S13.E15: Live Quarter Finals 3 (Tuesday's Show)

[Commando Cody]

Quote

A quarterfinal round.

[Kermitthefrog99]

Can someone tell me the name of the act that just performed to the tune of aha's take on me as I loved their performance and  thought they were very entertaining and I want to vote for them and don't want to vote for the wrong one and did not catch their name?

 

Thank you for replies.

[ams1001]

17 minutes ago, Kermitthefrog99 said:

Can someone tell me the name of the act that just performed to the tune of aha's take on me as I loved their performance and  thought they were very entertaining and I want to vote for them and don't want to vote for the wrong one and did not catch their name?

 

Thank you for replies.

They are called UDI Dance.

[mtlchick]

Aside from the cheesiness of the biker magician, he was actually a bit off at one point: when he did the cape trick to "change" the sign from Men at Work to Magician at Work, he didn't conceal it in time.  So the "men" sign simply flipped outward to show "Magician."  I know it's a minor quibble compared to the illusion itself but...eep.  

[ams1001]

1. Jeez, we haven't even gotten to the first act and I'm already irritated. Shush, Tyra. And tie up that robe you're wearing.
2. lol - "Is that the right word?" "No." 
3. No, Heidi, Italian opera-style Aerosmith is not golden-buzzer worthy.
4. Who else thinks he was "cut" for the express purpose of bringing him back as a wildcard? Drama!!
5. The dancing behind the violinist was weird. (What song was that? I can't quite place it.)
6. Vote for him cuz he's in pain!
7. Not sure what's more annoying, Tyra's attempts to sound "street" (is that the right word? I am not "street") or her sing-songy-talking-to-a-three-year-old voice.
8. I like Aaron Crow but my god this is taking forever.
9. And again Mel buzzes and turns her back like a child.
10. Damn, I agree with Mel again (see #8). What is happening?
11. Does Joseph O'Brien have a girlfriend yet? Let's find out!!
12. Jesus, Tyra, calm the f down.
13. Still rooting for Hans.
14. Listen to Hans: "Never cut to the judges, nobody's interested."
15. Between this show and the guys on American Ninja Warrior, I've lost count of how many times I've yelled "shut up!" at my TV this week. And it's only Tuesday. Why do they not listen to me?!
16. Adam and Eve? That was pretty cool to watch.
17. lol@Male Victoria's Secret model.
18. I totally did not watch Rob Lake. I was more interested in looking up the answer to Kermitthefrog99's question.
19. Now we need the sob stories of the performers' kids? (I mean, kudos for adopting and all, but seriously, show.)
20. "Talk through it" "Let it out" ...is she Therapist Barbie?
21. Ugh. I can't with the crying. See y'all tomorrow for the results!

[Mr. Sparkle]

So I missed Zurcaroh (Acrobatic Group) because the cable went out. Did I miss anything? 

[ams1001]

Just now, Superclam said:

So I missed Zurcaroh (Acrobatic Group) because the cable went out. Did I miss anything? 

They did an Adam and Eve theme (complete with bites out of an apple). They made some cool shapes with their positioning, and some pretty neat throws/flips. I enjoyed it.

[DietCokeJunkie]

Something about Hans just makes me smile. Hope he goes far. Howie had the best line of the night: Hans IS the love child of Heidi and Liberace! 

[Mr. Sparkle]

12 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

They did an Adam and Eve theme (complete with bites out of an apple). They made some cool shapes with their positioning, and some pretty neat throws/flips. I enjoyed it.

Thanks, I'll try to catch it online. 

6 minutes ago, DietCokeJunkie said:

Something about Hans just makes me smile. 

I agree. He's not good, but he's very entertaining. He's the opposite of that magician, who's very talented, but boring to watch. 

[BuckeyeLou]

15 minutes ago, Superclam said:

So I missed Zurcaroh (Acrobatic Group) because the cable went out. Did I miss anything? 

I thought Zurcaroh was one of the better acts of the night....very dramatic re-telling of the Adam&Eve story, with cool costumes, and amazing the way they threw this little girl WAY UP in the air!  Try to watch it on-line...I gave them some votes.

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, Superclam said:

Thanks, I'll try to catch it online. 

Here it is (about 1:30 looks really cool):

Edited August 29, 2018 by ams1001

[Diana Berry]

I wonder if Tyra is going to hear about it from Simon for putting him on the spot for the last singer.   He clearly told her to one back to him because he was emotional but she just kept pushing him.  I mean he is the boss.  I would have moved on.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Diana Berry
Typo

[Babalooie]

3 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

He clearly told her to one back to him because he was emotional but she just kept pushing him.  I mean he is the boss.  I would have mved on.

It's a shame for some of us who are jaded and believe it's all for show.  Who knows?  I guess there's a chance it was real.  Nah.

[Mr. Sparkle]

38 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

It's a shame for some of us who are jaded and believe it's all for show.  Who knows?  I guess there's a chance it was real.  Nah.

