S12.E11: Judge Cuts 4

[Drogo]

The Judge Cuts continue with guest judge Seal joining the panel.

[ketchuplover]

Bye Will. Thank you judges.  Too bad about the youngling.

Edited August 9, 2017 by ketchuplover

[lor]

this episode was boring.its predictable a golden buzzer goes to a singer. i think its weird that 6 year old girl and boy dance like that. shes 6 and is already talking about marrying him.

i didnt understand that magic act. the girls are in love with the military act.

that choir is fantastic.of course kechi would get through.

[Diana Berry]

Can we keep Seal as a judge?

[Babalooie]

22 minutes ago, lor said:

i didnt understand that magic act.

You're not alone.

6 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

Can we keep Seal as a judge?

Yes!  He was so enthusiastic.  Glad that he and his ex Heidi could sit next to each other...unlike I could have. 

[rr2911]

A lot of acts that I disagreed with. I'll post my take on this evening tomorrow. I have to go nighty night!  :)

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Sigh, I feel incredibly let down by Will Tsai.

Oh look another singer gets a GB. At least he moves the median age of GB winners into the tweens or teens.

Pompeyo dog family>>>>>>What's her name and Hero the dog.

Yes, they are corny as hell but I can't really be mad at the Air Force Guys for getting through. I really want them to do "Danger Zone" from Top Gun in the live shows now.

I could be outraged at the kid dancers (the duo and Merrick) for making it through, but I'm not really sure who I would've subbed them out for. Probably the Quiddlers and the teen country singer girl from last week I guess.

[anthonyd46]

They either reshot parts of this episode or edited it highly. As I said previously from everything I read Brandon Rogers did perform on this episode, because it was taped before his death, but theres a couple things I noticed in the editing:

If you look at the table with the cards they have 4 to the side already, 1 in simons hand, and 14 on the table so theres only 19 cards and not 20. 

At the end of the montage there is again only 19 cards

There's a weird camera cut when German Cornejo and Honeybeez are on the stage it only shows 2 spotlights, but then it cuts to an extreme closeup of Elena and Sasha who weren't on the stage to begin with. Im assuming Brandon got eliminated at the same time Elena and Sasha did and they did that closeup of them so Brandon wouldn't be in the shot. I feel if he moved onto the live shows they probably would have aired it, but him being eliminated was probably too hard to air for the family and would damper how they left off in the audition they aired.

Edited August 9, 2017 by anthonyd46

[sharifa70]

I'm satisfied with most of tonight's picks, but I would have gone with the Quiddlers over the family dog act (the Quiddlers are just so weird that I found it hard to look away). I also would have probably taken the 15-year-old magician over the too-precocious child dance duo. Her lpstick kind of freaks me out.

I want Seal to sit and read my state statutes to me.

[Juneau Gal]

I really hate that this has basically turned into a singing and dancing contest; we already have dedicated shows for those disciplines already. The fun of AGT originally was the "other" talent that does not get a showcase elsewhere.

Very, VERY much still dislike the Air Force choir. Big time dislike. Would much rather have seen the young magician make it to the live shows.

[CelticBlackCat]

3 hours ago, Babalooie said:

You're not alone.

Yes!  He was so enthusiastic.  Glad that he and his ex Heidi could sit next to each other...unlike I could have. 

Seal has always been a class act and he showed it again tonight.  Glad it was cool between them.

[CelticBlackCat]

Artyon and Paige creeped me out with the dirty dancing, marriage talk and her red lipstick.  I don't mind a little makeup on the kiddies, I would prefer it to bare-face for a show performance, but lipgloss or a soft pink would have been more appropriate.  The duo, especially Paige, were the quintessential precocious child act.

[SnarkyTart]

And my golden buzzer goes to....SEAL!!!  My goodness, he couldn't have been any more wonderful.

Dear Mr. Cowell, if you will kindly replace the annoying Mel B with the lovely Mr. Seal, I promise not to bitch as much when you send stupid acts on to the next round.

As for tonight's contestants, I didn't see anyone that I'd care to ever see again.   

[anthonyd46]

4 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

And my golden buzzer goes to....SEAL!!!  My goodness, he couldn't have been any more wonderful.

Dear Mr. Cowell, if you will kindly replace the annoying Mel B with the lovely Mr. Seal, I promise not to bitch as much when you send stupid acts on to the next round.

As for tonight's contestants, I didn't see anyone that I'd care to ever see again.   

