give that same consideration to Ryan Stock and AmberLynn, but maybe because there's a "trick" to what they do, they figured they'd be covered. ThroWings isn't a trick, it's an actual dangerous skill, and she has broken her spine doing it before.

Steven Brundage: I was shocked when he didn't make it past judge cuts, so I'm glad they got him back (but were there really that many people posting videos about it? huh).

Sos and Victoria: Like The Clairvoyants, I agree that there is something about these two that is just...unlikable. I appreciate quick change as a skill but it's really not sustainable for this show.

I love your whole post, but I especially agree with the parts I bolded. I expected to be a bit bored with Sophie, but she and Viktor were my favorite acts of the night. My husband loves Sal. "Cheesy" is exactly how I described him when we were debating his performance last night. The Sopranos analogy is a perfect description, imo. 

[rr2911]

Yesterdays show had only one good act.....and that was Viktor Kee!

After Kee's performance everything seemed bad or just o.k.

                MY TOP SEVEN

1. Viktor Kee - Just an amazing performance. I didn't see the dropped ball. To be fair, the judges should've called him on that. He's staying put!

2. Steve Brundage - Another great trick by Steve. Although he did seem a bit clumsy at times. but he should go through.

3. The Clairvoyants - I don't know how they do it and I don't want to know! I don't get why people think they're smuggy? They have a great presentation and just maybe their smuggyness is part of their act? Moving forward!

4. Kadie Lynn Roberson - I actually liked her with the band out there. She looked liked a natural, like she's been performing on the big stage before. It showed her stage presence which was good. Of course being a competition, she should go back to a stripped down settings. She'll have her chance next round.

5. Calysta Beuier - I am glad her cancer is in remission and I hope she lives a long and happy life, I really do.......but the song "Brave" wasn't a good choice at all. Did she really need to advertise her illness again after we heard her backstory yet again? I get that she's brave, a fighter, didn't give up hope and all of that stuff. Are all her songs going to have a deep meaning? We need to hear her sing a song that she likes just because it has a good beat, or is a fun song or any other reason other than a reminder of her cancer. Her question to Simon if she made him proud didn't suit me well. Now that is being smug!! On the other side of the coin, there will be fans that want to continue to hear songs with strong messages of hope and will vote her through.

6. Sofie Dossi - I like Sofie. I like her performances. But I felt bad, almost embarrassed for Sofie. She's doing the same thing with different props and settings but it's the same dam thing! She's running out of stuff. I think she moves into the next round because of her age.

7. ThroWings - I didn't know who else to put in this slot. I think they have the best chance out of the rest. They have a "dead end act", there is not much they can do unless they maybe get other people into the act.

 

              GOING FISHING!

 

8. Sos and Victoria - I really enjoy this act and I don't know why Simon made that comment about Sos. Even though they made mistakes I still find it fascinating how she changes quickly. Unfortunately, with the mistakes, the wow factor is gone and so are they.

9. Sal Valentinetti - He does have a good voice but his style is just not my cup of tea. He's cheesyness is what's going to send him home.

10. Ryan Stock & Amber Lynn - I liked their act even though I don't find it a stand alone act. They're more of an appearance type of act. I don't think they were going through anyway but that near fatal mishap is the nail on the coffin.

11. Moya Angela - I didn't really care for her in the past and yesterday didn't change my mind about her.

12. Flip - They're a dance group....enough said!

 

Until next time......

Edited August 3, 2016 by rr2911
mistake

[Kromm]

11 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

2. Steven Brundage - Little does Simon know, Harry Potter was actually a documentary. I'm continuously impressed with Steven's skills both as a rubics cube solver AND a magic creator. Apparently he came up with this routine all by himself right before the live finals and to be able to do that shows skill and innovation beyond the likes of even Mat Franco. They weren't the hardest tricks to figure out, but I think he did a better job than Jon and I continue to look forward to what he has in store for us.

 

The one big problem with Brundage's latest performance is that it's a combination of something truly impressive and unique that only he can do (solving a cube to a certain way in seconds) and some fairly obvious "magic" moves to position things properly.

I'll use spoiler tags here a lot.