Yeah, I find it hard to believe that there are any unscripted moments in this show. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

This was a better quarterfinal. I only skipped 4 (I think) and hate-watched a couple more.

As fun as a Hans is, and it is a "bad" fun if that makes sense....I just can't see America voting for him enough to get up to 8th place (the lowest place in the Dunkin Save battle). I think he's for sure gone, I also think nobody is going to vote for Rob Lake the magician (with the cheezy-ness dialed up to about 12), I can't see violin guy advancing, maybe one of the other male singers (Joseph or Daniel) is the 4th unlucky act.

I dont' think Aaron Crow did particularly well, but I do think he's been pimped enough as the "danger" act of the season that he at least gets into the Dunkin Save....maybe with Future Kings and then either Joseph or Daniel. In that hypothetical scenario, that would mean Michael Ketterer, Us the Duo/Trio, Christina Wells, UDI Dance (who I don't feel super confident about), and Zucaroh are the five automatically voted into the next round.

Edited August 29, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Stompster]

* Is it just me? Every episode, NBC broadcasts the volume so low, I have to turn it way up, then have to mute the commercials because it's too loud until it returns to the show.

* Shaddup Mel, sit down and hit Howie again.

* Shaddup Tyra, quit sing-songing the end of your announcements.

* Shaddup Simon, quit yer fake crying.

* I can do without the over-produced, tacky back stories.

* Is this show some sort of cruel joke on the viewers?

[silverspoons]

This was the first show I was able to catch live and I thought it was weak. I only saw a few strong acts. I think the first live show was the hardest to make it through.

My guess by judges comments and placements, Christina, Michael, Zurcaroah, and Brian go through. 

The Dunkin Save will be The duo and future kings. 

[Vermicious Knid]

As a magic act Aaron Crow was better than the Sacred Riana. But damn, that did take too long.

[InternetToughGuy]

6 hours ago, ams1001 said:

1. The dancing behind the violinist was weird. (What song was that? I can't quite place it.)

The song was Centuries by Fall Out Boy.

I've only seen the first half of the show and I can't come up with anything to say, it was TERRIBLE.

[Frankenstein123]

12: Joseph O’Brien. I love how what was probably just a throwaway line during the audition interviews ("I'm single") has now turned into a fully produced sketch involving Joseph going from door to door to various women holding a lousy bouquet and getting rejected. I mean...fuck. If that doesn't sum up everything wrong with the show right there, I'm not sure what does. I, personally, spent the entire act wondering what dollar store Halloween decoration they used to cover up his piano, because the song was dull as can be. He seems like a nice guy, but if there's any integrity left on the show, he should absolutely be the singer booted out at this stage. On the plus side, he has a little bit extra to take with him to whatever show he goes on next, as "Tyra Banks made me speak out the name of my secret crush on national television" is a sob story even I can get behind.

11: Rob Lake. Although I'm quite sick of them at this point, there IS a way to make these big stage illusions work. This was not it. Vegas is full of cool, interesting magicians with a ton of personality doing these old tricks with a fresh new twist. Unfortunately Rob Lake is a magician of the gorgonzola variety. The sign mess-up didn't help, but the whole act before that was just underwhelming and...lame as you said. At least his final trick worked well enough, but he's such a charisma vacuum that I completely forgot about it seconds later when I felt my soul being sucked out through my skull by his smile. 

10: Michael Ketterer.  I get it, the tears and the emotions and the kids and the story and everything. Guy seems like a SUPER great dude and the world needs more people like him, but if ever there was an act solely relying on a sob story, this is kind of it...I can't exactly categorize him as a typical "bland" singer on the show, he certainly knows how to convey emotion and he clearly sings with passion, but his actual voice is just...missing something. Besides the emotions, I found the whole performance underwhelming and think this really wasn't the right song for his limited range. Hopefully his next pick will be better because he IS going through.

9: Daniel Emmet. I'm pretty sure Simon just brought him back because he was the only person who would accept the offer to have a wall of FIRE behind him. Great vocals, overplayed song, but done differently enough that it wasn't boring. The show has fallen out of love with opera recently so I don't really know how well people will respond to this. Thankfully he has the support of youngsters all over America, as Tyra said, with Aerosmith, because y'know...nothing gets the teens going these days more than a wrinkly old Steven Tyler coughing up his remaining lung on stage.

8: The Future Kingz.  I found these guys to be much more interesting than whatever #StockDanceAct9887 was last week, but I also still find it really hard to personally get excited over groups like this so I'll just say that names ending with Z are cool.

7: Christina Wells. As far as singers go on this show, I thought she pretty much brought the roof down on the building. Not literally, we aren't that lucky. Woman can SING, but the producer's can't use the volume button competently. Still, it was powerful.

6: Us the Duo. The whole "I HAVE A TINY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF ME" angle was viewer manipulation at its finest, but I like these two. I've been on board with them from the beginning and I still am. Maybe I'm just crazy, it's really nothing all too different from something you'd hear at a local coffee shop, but DAMN IT I like coffee. And I liked the song, their chemistry and voices blending together. Sue me, but the act works in my eyes. 