Seal was great he was honest enough and didn't just bask in the glory like some of the other celebrity judges.

[funandfitpt]

Loved Seal as celebrity judge! Wish he was a permanent judge.

I would have changed the child dance duo with the young magician, but I guess the rest were fine. I like Merrick. I think he's good and he's not annoying like most other young acts. He's not over the top cute and precocious.

[LadyMustang65]

Can't believe they put the young girl/boy dance duo through.  They were just not that good.  Liked the popper, though.  Would have put either of the magicians through instead of the dance duo.  I like the Air Force guys, and 100% yes to their doing "Danger Zone."  That would be awesome.  Was not crazy about the choir. 

I would love to see a complete list of the final 28 acts because my sense right now is that we are severely overloaded with singers.  I've been trying to remember non-singing acts, and so far can only come up with the ventriloquist (who sang as part of her act), 2 dog acts, 1 comedian, and a couple of dance acts.  Do we have any magicians who made the cut?  Any "danger" acts?  Any balancing or contortionist-type acts? 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

The 33 Advancing Acts are:

Golden Buzzers

Mandy Harvey (Deaf Singer, Simon)

Angelina Green (13yr old singer, Heidi)

Christian Guardino (16yr old singer, Howie)

Darci Lynne (12 or 13yr old ventriloquist singer, Mel B.)

Light Balance (Visual Dance Act, Tyra)

Angelica Hale (9yr old singer, Chris Hardwick)

Chase Goehring (21yr old singer, DJ Khaled)

Celine Tam (9yr old singer, Laverne Cox)

Johnny Manuel (R&B singer, Seal)

Other Advancing Acts

Kechi (singer who survived a plane crash, Week 4-JC's)

Merrick Hanna (young popper/hip hop dancer)

DaNell Daymon and Greater Works (Gospel Choir)

In the Stairwell (Air Force Academy male Acapella group)

Pompeyo Family Dogs (animal act)

Artyon & Paige (terrible, horrific kiddie dance act)

Preacher Lawson (Standup Comedian, Week 3-JC's)

Diavolo (garbage "prop" dance act)

Mike Yung (NYC Subway Singer)

Big O (Fat Guy Dancer)

Billy & Emily England (Creepy Brother/Singer roller skating danger act from Britain's Got Talent)

Brobots & Mandroids (Dance Group that I have almost zero memory of)

Yoli Mayor (Singer from Miami and I can't remember her sob story, Week 2-JC's)

Mirror Image (Twins who clearly have compromising pictures of the judges)

Evie Clair (yet another teen sob story singer)

Junior & Emily (Salsa Dancing Duo who totally underwhelmed and were put through anyway. They must have connections we are unaware of)

Puddles Pity Party (Singing Clown and friend of Postmodern Jukebox)

Colin Cloud ("Mind Reader")

Sarah Carson and Hero (Underwhelming animal act, Week 1-JC's)

Demian Aditya (Escape Artist w/ over the top melodramatic wife)

The Singing Trump (Nothing more really needs to be said)

The Masqueraders (Senior Citizen, African American Singing Group)

Eric Jones (Close up Street Magician)

Just Jerk (Hip Hop Dance Crew from South Korea)

 

**That's 33 acts. If we get three WC's to make 36 (and three shows of 12), I want the Quiddlers back, maybe the young country singing girl, and one of the Hand Balancing acts (or the Mongolian Strongman who helicopter'd Howie and Heidi) just for a little extra variety.

I'd also love to know what happened to the Lady who "danced" in the indoor skydiving windtunnel....

Edited August 9, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[marketdoctor]

Thanks, PhD-Purgatory15!  

I liked Seal enough to want to see what they have in an alternate universe, where the judges are Seal, Laverne Cox, and Neil Patrick Harris (and the Golden Buzzer is something that sounded interesting, but they realized would be a terrible idea.)

It seems very heavy on dancers and singers, which makes me miss the magicians and random acts (this would have been a good year for Piff the Magic Dragon, for example.)  

Consistency is not the judges' strong suit:  they asked some acts to "step it up", and gave much more credit for a singer singing a different song than for any other kind of change-up.  Ironically, that IS consistent, along with half the golden buzzer acts going home early and one of them going all the way, or nearly so (largely depending on which ones have an off night, and which ones get cannon fodder.)  That's why I was surprised the Quiddlers didn't go further; they have a hit-or-miss quality.