The bit with rolling the die is obvious, because

Spoiler

it's clearly a trick die. The part where he asked Heidi to pick another color was a little more impressive though, because he really did have to do that solve on the fly in less time. The point is he knew what Mel's roll would be and that gave him more time in total for both solves (which yes, he really did inside those bags). 

The final trick was the cop out.

Spoiler

He actually did nothing there.  All he did was palm the cube Howie scrambled and substituted it with another cube he already had prepared. The big cube, the smaller one he was visibly holding, and the hidden one he swapped for Howie's were always showing the same patterns, from even before he walked onstage.

To be clear, there's no denying how impressive his cube solving is, no matter what. But if you pause the video

Spoiler

you can actually see the switch in the final trick.   Pausing at other points you can also see the side of the cube facing the camera when Howie puts the cube down and it has green in the middle square facing the camera.  Later when Stephen shows the cubes at the end of the trick, the side with the green square in the middle has a totally different arrangement of colors around it from what Howie put down--proving its not what Howie handed him even if you missed the palming and swap.  Note that on a Rubik's cube the center square is ALWAYS unique. You can only ever have one side with a certain color in the middle.

 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Kromm

[krawz555]

2 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

Is it possible ThroWings were pre-taped due to the strobe lights?  Exposure to strobe lights can cause epileptic seizures in some people.  I've seen acts (mostly musicians) where strobe lights are used, and the live audience is warned that anyone with epilepsy shouldn't view the act.  I know I've seen that warning before strobe lights appear even on pre-recorded television shows, so I wondered why this one didn't have a warning.  But I noticed the camera didn't really show the strobing of the lights, at least in the conventional sense. 

I was there in the audience.  Yes, it that act was prepaid but there was no warning about the strobe lights at all. I think maybe because those strobes weren't on for a long time it wouldn't be an issue?  

Also, I watched the episode on tv and with the flaming arrow, what you didn't get to see was right after he was hit the arrow bounced to the ground and the carpet started to go up in flames!!! The camera had immediately gone to the reactions of the judges at this point. There was a stagehand close by who ran up and put the fire out.  

[Kromm]

5 minutes ago, krawz555 said:

I watched the episode on tv and with the flaming arrow, what you didn't get to see was right after he was hit the arrow bounced to the ground and the carpet started to go up in flames!!! The camera had immediately gone to the reactions of the judges at this point. There was a stagehand close by who ran up and put the fire out.  

Were those arrows blunted, even though lit?  I mean we saw it hit the wrong place and fire go all over, but there didn't seem to be any puncture wound.

[Kromm]

29 minutes ago, rr2911 said:

3. The Clairvoyants - I don't know how they do it and I don't want to know! I don't get why people think they're smuggy? They have a great presentation and just maybe their smuggyness is part of their act? Moving forward!

This is all highly speculative, but at least a few pieces of what they did are easily explainable. 

Spoiler tags of course, even though these are just guesses. Note this also includes under those spoiler bits some serious speculation of how they did their earlier tricks in other episodes too.

First off, there are the early tricks this episode with identifying the color of Jelly Beans.  

Spoiler

This basically seems to be the same trick they did in other episodes, but with different presentation. In previous episodes, there were some elements to make it less obvious that the guy was quickly sending the information to the girl via a transmitter, but that's in essence what he was doing. The most likely explanation I've seen with them is that he has a transmitter in his shoe. There's likely a trigger he's pressing with his toes inside the shoe and he's sending something simple like Morse code (or an even more simplified code if there are a limited number of options. With Jelly Beans all he has to do is send the first letter of the color for example.  As to how she's receiving the message?  Well the first time we saw them we saw her checked by Heidi for an earpiece. That was an honest check.  Because the receiver wasn't in her ear, it was part of the swing. It was a vibration--either through the seat or maybe the ropes--and since it was simply a repeating code she didn't need sound.  Long and short (what makes up Morse code) doesn't NEED sound). It the latest episode she's not on a swing. But this time nobody checked her for an earpiece. So she probably had one (or possibly a vibration pad built into her warddrobe). 

Then there's the trick with the number of beans. This is far more complicated but I did notice one big element.  