5: UDI Dance. I must have been watching something different than everyone else, because throughout the performance I was thinking "oh this is so through" only to to then hear the judge's comments and see the general lack of enthusiasm online (I saw they were the least retweeted act this entire season). It was sloppy, sure, at times the act comes across like a kid trying to recreate The Avengers in their room using cardboard boxes and some crayons, but that comes with the territory. Acts like these still haven't figured out how to make it all look polished and seamless, but I thought this was creative and fun. They DID step it up, by adding costumes and elements we have never seen from an act like this before and yet I'm pretty sure they are toast this week. Shame. 

4: Aaron Crow. This guy could charm Dracula out of his own castle. The act took longer than the entire Lord Of The Rings Extended Trilogy combined, but I was enthralled throughout even though it was a fairly simple and known trick. I had pretty much written this guy off before the semi, because I knew how much the viewers dislike danger acts, so I was happy to see him do some straight up magic...unfortunately it didn't really all go down as great as I hoped and Mel B's buzzer pretty much sealed his fate shut. I'm also not sure it ended like it was supposed to. Howie's pick amounted to nothing, as Aaron already knew where the knife was, but considering he had spent what seemed like an hour fondling these boxes on stage himself, it seemed odd for that to be the big finish. I'm not sure if it just went wrong here or was supposed to end like this, but something didn't feel quite right. It kills me inside to say that he's probably a goner, as he's an interesting and talented enough act to deserve a spot in the actual FINAL, but this wasn't the way to win the rest of the audience over.

3: Brian King Joseph. This wasn't his best performance. Still impressive as hell, but I got too distracted by the Troy James gang playing charades behind him. It wasn't needed, but thankfully Brian is good enough to still stand out.

2: Hans. On a show that mostly serves to disappoint or piss me off these days, Hans managed to make me forget all that as I did a little jig in my room and had the biggest smile possible on my face. Bless you, Hans. We are not worthy!

1: Zurcaroh. This really did feel short, but I checked the time on YouTube and it was basically the same as a few other singers last night so I guess that just meant I WANTED MORE. And boy do I. This is just a professional, well thought out group that rivals Diavolo, but it was actually easier to keep track of people and tricks because it was all so well put together. Any act that can tell a story through dance that even Mel B can understand, must be doing something right!

 

Decent enough night as usual, made even better by the complete lack of any songs from The Greatest Showman! Before the show started, I thought this would be the hardest one to predict yet (and I haven't been doing a good job so far), but as the show progressed things became pretty obvious...

Zurcaroh, Brian King Joseph, Us The Duo, Christina Wells, Daniel Emmett and Michael Ketterer all seem like certain qualifiers. Of course, one has to end up in the dunkin save and this is where things get difficult, because it could be ANY of them. I'll just go out on a limb and predict Us The Duo won't have charmed people quite as much as they did me, but will make it through with ease thanks to the save anyways.

Last spot is harder to predict. Aaron is likely out thanks to the buzzer alone (when was the last time an act that got buzzed came anywhere close to going through?). UDI seemed to underwhelm people and combined with the judge's dismissing comments, I'm afraid they are goners too. Joseph should be gone no matter what as even if he gets to the middle 3, I doubt the judges would pick him. Rob Lake will likely be in the save simply because magic and hotness and because I'm feeling adventurous I'll say that the third one in the save will be HANS!!!!! (but it will actually be The Future Kingz). So overall these are my predictions for tonight:

12. Aaron Crow
11. UDI
10. Joseph O’Brien
9. Hans
8. Rob Lake (loses judge's pick)
7. The Future Kingz (judge's pick)
6. Us The Duo (dunkin save)
5. Christina Wells
4. Daniel Emmet
3. Brian King Joseph
2. Zurcaroh´
1. Michael Ketterer

[Sharonana]

Once again.............too many singers!!!  Geebuz! This is not The Voice or American Idol! Grrrr!!!

Zurcaroh would be a great Vegas act!  Hope they take the win!!!

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, ams1001 said:

They made some cool shapes with their positioning, and some pretty neat throws/flips. I enjoyed it.

The girl who contorted herself to look like a snake at the beginning of the act was pretty impressive.  I thought they were very entertaining.  

I've been fast forwarding through the singers, except for Hans.  He is fun to watch.  I liked the behind-the-scenes footage of him.  That was pretty funny, IMO.   Imagine him hosting this show!  I'd watch just for him. 

[mtlchick]

I haven't watched much this season so it's my first time watching Hans.  He's a bit much for me (and that's saying something on this show) but anyone who performs one of my favourite 90s songs of all time will always get bonus points. 

[giaNtsandYankees]

Future Kingz - They're great dancers, but for some reason I'm having a hard time being moved. And I love dance groups. I'm a former dancer myself. I usually go to the Kennedy Center in DC to see dance groups. But they are good dancers. 