I could have done with two weeks' less of judges cuts and more live rounds, but then they'd run more risk of the Golden Buzzer acts looking bad.

[LadyMustang65]

Thanks for the list, PhD-Purgatory15.  So out of 33 acts, we have, by my count, 18 singers.  So more than half are singers, and only two of those singers are groups.  I'd forgotten some of the selections - probably because I didn't want to be reminded.  Like that skivvy roller-skating act and the terrible salsa dancers.  Both of those acts boil down to brother twirling sister around in a variety of poses.  Sheesh.  Also had forgotten about the 'danger' act with the overly dramatic wife.  Ugh. 

If we get wild cards, I'd like to see them bring back at least one of the other magicians.  I thought both of them last night were excellent.  I also liked the comedian who did the voices.  Maybe they'll give the chicken another chance?  <lol>

[backformore]

12 hours ago, CelticBlackCat said:

Artyon and Paige creeped me out with the dirty dancing, marriage talk and her red lipstick.  I don't mind a little makeup on the kiddies, I would prefer it to bare-face for a show performance, but lipgloss or a soft pink would have been more appropriate.  The duo, especially Paige, were the quintessential precocious child act.

I was OK with the boy, but that little girl gave me all sorts of Honey-boo-boo/Jon Benet Ramsey vibes, that I have an irrational dislike for her.  I also cringe at the idea that she's being encouraged to talk about marriage as a goal.   And you're right, the red pouty lips makes it worse.  She's like a caricature of a bratty little girl.

[marketdoctor]

Quote

 And you're right, the red pouty lips makes it worse.  She's like a caricature of a bratty little girl.

For her sake, I hope she gets a chance at a normal life.  As Kurt Vonnegut wrote, "Be careful who you pretend to be, for in the end, you are who you pretend to be."

That's why I pretend to be in Heaven, just in case.

That said, this year is another example of why kids need their own show, with the Saturday Night Live bits about high school theater being required pre-viewing.  (Some parents won't get a clue from that, but we'd save a few.)

[piequinn35]

The only acts I want to see are Darci, Angelica and Light Balance.

[giaNtsandYankees]

2 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

 Maybe they'll give the chicken another chance?  <lol>

Sorry, we'll have to stick a fork in that chicken! It's done!!

[rr2911]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record but,......WOW, another disappointing show with subpar acts going through.  Starting with......

7. Artyon & Paige - What were the judges thinking on this one? They were all over the place. Their routine always seems rushed and at certain times during their performance, they were not in sync with the song. Shouldn't have gone through.

6. Merrick Hanna - Another wrong and disappointing pick! What are the judges looking at with these two kid dance acts? His dancing seemed very dated and quite frankly, I was bored. Just because he's a kid doesn't mean he has to go through. Shouldn't have gone through.

5. Pompeyo Family Dogs - Ok, the judges are always going to put through a dog act because they all like dogs. Too me, that's not the way they should judge. Even though they are better than the blondie and Hero act, I wouldn't have passed them on.

4. DaNell Daymon & Greater Works - They were good,.....very good! But, they fall in that category of "dead end" act. I know they are singers, but that's just it, they are a choir, and no one wants to pay to go see a choir when they can see one in church that's just as good or even better. I would've passed them on but I would've passed at least one of the magicians first.

3. Kechi - She did a great job and has a good voice. It's sad to see her and I feel for her and can't imagine her struggles and pain she has gone through. I would've put her through based on her voice but she'll probably get lost in the shuffle of singers,....kid singers that is.

2. Johnny Manuel - Simon did it again! He wanted some drama and he got it. So he asked Johnny to sing a 30 second clip of his first audition song. Too me, thy both sounded the same I think he is talented and has a good voice but he just didn't "wow" me.

1. In The Stairwell - Yeah I know they're another group and yes, they probably won't last pass the first live cuts. But I liked them. They were good. They were different because they're in the Armed Forces. Good choice to put them through.

 

***** The difference between the two singing groups is that the DD&GW is a choir, and we've seen choirs before all with a female singing who can sing to the heavens. ITS is a acapella group. I haven't seen one this large before. 

I was disappointed that the 16 year old magician didn't go through. I thought he was the best act of the night!

When is MelB and Tyra Banks getting replaced?  

 

Until next time..... 