Spoiler

The guy is clearly VERY careful to make sure that when Mel is done putting jellybeans in her glass that he can covertly walk up to the bowl and remove the metal scoop. This move is too calculated to be accidental. It could be that he's approaching to get a look at the glass, but I think it's even more likely that he really DOES have to get that metal scoop out because that bowl has some way to measure it's contents (weight perhaps?) and the scoop would interfere.  Under this theory, it would also probably have to have a wireless transmitter to send out the adjusted weight to the girl. Then it's just math, since the beans they use will have all been the same weight and they knew what was in the bowl before Mel took some out. 

The bit with getting everything on the chalkboard at the end is a tougher one to puzzle out, but at the very least there's one clear indication it IS a total trick/deception.

Spoiler

 They are SO careful to make sure we see the letters "JEL" at the bottom at the beginning. No matter how they got the information on the board (or if its even the same board) is one thing, but clearly the JEL is meant to mentally push people towards accepting that it HAS to be the same board.

[Frankenstein123]

55 minutes ago, Kromm said:

The one big problem with Brundage's latest performance is that it's a combination of something truly impressive and unique that only he can do (solving a cube to a certain way in seconds) and some fairly obvious "magic" moves to position things properly.

I'll use spoiler tags here a lot.

The bit with rolling the die is obvious, because

  Reveal hidden contents

it's clearly a trick die. The part where he asked Heidi to pick another color was a little more impressive though, because he really did have to do that solve on the fly in less time. The point is he knew what Mel's roll would be and that gave him more time in total for both solves (which yes, he really did inside those bags). 

The final trick was the cop out.

  Hide contents

He actually did nothing there.  All he did was palm the cube Howie scrambled and substituted it with another cube he already had prepared. The big cube, the smaller one he was visibly holding, and the hidden one he swapped for Howie's were always showing the same patterns, from even before he walked onstage.

To be clear, there's no denying how impressive his cube solving is, no matter what. But if you pause the video

  Hide contents

you can actually see the switch in the final trick.   Pausing at other points you can also see the side of the cube facing the camera when Howie puts the cube down and it has green in the middle square facing the camera.  Later when Stephen shows the cubes at the end of the trick, the side with the green square in the middle has a totally different arrangement of colors around it from what Howie put down--proving its not what Howie handed him even if you missed the palming and swap.  Note that on a Rubik's cube the center square is ALWAYS unique. You can only ever have one side with a certain color in the middle.

 

Impressive notes and about what I guessed the solution was... I think he would have been out long ago had he JUST concentrated on his rubics cube skills, adding an element of magic to it allows him to cover more ground even if it's not always great.

[Dancingjaneway]

NONE of the singers were good last night. All of them were off key for most of the performance. Also none of the have the presence to pull off their own show in Vegas. I would not choose to see any of them over the professionals that are currently in Vegas. Viktor did drop one of the balls but he did a great job of recovering and not losing his pacing. THAT is the true mark of a professional/star. I wasn't as impressed with the rubix cube guy as I was last time. The girl with the bow & arrow is good but I was not as wowed this time around. I thought the mind reader/mentalists whatever you call them were good but my dad brought up a good point. They probably just used key words to say what colors were chosen and what amount of JB's were chosen. Also he could have counted what was in the cup. Magic and mentalists are good when you have no damn clue how they did it and that was my problem with Rubix cube guy and the quick change people. 

[rr2911]

Bad new for me.....ALL of the judges are coming back next season. They all signed up again.

I was really hoping AGT would replace MelB as judge. I don't like her thick accent. Can't understand her most of the time and have to replay her critiques.

MelB annoyed me yesterday when she insisted that Victoria of Sos & Victoria was in a bad mood. I think she was suppose to have that model runway stone face expression look. Just like she annoyed me about that fat dude from Outlawz, insisting he wasn't feeling well because he wasn't moving fast enough. "Hello"?? The dude is fat! He can't move very fast!!!

I wish MelB would stay seated and stop interrupting Simon or the other judges when their talking.

O.k., I'm done..... 

[callmebetty]

I didn't like the "fight" that Mel B and Simon had during the critique for the dance group.  I found it childish ( especially for the live shows) and took away the moment from the act. At this stage it is important to focus on the acts and not be cutesy at the table. Save that for the behind scenes Howie shenanigans. 