 

Brian King Joseph - I guess I'm in the minority because I like him. My favourite instruments to listen to are wind/string instruments. But I do feel like the background music nearly overwhelmed his playing, and the dancers were a tad distracting (I looked at one and them and wondered what he was doing with his arms), but he I feel he held his own. 

 

Us the Duo - Hey, did you know that they are a married couple that had did the "Tee-hee-hee, hubba-hubba, wink-wink" and now they're about to become "Us the Trio"? That seems to be their narrative, just like Michael and his kids are his, Brian King Joseph and his condition that leaves him in pain is his. I'm sure it's all producer driven. I could be wrong. I found their song sweet, and I do like the energy that they bring. I'll have to agree that they seem more of a coffee-shop act more-so than a Vegas one. But hey, I do visit coffee shops quite a bit. Mostly for poetry events, but at times for musical ones.

 

Aaron Crow - His act took a little too long for me. And sometimes I feel like I need more from him.Maybe that is asking too much since his act is a danger act. 

 

Joseph O'Brien - So does he have a girlfriend yet? Has he been kissed? TPTB needs to come up with some new lines or narratives for AGT's acts. It's getting worn down for me. He was okay. He has potential.

 

Christina Wells - That was powerful. And she has a lot of personality. I wonder if she got it from her father, because her mother seemed stoic, especially compared to Christina's sons who seemed pretty excited to see their mother perform at the Dolby Theatre. Even though her performance at Judge Cuts was not her best, her performance last night made me glad that the judges put her through. 

 

Daniel Emmet - He is a good singer, just seems to be a bit missing with him, but I will have to agree with the other posters that the judges cutting him to bring him back was all for drama. I feel like it's been drama with Emmet from the beginning. First he auditions singing an original song, and then Simon stops him to get him to sing "the famously obscure song that only Simon knows about" (which is an Il Divo song...a group that Simon created - maybe he's discretely trying to promote the album that they released this year) and haves him come back in an hour (which is about ten to twenty minutes for us viewers). And then he gets cut, and oh, it hurts, it crushes you...but wait...Emmet's performing on the Vegas Strip? Oh, but we the viewers aren't supposed to know this. There's just too much drama surrounding him that could make it hard to enjoy him. 

 

UDI Dance - I thought it was fun. I like how they incorporated 80's video games in their act. A nice throwback. Not their best performance in my opinion, but still enjoyable to watch.

 

Rob Lake - Yes, he's corny, but that's him. The judges shouldn't try to mold him into something that he's not. I wasn't sure about the background music throughout his act, but hey, it did make it a little different from the other magic acts. I'm not sure if his performance is enough to make him go through. The ending of his performance was pretty good though. 

 

Hans - Okay, so he's not a good singer, but he's a good entertainer which is his schtick. He'll definitely make you smile. Is it Vegas worthy though?

 

. Zurcaroh - Loved it. For once I agree with Tyra. The entire performance was art in motion. The younger dancers held their own (which the younger dancers in Future Kingz aren't too consistent with, No disrespect to them though). I wouldn't mind if they won the whole thing, but we know that it might be Courtney.

 

Michael Ketterer - Okay, I may get ripped a new one for what I'm about to say about him. I wonder if Simon had pulled some strings in favour of his guy. I've heard that originally he was supposed to be in the first round of live shows, but he was moved back, and Flau'jae was moved up to the first live show. When you think about it, if Michael was is the first live show, he wouldn't have gotten the "Pimp Spot" that was reserved for Courtney. So...if he gets moved back a couple of shows, then he can get the "Pimp Spot" which he did. For me, it did not work, because I did not remember his performance. I don't remember the song, or much of his voice. I just remember that he has a good voice, but not a stellar one. Even though I feel that there are too many singers already, to do few that there are quite of few of them that blow Michael out of the water. But he does sing with emotion, I will give him that. I remember more of his package than I do his performance, and I wonder if the judges were getting emotional more over his package than his performance. Michael is a stand up guy, and it is sweet for him to adopt all of the kids that he did, and give them so much, but he's not someone that I would pay $100 dollars to see. A local coffee shop, maybe. But people on Facebook seem to to be eating it up. I apologize folks, I'm really not trying to be rude here.

Edited August 29, 2018 by giaNtsandYankees
Spelling.

[Sharonana]

@giaNtsandYankees ITA about Michael Ketterer. His voice is average at best. It's the back story that's got people eating it up. He's adopted a bunch of kids, which is great, but that doesn't make him a Vegas act.

[Stompster]

9 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

The act took longer than the entire Lord Of The Rings Extended Trilogy combined

Oh my god... it did!