[SnarkyTart]

3 hours ago, marketdoctor said:

I liked Seal enough to want to see what they have in an alternate universe, where the judges are Seal, Laverne Cox, and Neil Patrick Harris (and the Golden Buzzer is something that sounded interesting, but they realized would be a terrible idea.)

Oh my!  I'd watch the hell out of that.  It's such an exceptional idea, we can be guaranteed they'll never let you get anywhere near a tv producer.

[Hook75]

8 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

**That's 33 acts. If we get three WC's to make 36 (and three shows of 12), I want the Quiddlers back, maybe the young country singing girl, and one of the Hand Balancing acts (or the Mongolian Strongman who helicopter'd Howie and Heidi) just for a little extra variety.

I'd also love to know what happened to the Lady who "danced" in the indoor skydiving windtunnel....

Johnny Manuel did not deserved the golden buzzer. I was sad and upset that Will and the Quiddlers did not make it and the two "Dirty Dancing" dancers did. I also want Darcy Callus the singer- he was amazing.

[Frankenstein123]

SO HOW ABOUT THAT LAST GAME OF THRONES EPISODE EH? EH? OH? Oh we are not doing that here? I..I'm supposed to talk about the last Americas Got Talent round instead? *runs*

 

*sigh*

 

For various reasons this might have been the most frustrating episode this season yet..

 

 

7. Artyon and Paige - Remember those family photographs your mom forced you to do? The ones where you had to smile and pretend you enjoyed sitting next to your slightly creepy uncle? That's what this felt like. In a reasonable and fair world these 2 would have been called up with Merrick and the better one would have gone through (Merrick) but this is AGT so all reason goes out the door as we make room for strangely sexual numbers performed by prepubescent children.

 

6. In the Stairwell - 1. Audition for AGT. 2. Perform a backstreet boys song. 3. Profit. I liked these guys the last time around and still do, but they are clearly just here to take up a spot in the bottom 4 in an upcoming live show and nothing more.

 

5. Johnny Manuel - Oh hello nice singer man, are you going to sing for us? Do you need anything before you start, maybe some water or a backrub? Oh you are good to go? GREAT! Oh wait this isn't as good as last time, no this wont do. Just start over and do what you did last time and we'll pretend the last bit didn't happen. OMG YOU ARE AMAZING, YOU ARE HITTING THE EXACT SAME NOTES YOU DID LAST ROUND I'M BLOWN AWAY I JUST HAVE TO HIT THE GOLDEN BUZZER BEST ACT OF THE NIGHT!!!1111 Oh who are you? Crossbow lady? What? But you didn't even hit the bullseye, anyone can hit that balloon. NEXT. Balancing on chairs? That's only like 5 chairs more than last time, are you kidding us? GET OFF THE STAGE NOW.

 

The Cowellization has spread even further now as the show isn't even trying to hide the fact it gives special treatment to singers. Circus acts like the Popazovs or Bello have to put their lives on the line and reach insane limits only to be unceremoniously let go, while Johnny gets a second chance to reapeat something he already did once before and then be praised to high heaven for it. It's ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. Just like your outfits, Mel B.

 

4. Kechi Okwuchi - Her story is tragic and heartbreaking but they basically repeated what they already told us in the audition rounds and how much are you willing to bet we'll hear it again next week? There needs to be more to her than just a story and thankfully she does have a lovely voice, but it's not the best we have heard on this show or even this season. It's hard not to feel for her or find her likable though so I guess this is one of those "sob story" acts I find perfectly reasonable, just not exceptional.

 

3. Pompeyo Family Dogs - What is that accent, why does it change every time she speaks? Can we have them groom the judges next week? There has been just enough time since the Olate Dogs for me to be able to enjoy these guys, even if it's a bit too chaotic at times. If they did end up winning (HIGHLY unlikely) I would just laugh and laugh...

 

2. DaNell Daymon & Greater Works - I can just imagine the producers spending hours interviewing all the choir members and then patting themselves on the back when they found the one with a completely unrelated and random tearjerker story they could use for cheap emotional manipulation. Because we can't just have happy people singing, goodness no. Choirs always seem like a missed opportunity when it comes to this show, but these guys were energetic and fun and will add a bit of life for the future rounds so i'm A-OKAY with it all.

 

1. Merrick Hanna - Maybe I've lost my mind, but Merrick felt like a breath of fresh air when he came on. No tears, no forced sob story, just a likable kid who likes to dance like a robot to his moms favourite monday morning songs. WHY NOT. He's smart for incorporating tiny storylines into his performances and not JUST showing off fancy moves and I see potential for this in the upcoming rounds. 

