AGT The Champions: All Episode Discussion

[silverspoons]

I was disappointed in only 1 person going through besides the golden buzzer. I'm glad it was Preacher over Bianca.

Susan getting the golden buzzer? She looked uncomfortable. She barely spoke, and looked robotic. I was surprised she is only 57. Is she still phobic of performing? I remember she had some mental health issues when she visited my city a few years ago. I feel like they brought her back for ratings and gave her the buzzer to ensure she will be there for the finale for ratings. 

[Juneau Gal]

3 minutes ago, silverspoons said:

I was disappointed in only 1 person going through besides the golden buzzer. I'm glad it was Preacher over Bianca.

Susan getting the golden buzzer? She looked uncomfortable. She barely spoke, and looked robotic. I was surprised she is only 57. Is she still phobic of performing? I remember she had some mental health issues when she visited my city a few years ago. I feel like they brought her back for ratings and gave her the buzzer to ensure she will be there for the finale for ratings. 

Exactly Silverspoons. I’m not mad about Susan Boyle getting Golden Buzzer, I am sure that was pre-determined, she truly did put this whole franchise on the map. 

[Laurie14]

Who picked these super fans? The whole thing seems rigged.

Terry Crews is a much better host than Tyra. Hope he sticks around.

[lynxfx]

Gotta say, this format sucks. The golden buzzer in this truncated season just doesn't make any sense. You have 10 acts, all of which are going to be pretty good, but one judge each show gets to select their favorite, but it can only be their favorite up until that moment? So forget about the first couple acts ever getting it, and once you get to the back 5 they will probably pick it pretty quick so forget about the last person ever getting it. Why not just let all 10 perform and then let the 1 judge, or all of the judges collectively choose their favorite of the night? Then let the theater audience or whomever the "Fifty States" people vote for their favorite.

Other production complaints, stop with the slow motion in the middle of an act. Stop with cutting to commercial in the middle of an act. The NBC control room isn't the talent people are wanting to see. Just give us an unaltered viewing of the act in full please.

Terry Crews: Such an improvement over Tyra. He can actually put a full sentence together with proper inflection and everything. I hope he comes back for the summer season.

(copying this list so it is out of order)

Alexandr Magala, Sword Swallower/Acrobat: I'm always amazed at sword swallowers that can bend and move about. Alex took it to a whole new level. Then of course NBC had to screw with it and insert slow motion, commercial cuts, and an over abundance of reaction shots.

Preacher Lawson, Stand-Up Comedian: He wasn't ever my favorite comedian but he had some good material. A bit shouty though. Never thought of white makeup in that context before. Got a laugh out of me.

Justice Crew, Dance Crew: Worst act of the night. How in the hell did this win Australia's Got Talent? Forgettable song, amateur dancing, pure cheese. They looked like the fake band/crew you would see on a made for tv movie complete with the generic music.

Vicki Barbolak, Stand-Up Comedienne: Never liked her and trailer nasty will never be a thing. The french "whooof" did make me giggle. The rest, blah. I did laugh at what looked like a sarcastic over the top laugh by Preacher back stage that they cut too. 

The Clairvoyants, Mentalist Duo: They are definitely some of the top mentalists out there. But I can see how people might get bored as they tend to do the exact same thing over and over again just in a different way. With technology these days, I'm not that impressed anymore with "pre-taped" but altered footage. It was impressive when the NFL started overlaying yard lines and other graphics. That knowledge alone drops the Clairvoyants down a notch. 

Sofie Dossi, Contortionist: This was a pretty short act. She is obviously a good contortionist but the balancing on the spinning hand thingies has been done to death on this show by all sorts of acts. The second part on the elevated hoop though was much better but pretty short.

Susan Boyle, Singer: I think I've only ever liked the very first song Susan sang 10 years ago. After that I just didn't drink the koolaid. Kinda felt the same tonight. She looked awkward and it felt like she was clipping the notes short. She does have a very lovely and clean voice though. 