[LadyMustang65]

I came to the realization last night that I have officially reached "Cranky Old Lady" status.  I enjoyed Us the Duo through the first couple of rounds - the first appearance more than the second.  But last night I was just incredibly annoyed.  All of it annoyed me.  The whole "I'm pregnant" story - how amazing!  It's not like 900 million women before you have ever had a kid.  Then really?  Winning AGT is your grand plan for securing your child's future?  The $25,000/year you'll get for the next 40 years?  Better start working on Plan B.  And then even the song itself annoyed me.  I get it was supposed to be a cutesy song, but as the mother of a child who is a member of the LGBTQ community, I've met and supported way too many children who have been rejected by their parents and struggled with depression and self-harm as a result, so the whole "if she's got her mother's eyes, I'll love her" and "if she's got her father's hair, I'll love her" crap just made me angry.  It's your child, and you damn well better love her even if she comes out looking like Quasimodo or Yoda!  I know I know.  As I said, officially a cranky old lady.  That said, I do like their voices and the way they harmonize, but last night I just wanted to slap both of them.  Over indulgent and emotionally manipulative.  :\

Speaking of wanting to slap people, I wanted to slap Tyra when she badgered that kid into giving up the name of the girl he likes.  Way to set him up to be ridiculed and bullied at school and way to set her up as well.  Ugh.

Liked Zucaroh a lot.  That was terrific!  Also enjoyed the violinist.  And the second magician.  I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention because I didn't see any issue with the sign.  But I liked the trick, and he has a pleasant enough stage presence, and I have no idea how you transport a motorcycle, so that was cool.  Aaron Crow was just way.too.slow.  And I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed Hans.  This was his best performance to date, and I just found myself completely entertained.  Hubby was not similarly entertained, though.

[giaNtsandYankees]

1 hour ago, LadyMustang65 said:

I came to the realization last night that I have officially reached "Cranky Old Lady" status.  I enjoyed Us the Duo through the first couple of rounds - the first appearance more than the second.  But last night I was just incredibly annoyed.  All of it annoyed me.  The whole "I'm pregnant" story - how amazing!  It's not like 900 million women before you have ever had a kid.  Then really?  Winning AGT is your grand plan for securing your child's future?  The $25,000/year you'll get for the next 40 years?  Better start working on Plan B.  And then even the song itself annoyed me.  I get it was supposed to be a cutesy song, but as the mother of a child who is a member of the LGBTQ community, I've met and supported way too many children who have been rejected by their parents and struggled with depression and self-harm as a result, so the whole "if she's got her mother's eyes, I'll love her" and "if she's got her father's hair, I'll love her" crap just made me angry.  It's your child, and you damn well better love her even if she comes out looking like Quasimodo or Yoda!  I know I know.  As I said, officially a cranky old lady.  That said, I do like their voices and the way they harmonize, but last night I just wanted to slap both of them.  Over indulgent and emotionally manipulative.  :\

 

 

I'm sure that you're not the only one. I can't believe that I did not think about that. "If she has her mother's smile...If she has her father's hairs..." It does sound like if she doesn't come out the way they hope, they'll retract their love. I'm sure they wouldn't in real life (but then again, I don't know), but that's what it sounds like. Initially, I thought it was sweet. But you gave me something to think about. 

Edited August 29, 2018 by giaNtsandYankees

[LadyMustang65]

30 minutes ago, giaNtsandYankees said:

I'm sure that you're not the only one. I can't believe that I did not think about that. "If she has her mother's smile...If she has her father's hairs..." It does sound like if she doesn't come out the way they hope, they'll retract their love. I'm sure they wouldn't in real life (but then again, I don't know), but that's what it sounds like. Initially, I thought it was sweet. But you gave me something to think about. 

Sorry.  Didn't mean to ruin it for you.  I'm sure you're right and it was meant to be just a sweet song about a parent's hopes and dreams and I don't seriously think they won't love their little girl no matter how she comes out, but it's one of those things that just hits too close to home for me to find it anything but toxic.  Cranky old lady.  :)

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Weak sauce, but compared to last week, it was High Opera! 

Music in this century has not been about the music itself, so whatever to AGT deciding it's all about America's Favorite (tm Nigel) Singer Has Talent.

Hans is a poor person's Poppycock.  He's a hoot, to be sure. 

I loved that Crow drew out the performance as he did.  I am sick to death of the rushrushrush nature of all things.  Slowing down a tad and absorbing something fun and perhaps a wee bit scary, under the "spell" of a master presenter, was a refreshing moment for me.   I love the irony in that the "trick" itself is so ridiculously easy in contrast to the massive and drawn-out predicate.  I also enjoyed Howie giving away that there is often some amount of rehearsal for when the jidges help out an act.

If that motorcycle in the audience wasn't sitting there the entire time on that makeshift platform, I'm the love child of Zeus and the Siren.  The blah reaction of the folks who were seated right behind it was quite funny, imo.  I'd still take that act over any singer last night.

This ep really is memorable for the tears of Simon.  In however many years I have seen him in one iteration or another, he's never emoted in this fashion.  Never even close.  Acting or not, it was a moment.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Lonesome Rhodes

[lynxfx]

I really wish people would stop calling Aaron Crow a danger act. He hasn't once put himself or anyone else in danger. He is a magic act pure and simple. 

I agree that his trick last night took way too long. There are some people that do that whole act in a minute. I like his whole persona and the build up could work with some tricks, but this time the "proofs" weren't good which removed all of the suspense. 