 

Simon Cowell is a terrible judge. I'm just gonna come out and say it. Oh don't get me wrong, the guys is excellent on shows like X-factor or American Idol, he clearly knows his stuff when it comes to singers and knows how to put down delusional ones with good humour. He is however completely useless when it comes to anything outside of the singing category. His reactions and opinions regarding variety acts seem to be controlled by random mood swings and are characterized by unreasonable expectations, a general sense of befuddlement and a complete lack of understanding the craft. The only way he is able to make sense of these acts is by focusing on their stories and their personalities, which has created the situation we are in now. You know things have gone wrong when you find yourself agreeing more with Howie Mandel.

 

Things didn't seem this bad when we headed into the judges cut, but these results have been absolutely baffling week after week. You can at least make sense of why someone like Will Tsai was let go, but there's no good reason we lost Tony and Jordan, Bello Nock, Daniel Ferguson, Sirqus Alfon, Xavier Mortimer, Jeki Yoo, Henry Richardsons or even the Popazovs when clear cannon fodder like Evie, Mirror Image, Artyon and Paige, In The Stairwell and Oscar Hernandez made it through.

 

Was Sirqus Alfon the greatest act the show has ever seen? No, but they were INTERESTING and FUN and CREATIVE and honestly I would have been looking forward to their next performamce much more than anyone elses we saw today. Even coming back to Will Tsai, sure he disappointed this episode but surely there is a lot more POTENTIAL for him in the future considering his mindblowing audition, where as an act like Artyon and Paige are clearly going nowhere. It seems predictability has become the norm and anything odd and quirky is slowly being eradicated so we can make room for more singers. It's enough to make you wonder if acts like Piff, The Regurgitator or Tape Face would have even made it into the live shows this year.

[UsernameGoesHere]

Another terrible episode. I wish Simon would just admit that he's bored and annoyed by basically any act that doesn't involve singing. The show has completely gone down the drain since he's become a judge.

 

I'm usually all for kids and teens getting cut, but I was quite upset that the teen magician didn't make it. He was great and probably my favorite act of the night.

 

Why in the world would they put the kid dancing duo through? The girl scares me honestly.

[backformore]

12 hours ago, Hook75 said:

Johnny Manuel did not deserved the golden buzzer. I was sad and upset that Will and the Quiddlers did not make it and the two "Dirty Dancing" dancers did. I also want Darcy Callus the singer- he was amazing.

 

4 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

5. Johnny Manuel - Oh hello nice singer man, are you going to sing for us? Do you need anything before you start, maybe some water or a backrub? Oh you are good to go? GREAT! Oh wait this isn't as good as last time, no this wont do. Just start over and do what you did last time and we'll pretend the last bit didn't happen. OMG YOU ARE AMAZING, YOU ARE HITTING THE EXACT SAME NOTES YOU DID LAST ROUND I'M BLOWN AWAY I JUST HAVE TO HIT THE GOLDEN BUZZER BEST ACT OF THE NIGHT!!!1111 Oh who are you? Crossbow lady? What? But you didn't even hit the bullseye, anyone can hit that balloon. NEXT. Balancing on chairs? That's only like 5 chairs more than last time, are you kidding us? GET OFF THE STAGE NOW.

I'm glad I'm not the only one.  If this were American Idol or The Voice, he would be told, nice job, not quite good enough.  

Singers get special treatment.   Other acts have to come back with new tricks, choreography, stunts, etc.  Singers have only to sing a different song.   And, with Johnny, if the new song isn't good enough - song the first one again, it's fine,  SImon wants you to advance so he'll give you all the chances you need.  

Imagine if other acts - like the magician - were told, "yeah, we loved your first trick, this one didn't amaze us enough.  do the first one again! Yeah, wow!  that was still great - you advance!"  Plenty of acts were told that their second performance was not as good as the first, and are sent home.    Only Johnny gets the golden buzzer for it. 

[Babalooie]

7 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

The Cowellization has spread even further now

It seems that the 'kinder, gentler, new and improved" Papa Simon is now partial to singers, kids, and dogs.   

[rr2911]

The bad thing about AGT is so many people keep watching week after week...including ME! Really, if the ratings would somehow slip, I think only then would we see some kind of change in the show. If AGT were my show there would be an age limit and have categories which would mean the show would have multiple winners. There would be winners in best male and female singer, best magician, best comedian, best music group, ...etc. Of course the Las Vegas show would include all the winners. I would pay to see a show like that!  