[UncleChuck]

Quote

But isn't the point to get a show in Vegas?  This is my first year of watching, so I might be wrong.

In past seasons, the judges would make a big deal about having an act that was worthy of a real Vegas show, but in reality, the AGT producers would assemble a group of the top ten or twelve acts (even including some wild cards that would make a good show) and that group would perform in Vegas for one or two performances, with the winner getting the honor of being the "headliner" act.  Then after a few shows (perhaps a short tour) the group would disband and go about their business.

Some of the acts we have seen on AGT already were performing in Vegas BEFORE they ever appeared on the tv show, so no big whoop if they won or not.  And more than a few spectacular shows like magicians or computerized dance groups were signed to a show even though they didn't come close to winning AGT.  After all, there is no rule that all Vegas performers must win on AGT.

The prize money is more of a joke than the Vegas show gimmick.  The million dollars is paid out over 40 (FORTY!!!) years.  $25,000 buck a year and what if you have to split that up between several members of the group?   And the lump sum is based on the dollar amount that would eventually be a million dollars after 40 years of earning interest.  A pittance.

The biggest and most valuable prize for the performers, especially the ones who are serious about performing and not just goofing off, is the national exposure.  Instead of dangling some bogus Vegas show as the prize, if TPTB offered a talent contest with regional winners then given the "prize" of performing on national prime-time tv...the show might be just as compelling.

[Zuleikha]

The fact this show goes on for as long as it does absolutely fucks over any acrobatic/danger/juggler/quick change/contortion act and has done so from the very beginning.  The chance of a contortionist or an acrobat winning this show is absolutely 0% because they simply do NOT have enough material to consistently surprise and "up the ante".

This is both true and not true. For whatever reason, the difference in circus artists' choreography isn't noticed as a difference. I don't know why. It frustrates me as a circus artist to see the reception like that. There are many aerial dance companies who do entire acts of different aerial choreographies (in some cases with a very limited set of apparatuses) and people do not get bored. They see the differences. But for some reason it doesn't translate on TV.

Sofie is hurting herself in perception by structuring two acts with the same structure, but every section of her act tonight was different from what she's done before. Her first two sections were completely different skills than what she's done before: an aerial silks dynamic drop and totally different handbalancing/contortion styling and tricks. Foot archery can only be so varied, but she did it blindfolded and spinning, which is a step up. 

What I would recommend to her if I had the chance and she makes it to the next one is to break up her structure completely. Do a pure aerial act or switch between air contortion and floor contortion. I think the most different look for her would be to have a strong floor contortion section and then climb into a contortion-based aerial silks act. But don't end with the foot archery because that one there really isn't anywhere else for her to go. 

I thought Sos and Victoria actually changed up their act quite a bit. I was impressed by that because I didn't think quick change acts really could. But again, this was a completely different set of costumes, props, and set up. Unfortunately, it wasn't as polished as their other one. My guess is that it's a newer act for them so their timing isn't right. I don't think they should move on, but I am impressed by them, especially their finish tonight with the little extra poof of glitter and the sleeves. If they practice this one more, I think it will be a good act for them. I believe Victoria's cold demeanor is intended to evoke a high fashion model, and it works for me.

[UsernameGoesHere]

Flip - I swear that these guys just do basically the same routine every time. And it's the same routines we already saw DM Nation do last year. Lots and lots of arm waving. I mean they're good but I definitely don't need to see them again, and I don't know why they were a wildcard.

Viktor - I'm surprised none of the judges mentioned the ball drop? He recovered really well and was still great, and I loved the part with the balls on his back.

Kadie Lynn - Yawn. And I could barely hear her over the background singers. I wish the judges would stop filling her head with all this stuff about how she's going to be the next big superstar.

Ryan and AmberLynn - This was pretty boring compared to their last two acts. I actually found them strangely entertaining before. I'm usually not a fan of freakshow acts, but these guys are good. But this week was mostly meh. Last time they were on I asked what the point of the girl was, because she always just stands there and basically does nothing. She finally plays an active role in the performance, and look what happens! I doubt they'd make it through even if everything went as planned. These kinds of acts never do well in the live shows. And on top of getting hit with the arrow, I'm pretty sure he choked on the lamp post too. Ouch. I'm glad he's okay.