I see some people think that he messed up because he had to switch bags for Simon. That was simply an "out" for him. I've seen it happen with other magicians as well for the final bag when they don't control which bag is picked. It is simply 1 or 2 different outcomes. 

Just way too many singers last night. Didn't care for any.

The dance group wouldn't make it past the duals in World of Dance. 

I liked Rob Lake's magic act last time he was shown. Too many glitches and reveals this time. It just looked like they didn't do enough rehearsal. Being so out of sync with the tv at the beginning for example. 

Zurcaroh impressed me the most. Didn't remember them at all but this act was extremely polished and well produced. They could stick that in a Cirque du Soleil right now. Didn't care much for the story, but the execution was top notch.

The violinist, just isn't that good. His story is sad, his personality is great but the overall act just doesn't wow me.

UDI looked like amateur hour. Had the same problem as Rob Lake, not as well rehearsed and sloppy. When you are doing those black light acts, you need to be sharp and crisp with your movements. Cool concept, just poor execution.

Tyra was full of cringe and more annoying than usual. 

I feel like I'm just hate watching this show now. 

[marketdoctor]

Rob Lake's act reminded me of a line from one of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books (paraphrased, because I'm lazy):  by the time a wizard learns how to make a beautiful woman appear in his bedroom, he has forgotten what to do with her.  (Also, these were mostly tricks that depended on more than Rob Lake himself; he had a talented team.)

I had hoped someone would call out Aaron Crow that they'd seen this trick (with slightly different framing) a few years ago on this show.  He did it very well; to me it started fine and it only seemed slow because I knew where he was going with it. 

I think I understand Hans better:  he wants to be an entertainer, no matter what, so he just goes for it and does his best to take you with him.  I'm glad they gave him dancers to work with.

I didn't love Zucaroh as much as some of the others.  What they did was challenging (and for young people, even more so); I'm just not entertained by it. 

I hope Mel B knows there's hope for what she's going through.

[lb60]

<pulls up a seat at the cranky pants table>

That said, I did like Hans and Zurcaroh.

Any and all singers can just zip it.  None of them are that good.  Crying Simon is something I didn't need to see, especially since I think he's full of shit.  And I like Simon.

#IDoNotCareWhoGoesThroughBecauseThisSeasonIsTerrible

[rr2911]

So,

I rated them on how much I enjoyed their performance:

12. Joseph O"Brien - The guy probably is a nice guy but he's really not in the same league with the other singers on the show.

11. Future Kingz - I was actually enjoying their performance until the music suddenly changed like it always has with this group. Seen this to many times and I don't care for the rapid change in music thing. Plus, their kid dancers messed it up for them.

10. Michael Ketterer - Why did he pass through? It was obvious what AGT was trying to accomplish here. Having Ketterer's sob story lead the way to more votes. To me this had a reverse affect on me. Now, I hope he doesn't go through. Anyway, there was nothing special about him or how he sounded.

 9. Christina Wells - There is something about her I just don't like. Maybe it's her personality. She comes off a bit smug, like she knows she's good. Wells has a great voice but I don't people will warm up to her.

 8. Daniel Emmit - Great voice but didn't move me at all. I ended up playing a video game on my phone.

 7. Us The Duo - They're a little campy but they do sound good. I don't know choosing a song about their up coming child was the right move.

 6. Brian King Joseph - I think I would rate him higher if he wasn't being fueled by yet another sob story. I thought this was his best performance. However, the dancers in back were a distraction and didn't need to be there.

 5. UDI - I liked them. They were better the last time, but I thought they were entertaining. I think the show is pushing this guys out.

 4. Rob Lake - Sigh! I thought his performance was very good. Magicians are sometimes cheesy. Even the great ones. This illusion has been done many times before and I think Lake delivered!

 3. Hans - I'm not a fan of his, but I did enjoy his performance "yesterday"! He's no where near a million dollar act, but good for a few laughs.

 2. Aaron Crown - I didn't think he took too long. The trick was very intense and the time was needed to show that. I think people wanted a "bam bam thank you ma'm" type trick. I loved it!

 1. Zurcaroh - This is the first time I have rated a dance group number one. I really enjoyed them. They performed well and are in a different level than most dance groups. They tell a story and don't have to resort to the "change the song"  thing that Future Kingz did.

 

Well, this season has been about the sob story, and if you like a lot of sob, yesterday's show didn't disappoint. Above was how I rated them. Below is what I think (gut feeling) America will vote and therefore will go through. This is in no particular order:

Zurcaroh

Brian King Joseph

Christina Wells

Hans

Michael Ketterer

Aaron Crown

Daniel Emmit

Edited August 30, 2018 by rr2911

[Parker]

I thought it was a really good show with a lot of talent.  My thoughts....