[saber5055]

PhD-Purgatory15, thanks for the list that included descriptions since I don't care enough to remember names. The list also makes it more shocking that it's almost all singers. Gah. I'd rather see Bello climb up that pole again or the Strong Man twirl Howie and Heidi again than have to sit through another singer. I gave up AI because of how boring that got, now I'm watching AI2, AGT. I guess I keep tuning in hoping to see something different, plus the short acts at least make some of it tolerable.

[SnarkyTart]

10 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

If they did end up winning (HIGHLY unlikely) I would just laugh and laugh...

Maybe it's time to resurrect Vote For The Worst, only do it here on PTV for the America's Got Talent thread.  We could try for some kind of consensus on who the worst act is and all agree to vote our fingers off for them.  It would be a bonus if it was a non-singing act, just to poke our collective fingers in Simon's eye a little more obviously.  I would also laugh and laugh if the family dogs act won.  My only hesitation in choosing them for the VFTW candidate would be that Simon seems to like them.  It might be more fun if it was an act he's made it known he doesn't particularly like. 

[Rachel81]

So grateful for this forum -- so I don't have to admit to people I watch this show and try to have a discussion with them about it, lol. I just needed to know I'm not the only one totally creeped out by that dancing kid duo. How is that little boy not terrified that that creepy living doll is going to swallow his soul while they're dancing?! I'd be afraid to sleep under the same roof with her... Could you imagine waking up with her face two inches from yours?? 

Otherwise, always happy to read my opinions coming out of the keyboards of others, re: the singers, the choirs, and the magicians. I feel bad for all the great danger acts that get so unfairly cut. We have to suffer through a half dozen (or more) little kid singers, but won't get to see what crazy stunt Bello would've performed next. Boo.

[saber5055]

Yeah, I'd rather see that samurai-sword guy hack zucchini off his partner than another kid singer. Actually, I kinda liked the zucchini-sword guy, better than the guy who constantly gets buried to get away from his hysterical wife.

[lor]

with all the revivals now of old tv shows someone should bring  back star search. they had a winner for every category.i dont remember sob stories.

talent is becoming so predictable. if you sing you get a golden buzzer. if you risk your life you might get cut from the show.

so many people have a sob story. they picked one woman out of that 42 person choir who said her husband had a small chance to live. i thought he was dead but then she was on the phone with him.

people get through cause they cry.they should be put through only on talent

[anthonyd46]

Any guesses on the three wildcards if there are any? The 15 year old magician should really be one. It was robbery to send him home over the creepy 6 year old pair or however old they are. That girl had wayyyy too much makeup on. 

Not sure why so much hate on Johnny Manuel, I think the golden buzzer should be used like it was for originally to save an act that would have went home otherwise, but Johnny does have a pretty amazing singing voice. Also to just regroup and go into another song like he did is not easy. Some singers are only prepared to sing whatever is on the set list and can't just sing on command like that no background music no nothing. 

[Babalooie]

8 hours ago, anthonyd46 said:

Not sure why so much hate on Johnny Manuel

I am in the field of music, and I must say that I was very impressed with Johnny.

[anthonyd46]

50 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

I am in the field of music, and I must say that I was very impressed with Johnny.

Another thing some of these judges comments are so sugar coated to make people feel better its super obvious especially the celebrity judges, but Seal on the other hand was a pretty honest judge had no problem telling acts he didn't like them etc so for him to say that Johnny hit notes that seal could only dream of hitting I think that says a lot right there. 

[helenamonster]

I feel like I should enjoy the Air Force guys but they are just so corny. These guys are at the freaking Air Force Academy, why are they such dweebs?

I didn't see what there was to "get" about Will Tsai's performance. He did close-up magic, made stuff appear from nowhere. A freaking live fish! I loved it and was bummed he was cut.

And they cut my beloved Sirqus Alfon! Those guys were so fun. Bleh.

Simon about the gospel choir: "I don't understand why we've never had a group like this win the show." Maybe because everyone's been to church before?

Merrick Hanna is definitely one of my favorite acts of the season (not that that's saying much; I didn't realize how mediocre things were going into the lives until someone posted that full list above). I think he's a great dancer and love his ability to tell an emotional story through dance. He also just seems like the sweetest kid, and no sob story, he just loves to dance.