Calysta - Oh look, another inspirational song! Because she's a cancer survivor. We get it. This act is 100% backstory. She is not that great of a singer and all the hype for her from the judges is ridiculous. And then Simon saying he's never felt so nervous during a performance before? Really? Ryan Stock nearly getting killed 5 minutes beforehand wasn't a little more nerve wracking? GMAB

Clairvoyants - Their video packages make me roll my eyes, lol. Their special connection, blah blah blah. We all know you're not really clairvoyant. Very cool act though.

Sal is really annoying. Oh my god, he just bugs. I realize that some people might find his big personality and Sopranos schtick amusing, but I find it downright obnoxious.

I absolutely love, love, love Steven Brundage. He and Tape Face are probably my top 2 for the season.

Sos and Victoria getting the pimp spot - whaaaat? I'm stunned that it didn't go to a judge/producer favorite. I figured Calysta or Sal would get it. I mean I'm not complaining, just surprised to see them of all people go last. And they probably shouldn't have. The mistakes were glaring. But WTF at Simon just coming right out and saying that Sos is annoying? How rude. And I don't even get how he's annoying. And Simon has no right to call any contestant annoying when he loves freaking Sal.

I haven't seen the results yet, but I think that Steven Brundage and Clairvoyants are definite locks. And I think Sofie is very likely going through as well. Sos and Victoria, Flip, and Ryan and AmberLynn are definitely gone. I bet ThroWings are somewhere in the Dunkin Save.

[helenamonster]

9 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

Sofie is hurting herself in perception by structuring two acts with the same structure, but every section of her act tonight was different from what she's done before. Her first two sections were completely different skills than what she's done before: an aerial silks dynamic drop and totally different handbalancing/contortion styling and tricks. Foot archery can only be so varied, but she did it blindfolded and spinning, which is a step up. 

What I would recommend to her if I had the chance and she makes it to the next one is to break up her structure completely. Do a pure aerial act or switch between air contortion and floor contortion. I think the most different look for her would be to have a strong floor contortion section and then climb into a contortion-based aerial silks act. But don't end with the foot archery because that one there really isn't anywhere else for her to go. 

While I agree with you in theory, I think not doing the foot archery anymore would actually hurt her. Yes, there really isn't anything else she can do with that...and I have a feeling that will come up as a criticism from one of the judges (likely Simon) in the next round. But also if she didn't do it, the judges would all freak out. "What happened to your arrow?" "That was your signature move!" Etc., etc....

It really is damned if she does, damned if she doesn't, which is sort of the curse that gets put on circus/variety performers on this show, as other people have mentioned. It's sort of why I don't get all up in arms when those kinds of acts don't "change it up" enough. Singers can sing a different song every week, dancers can have a completely new dance, magicians can have new tricks...but apparently all contortion (and other related acts) looks the same to the judges and probably a good portion of Ameriker.

[Indy]

1 hour ago, helenamonster said:

While I agree with you in theory, I think not doing the foot archery anymore would actually hurt her. Yes, there really isn't anything else she can do with that...and I have a feeling that will come up as a criticism from one of the judges (likely Simon) in the next round. But also if she didn't do it, the judges would all freak out. "What happened to your arrow?" "That was your signature move!" Etc., etc....

It really is damned if she does, damned if she doesn't, which is sort of the curse that gets put on circus/variety performers on this show, as other people have mentioned. It's sort of why I don't get all up in arms when those kinds of acts don't "change it up" enough. Singers can sing a different song every week, dancers can have a completely new dance, magicians can have new tricks...but apparently all contortion (and other related acts) looks the same to the judges and probably a good portion of Ameriker.

ITA. She's the contortionist/hand balancer/archer now and if she removes one of those elements she'll get harped on....but if all she does is contortion/hand balancing/archery, she'll get harped on.  I think she's been smart to do something a bit different in the beginning - the hoop in the judges cuts and the silks this week - to show what else she can do, but keeping things somewhat consistent otherwise.  I think that's the best she can do given how the variety acts are judged.  And so long as she doesn't hang upside-down whilst singing and playing the piano, hopefully she'll be safe a while longer.