12....Rob Lake....kind of a whiny magician....the sign did mess up and you don't need a twin to do that.  You just need someone who looks like you and put a helmet on them.....6

11....Future Kings...dancing was good, but rap is horrific to me...6

10...Hans...the dancing was fun, but the singing was average at best....6

9...Aaron Crow...that did go on too long.   The atmosphere was great, but the magic was so so....6

8..Christina Wells...Technically sound and a good voice, but I didn't like the song...7

7...Daniel Emmett....Sounded good, but not enough emotion for me...7

6...Joseph O'Brien....Sounded good, but nothing amazing...7

5...US the Duo....rather sedate for the event, but nice vocals...7

4...UDI Dance....good visuals, but not their best....7

3...Brian King Joseph...Really loved it...Energetic and fun...8

2...Zurcaroh....loved everything about it...Energetic, dancing great and physically amazing...9

1...Michael Ketterer...the difference being technically good and given us a lot of emotion...wow, he made Simon cry...simply outstanding.....10

Edited August 29, 2018 by Parker

[Parker]

Michael and Zurcaroh should be in.  The two magicians are in trouble.  With so many singers, it's hard to figure who will be in, but I expect Brian Joseph to make it and the rap dance group to be out.  The rest is up in the air....

[ams1001]

18 hours ago, Stompster said:

* Is it just me? Every episode, NBC broadcasts the volume so low, I have to turn it way up, then have to mute the commercials because it's too loud until it returns to the show.

Not just you. I usually have my TV volume in the mid-30s and by the time the show is half done I've bumped it up several times until it's around 50 or more. Then the next day I get home and turn on Jeopardy and wonder why it's so effing loud.

 

15 hours ago, InternetToughGuy said:

The song was Centuries by Fall Out Boy.

Thanks. Must be one of those songs I've heard on the radio or whatever but never heard the title/artist. I just looked up the lyrics and I don’t recognize those, either, but the tune sounded familiar.

 

14 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

• I thought she pretty much brought the roof down on the building. Not literally, we aren't that lucky.
• the Troy James gang playing charades behind him.
• Any act that can tell a story through dance that even Mel B can understand, must be doing something right!

Thanks, you had me giggling in Starbucks this morning. Pre-caffeine, even!

 

11 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I've been fast forwarding through the singers, except for Hans.  He is fun to watch.  I liked the behind-the-scenes footage of him.  That was pretty funny, IMO.   Imagine him hosting this show!  I'd watch just for him. 

Can't be worse than Tyra...

 

11 hours ago, mtlchick said:

He's a bit much for me (and that's saying something on this show) 

Yes, his "muchness" is why I like him. He's ridiculous but in a fun way. (Not that I would pay to watch him for an hour or two.)

 

10 hours ago, giaNtsandYankees said:

But people on Facebook seem to to be eating it up. I apologize folks, I'm really not trying to be rude here.

No need to apologize. Unlike on Facebook, here you can have a negative opinion of an act without being told to change the channel/stop watching/DON'T COMMENT!! (that last one an exact quote, including caps, of a response I saw last night to a mildly critical comment on one of the performances). I love it when people get yelled at for having an opinion, because the yeller doesn't simply have an opinion, themselves, oh no. Maybe that's why I'm sometimes compelled to look; people are so ridiculous over it. (And if the performer is a kid, oh, man, you're just the worst if you say you're not a fan. Crushing their dreams, don't ya' know.) Frankly, right now (writing at 10amthe next day, though I can't actually post this comment until I get home later because the site won't let me log in on another computer for some reason) the only part of Michael Ketterer that I remember from last night is the package where we got to watch his kids get all teary-eyed over the life he's given them (which, again, kudos to him and his wife, but what does that have to do with his musical talent?) I have no clue what song he sang. I was pretty much checked out by then, and I had to mute Tyra and the judges afterward.

 

3 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

This ep really is memorable for the tears of Simon.  In however many years I have seen him in one iteration or another, he's never emoted in this fashion.  Never even close.  Acting or not, it was a moment.

My favorite Simon moment was after the magician who produced the tiny white kitten.

Edited August 30, 2018 by ams1001

[bluepiano]

6 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

I came to the realization last night that I have officially reached "Cranky Old Lady" status.  I enjoyed Us the Duo through the first couple of rounds - the first appearance more than the second.  But last night I was just incredibly annoyed.  All of it annoyed me.  The whole "I'm pregnant" story - how amazing!  It's not like 900 million women before you have ever had a kid. 

I disliked them right from the start, with the whole cutesy "we're so in love" shtick. To paraphrase you, it's not like 900 million other couples aren't in love. Then the seemingly perfectly timed pregnancy. Now that they're pimping out their fetus with public sonogram exhibitionism my dislike has become full blown hatred. But they are likely to be around for the duration, now that all of America has been invited to act like their child's Godparents.

So many mediocre singers trading on sob stories. At this point I'm basically for anyone who isn't a singer. Check that, anyone who isn't a singer, a comedian, or a hip hop dance troupe. (All the hip hop dance troupes on this show do the same moves, including Future Kids. I think they're really counting on that little kid to get them votes.)