20 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

Maybe it's time to resurrect Vote For The Worst, only do it here on PTV for the America's Got Talent thread.  We could try for some kind of consensus on who the worst act is and all agree to vote our fingers off for them.  It would be a bonus if it was a non-singing act, just to poke our collective fingers in Simon's eye a little more obviously.  I would also laugh and laugh if the family dogs act won.  My only hesitation in choosing them for the VFTW candidate would be that Simon seems to like them.  It might be more fun if it was an act he's made it known he doesn't particularly like. 

I'd like to nominate Mirror Image. I hate them so much and they don't deserve any validation from anyone ever again, but they're easily the most Sanjaya-esque act we have right now in a "what the hell are they even doing here???" way.

[SnarkyTart]

1 hour ago, helenamonster said:

I'd like to nominate Mirror Image. I hate them so much and they don't deserve any validation from anyone ever again, but they're easily the most Sanjaya-esque act we have right now in a "what the hell are they even doing here???" way.

I will second this nomination.  They're not really a singing act, per se, more of a novelty act that makes no sense in any way that you look at it.  They can't sing, they can't dance, they're not funny, and they're incredibly annoying.  Bonus points because Simon realllly doesn't like them.  Yes!  Mirror Image is the perfect choice for VFTW contestant! 

[saber5055]

While I agree Mirror Image is the worst of the worse acts EVAH on this or any other show (they would have been gonged on the horrible rebirth of that show), no way do I want them to be VFTW if that means seeing them YET AGAIN on my teevee. They already make me want to poke my eyes out, and shove pencils in my ears since I can't even stand to hear them speak.

[backformore]

16 hours ago, anthonyd46 said:

Not sure why so much hate on Johnny Manuel, . 

It's not HATE that's being mentioned here.   it's that he was told his second performance wasn't good enough, so they asked him to re-create his first performance.  

But then a magician is told - your first trick was amazing, we loved it, your second one wasn't as good, so go home - there's no option to just do the first trick again.  Same with all the other performers.  Johnny was the only one who had the option of doing his first performance again after the second one flopped.   And he gets the golden buzzer.  

It seemed to me that Seal was already told that this was the act that should get the golden buzzer, and then when it was not very impressive, he had to be given another take.  

[bluepiano]

54 minutes ago, backformore said:

But then a magician is told - your first trick was amazing, we loved it, your second one wasn't as good, so go home - there's no option to just do the first trick again.  Same with all the other performers.  Johnny was the only one who had the option of doing his first performance again after the second one flopped.   And he gets the golden buzzer.  

It seemed to me that Seal was already told that this was the act that should get the golden buzzer, and then when it was not very impressive, he had to be given another take.  

There's always been a double standard that favors singers. Magicians, acrobats, and variety acts are always being told that no matter how great their audition was, they need to "step it up." And then if they go to the next round, "step it again." A singer just has to sing another song. It's not like they get told, "if you go through, next time I want you to sing standing on your head." They don't even get asked to sing a song in a different genre. It can be see the same thing, week after week. (See "Vanderwaal, Grace")

Simon (who we all know has final say) had his own huge double standard this week. He was so hard on everyone except the singers and dancers, and the dog act. (which even he admitted was amateurish). I was floored that both kid dance acts went through. For me, easily the best "underage" performer was the magician, who I thought was polished and confident for a 14 year. But for some reason this year, they are down on magicians, along with the variety acts. It's like they really want the live shows to be all singers and dancers. (plus dogs).

The kid dance team has to be one of the worst acts to ever make the lives. Yes, we get it. He's black, she's white, but they don't notice the difference. Okay, I'm inspired. The whole world should be that way. Agreed. But I never want to see them twirl around the stage again.

I was surprised that Maxim Popazov didn't go through, and I still think his wife is amazing, even if she didn't "step it up" from her audition. (Sexist comment alert - As a hetero male, I would rather see her walk across the stage in that skin tight gold outfit then see that 14 year kid do the same popping robot act that you can see a kid doing at any mall for spare change).

It's been a dismal season, and I will likely be fast forwarding through about 80% of the live shows to see the occasional non-singing or dancing act. (And I agree, all the Golden Buzzers this year were predetermined).

[Rachel81]

21 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Yeah, I'd rather see that samurai-sword guy hack zucchini off his partner than another kid singer. Actually, I kinda liked the zucchini-sword guy, better than the guy who constantly gets buried to get away from his hysterical wife.