But yeah of course, a singer can sing a new song each week and a magician can do a new trick in the same vein as their others and they don't get called boring or told to go bigger/higher/fire-ier. Nobody is going to tell Kadie Lynn to do something different like sing a different genre of song next week or to make her songs more exciting, andRubik's Cube guy isn't going to be called a one-note because he always uses his cube in his acts.  

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It would make sense to have Throwings, or whatever, perform aside from the LIVE show since it required more elaborate and substantial staging.  There's only so much they can do between acts.  That's my guess, anyway.

The dude in Clairvoyants is genuinely scary.  The ego and arrogance he exudes is greater than even Simon's!  Having said that, he has an excellent stage persona and is a fabulous presenter.  They deserve to go forward, imo.

I think Mel B physically assaulting Simon is in her jidging contract.  I'm fine that this group were all re-upped.  I do feel for Howie a bit as he has been marginalized.   Nick has less of a presence this season, as well.  In his case, I think it works better for us, and for him.  I'm a fan.  I think he was being asked to do too much the last couple of years.

[Lady Iris]

I'm happy Simon's sticking around. Granted he's not as brutish and blunt as he was on American Idol but I do enjoy that man on my tv. He truly was adorable with that lady the minx in the fringe dress. "Ohhh Simon!" 

[DollEyes]

Delurking with more love for Viktor Kee and Steven Brundage. Their performances were BY FAR the best of the week. The more I see Viktor & Steven, the better they get. They have taken juggling and magic to the next level time & time again. I didn't notice the dropped ball in Viktor's act and wouldn't have cared if I had anyway. Plenty of contestants have made way worse mistakes than that, as Ryan & AmberLynn alone proved. At this point, Viktor & Steven belong in both the Finals and the Top Two, as far as I'm concerned. 

[Jordan27]

My review...

12.  Ryan and Amber...5...you get shot, you lose.

11.  Flip....7.5...They looked and did a good job.

10.  Steven Brundage...8...Good trick, but too many people figured out how he did it on this board.  I knew how he did it right away....have done magic before.

9.  SOS and Victoria...They are fun to watch, but made a mistake.

8.  Moya....8...Good song, but got a little bored.

7.  Throwings..8...Wow, they are good. 

6.  Sal V.....8....Very good, but not great.

5.  The Clairvoyants....8...Really good illusions...liked it a lot.

4.  Kadie Lynn....8....Really good country singer.

3.  Sofie Dossi...8.5....What an act, not quite center on the bullseye though.

2.  Victor Kee....9.5....The most entertaining juggler I have ever seen. 

1.  Calista Bevier...10... Star of the night for me.  Looks great and sings the same way.

When some of you call her average, I think you must be living in alternate universe or suffering from teenage girl singer syndrome, which seems to afflict a number of you.

[UsernameGoesHere]

On Monday, August 08, 2016 at 7:43 PM, Jordan27 said:

When some of you call her average, I think you must be living in alternate universe or suffering from teenage girl singer syndrome, which seems to afflict a number of you.

Or maybe we just have our own opinions and don't 100% agree with everything you think. I know it's a hard concept to grasp.

[Kromm]

On 8/3/2016 at 6:53 PM, rr2911 said:

Bad new for me.....ALL of the judges are coming back next season. They all signed up again.

I was really hoping AGT would replace MelB as judge. I don't like her thick accent. Can't understand her most of the time and have to replay her critiques.

MelB annoyed me yesterday when she insisted that Victoria of Sos & Victoria was in a bad mood. I think she was suppose to have that model runway stone face expression look. Just like she annoyed me about that fat dude from Outlawz, insisting he wasn't feeling well because he wasn't moving fast enough. "Hello"?? The dude is fat! He can't move very fast!!!

I wish MelB would stay seated and stop interrupting Simon or the other judges when their talking.

O.k., I'm done..... 

Wow. I guess it takes a village to make an audience. I think Mel is one of the few bright spots on this show. Since Simon is now a Marshmallow, sometimes Mel is the only real energy we get. As for her accent?  It must really be an individual thing, because personally I don't have any problems understanding her. Her twenty years ago perhaps, but she's adjusted her speech a lot.

That's not to say there aren't occasional weird arbitrary things from Mel, but I actually think Heidi does that even more often (where she just dislikes an act... "because").