On the fence about Hans. As he said himself, he's not much of a singer or a dancer, and the whole thing feels to me like a Sascha Baron Cohen routine. But I didn't fast forward through him, as I did with many of the other acts. (especially the singers). But please Heidi, stop speaking German to him every appearance. He is not German. Everyone knows that. I still can't figure out if she thinks she's being funny, or if somehow. incredibly, she still believes he's really German. (Someone must've told her he's not by now. Right??)

I'm pretty naïve about how these big stage illusions are performed, so I was impressed by Rob Lake "transporting" into the audience on his motorcycle. I don't mind that he comes across as sort of a geek (or a charisma black hole, as someone wrote), but he did look silly cavorting with his hot women assistants. (I guess because he is such a geek). I thought the "background" music was obnoxious. We get enough of those kinds of tracks with the dance groups.

Aaron Crow does have a charisma, but I think he needs a better act. Actually, nothing he's done this season has wowed me.

Than again, anyone but a singer.

Edited August 30, 2018 by bluepiano

[Babalooie]

2 hours ago, bluepiano said:

I'm pretty naïve about how these big stage illusions are performed,

If you want to see how they're done, just go to YouTube and type in any of the magicians' names and the word "revealed."

[helenamonster]

I hope the slowness of Aaron Crow's act doesn't hurt him, because I think he's great overall. That trick would work well as one part of a larger show, where he gets to set the whole tone, but I think he took a risk performing it here.

The packaging they've decided to go with for Joseph O'Brien is so cringey. Staging him going up to some random girl's door and telling her he loves her? Blech. I'm sure the loner, sits-at-lunch-by-himself bit is also greatly exaggerated--I'd bet anything his friends were watching the show last night going "huh???"

Add me to the Hans love train. There's just something about him that makes me giggle.

I thought UDI Dance had a great concept, but their execution was sorely lacking. They blatantly messed up in a few places and the whole thing just didn't have much energy. Hoping they still squeak through.

I didn't realize Zucaroh had the most views out of all the audition acts, I thought that was Courtney? If we're basing the win off of the most online views as we've done the past couple of years, then they have it locked up, don't they?

Rob Lake is a dweeb, and his personality really doesn't go at all with the magic he's trying to do. Whether it's corny, cheesy, etc. is beside the point. You need an overconfident, flamboyant way about you to pull that kind of magic off, and he doesn't have it.

18 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

Thankfully he has the support of youngsters all over America, as Tyra said, with Aerosmith, because y'know...nothing gets the teens going these days more than a wrinkly old Steven Tyler coughing up his remaining lung on stage.

I could not believe Tyra said that Aerosmith would appeal to The Youths. Aerosmith has been a Dad Band since at least the mid-90s.

[InternetToughGuy]

5 hours ago, bluepiano said:

 I still can't figure out if she thinks she's being funny

She's tried many times to be funny and it always fails. Her, Mel and Tyra are all extremely irritating.

[anthonyd46]

13 hours ago, helenamonster said:

I hope the slowness of Aaron Crow's act doesn't hurt him, because I think he's great overall. That trick would work well as one part of a larger show, where he gets to set the whole tone, but I think he took a risk performing it here.

The packaging they've decided to go with for Joseph O'Brien is so cringey. Staging him going up to some random girl's door and telling her he loves her? Blech. I'm sure the loner, sits-at-lunch-by-himself bit is also greatly exaggerated--I'd bet anything his friends were watching the show last night going "huh???"

Add me to the Hans love train. There's just something about him that makes me giggle.

I thought UDI Dance had a great concept, but their execution was sorely lacking. They blatantly messed up in a few places and the whole thing just didn't have much energy. Hoping they still squeak through.

I didn't realize Zucaroh had the most views out of all the audition acts, I thought that was Courtney? If we're basing the win off of the most online views as we've done the past couple of years, then they have it locked up, don't they?

Rob Lake is a dweeb, and his personality really doesn't go at all with the magic he's trying to do. Whether it's corny, cheesy, etc. is beside the point. You need an overconfident, flamboyant way about you to pull that kind of magic off, and he doesn't have it.

I could not believe Tyra said that Aerosmith would appeal to The Youths. Aerosmith has been a Dad Band since at least the mid-90s.

311 M Facebook views, 6.4 Million youtube views vs 167 Million Facebook views, 48.2 million youtube views. Not sure why Zucharoh has so many Facebook ones, but so little youtube ones.

Edited August 30, 2018 by anthonyd46

[bluepiano]

On ‎8‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 8:16 PM, helenamonster said:

I could not believe Tyra said that Aerosmith would appeal to The Youths. Aerosmith has been a Dad Band since at least the mid-90s

Yeah, those crazy kids today sure do love their Aerosmith. Almost as much as they love Benny Goodman.

[Frankenstein123]

On 8/30/2018 at 3:05 AM, ams1001 said:

Thanks, you had me giggling in Starbucks this morning. Pre-caffeine, even!

HAH, happy to have relieved the morning blues a bit.