I didn't love the sword guy, and the taped-on props were just so... I mean, was that really the only/best way they could attach things -- with packing tape?

But I would happily take them over that shrieking wife. I'd take Mirror Image over that wife. Wait, would I?? Tough call... Maybe the magician can bury the wife next time instead. Mirror Image, too.

[CelticBlackCat]

To be serious, the sword guys started out interesting but I got grossed out with the real bloody cuts.  Also, I don't think zucchini is that interesting.  For visual effects, the Popazov wife was eye candy, but not talented in her performance in the clear bubble.  If I were forced to see the black & white kid couple dance again, I would have to remember how much I hate seeing blood running from a performer's recently knifed skin.  Mirror Image would be better than the kid dancers, but not by much.  Is one gay and one straight?  They're really all about each other in a strange way.  The magician and melodramatic wife would be the best of these three choices, as it isn't really gross, icky or uncomfortable, just amusing at the obvious acting of the wife.

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, CelticBlackCat said:

Mirror Image would be better than the kid dancers, but not by much.  Is one gay and one straight?  They're really all about each other in a strange way.  

Jeez, thanks for the reminder. I'd blocked Mirror Image from my mind. Another act I will dread seeing in the lives.

Even though the French magician twins fell a bit flat in their second appearance, their audition was so good they deserved to continue. Same with Will Tsai or either of the Popazovs. I feel that maybe this year TPTB decided to eliminate performers who are obviously professionals and go with a bunch of acts who are true amateurs. Except most of the amateurs are just not that good, and over the years it's been  the professional variety acts who have made this show what it is. (Pretty much all the winners, except Grace Van der Waal, fall into the category of experienced professionals).

The talent level of many of the acts that are going on to the lives is no better than what you'd see at a high school or community talent show.

It's probably embarrassing for some of these professional acts who have performed all over the world to lose out to Mirror Image or the dancing kid acts or the pint-sized Celine Dionne wannabe or the Dancing Fat Guy. But then, I probably shouldn't feel too bad for them, because if they'd ever seen this show they knew what they were signing up for.

Edited August 12, 2017 by bluepiano

[saber5055]

I finally got to watch all the acts. I LOL'd again at the three foreign guys who did the screen capture of the audience and judges and played it back to one of the guys drumming. I LOL'd the first time they were on and did the balancing act projected onto the screen while they were laying on the floor. They were the only act that made me laugh. And Simon hated them. Whatever, I guess. I would have liked to have seen the foot-puppet woman's whole act, she just got clips but looked fun, and yeah, what happened to the "dancer" in the wind tunnel? As for the gold lamé-clad wife, her routine got pretty much cut, but I'd like to see anyone, and I mean anyone, do the splits inside that bubble w/o falling to the floor or rupturing themselves. So no talent? I beg to differ. We just didn't get to see it since TPTB decided to show us judge faces instead of her act.

[CelticBlackCat]

That's one thing that annoys me to no end.  Cutting to and focusing on the judges' reactions instead of letting us, the viewing public, actually watch the entire act.  The judges have plenty of time to mug for the camera and get their personalities out there when they do their judging comments and, in the case of Heidi, throw water on Simon.

Does Simon ever actually laugh?  He smiles a bit sometimes, but he usually just gives looks with his eyes and in a more expressive mood, will raise his eyebrows.  (Will never forget his reaction to Susan Boyle when she first started singing on Britain's Got Talent.)  For any of Simon's perceived faults, he does have heart and I love him because he loves the dogs.

[bluepiano]

7 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I finally got to watch all the acts. I LOL'd again at the three foreign guys who did the screen capture of the audience and judges and played it back to one of the guys drumming. I LOL'd the first time they were on and did the balancing act projected onto the screen while they were laying on the floor. They were the only act that made me laugh. And Simon hated them.

At times it's seemed like he wants nothing but singers and dancers this year. (plus dogs). Although the comic trio probably would not  have gone past the first round of the lives, it would've been nice to have them break up the almost unrelenting parade of mediocre (or worse) singers.

Simon's made me crazy this year. He goes all softie over the dog acts and little kid dancers and singers, but he's been unreasonably hard (sometimes nasty) on a number of variety acts that are accomplished professionals. The kind of acts that have made this show different (and for me, more entertaining) than all the other singing/dancing contest shows on TV.