Sara and Hero, Dog Act: Didn't think they would go through but still enjoyed it a lot. Those two are just so wholesome to watch. 

Uzeyer Novruzov, Ladder Acrobat: Really liked this guy before. He just has that old timer feel and charm about him. Like you went in a time machine to the vaudeville days and are watching his act. Tonight something felt a bit off though, like his heart just wasn't in it. He just went through the paces. 

Bianca Ryan, Singer: First act, first winner, first sob story based on falling out of the spotlight? Funny how AGT just highlighted that even their winners don't continue to have great success. Her age was a major factor in her win so it never surprised me that she would drop in popularity, even without the vocal cord complications. She did sound pretty good and some chilling notes but this brings me to my final complaint (yeah I know I pretty much hate watch this show but hey a lot of us do :) )...

...Why are these singers, some of which even got recording contracts, coming back and sticking to covers? Shouldn't they have been producing their own songs by now? I've always been more impressed with the singers/bands that came on with songs that they wrote. I also think those tend to have longer lasting careers post AGT than those that only did karaoke on the show.

Congrats to the two moving on.

Edited January 8, 2019 by lynxfx

[Vermicious Knid]

The sword swallower is insane.

Bianca is a perfect example of why proper singing technique is so important, and why so many little kids with powerhouse voices disappear. She destroyed her vocal chords by not singing correctly and even after the surgery and PT still doesn't sound quite right.

[marketdoctor]

I hate to admit it, but I laughed at Simon Cowell asking Susan Boyle "What's your name?"

I wondered what Biana Ryan was up to; I'm glad she's singing again.  It's a good example of why we really don't need to show America's Most Talentest Kidz--some of them grow up to be talented adults.   Also, as Vermicious Knid points out, we could let them develop better technique before doing 8 shows a week.  I'll give half a pass for Sara and Hero, because dogs aren't here forever.  (I'm glad they're still going strong; that is one talented dog.)

Sometimes I wonder if there's a way to make the Golden Buzzer worse.  Now I know--because I think if they'd let the audience vote on a top two, Susan Boyle still would have gone through.  I can see, though, why the producers wouldn't risk us getting what fans want when we can certainly get what they want to give us.  (There's also the Golden Apple problem from Greek mythology, where someone makes a choice before they see all the candidates.  With 2000 years and "golden" right in the name, we've had time to implement the answer.)

There were some acts that weren't my personal favorite, but I liked that it was an "all-talent" AGT, and that it's back.

[Whimsy]

Here's a thread to talk about the Champions episodes. 

[giaNtsandYankees]

Not a bad start.

I enjoyed Sofie Dossi when she was first on Season 11. Unfortunately, per performance this time had me thinking, "That was it?"

I felt the same way about The Clairvoyants. I've seen that trick before - same format, different objects. Take a look at their jelly bean act on the YouTube link below, and you'll see what I mean.

I'm a little bummed out that Alexandr Magala didn't go through. I've seen quite a few sword swallowing acts, but this one was amazing. He left me wanting more. I'll most likely follow him on social media if I can find him.

When Preacher Lawson was on his Season 12, I barely laughed at his routines. Last night, he actually had me laughing. His best routine by a mile. I'm quite glad that he went through.

Speaking of comedians - I'm wondering why Vicki Barbolak was called back. There is a conundrum, as I find her likable, but not funny. If they wanted to bring back someone from the thirteenth season for a second chance, they could have brought back Brian Joseph King or Zurcaroh.

 

I love Terry Crews as a host. I wouldn't mind if he replaced Tyra and hosted the summer seasons.

Edited January 8, 2019 by giaNtsandYankees

[Booklady1017]

9 hours ago, silverspoons said:

I was disappointed in only 1 person going through besides the golden buzzer. I'm glad it was Preacher over Bianca.

Susan getting the golden buzzer? She looked uncomfortable. She barely spoke, and looked robotic. I was surprised she is only 57. Is she still phobic of performing? I remember she had some mental health issues when she visited my city a few years ago. I feel like they brought her back for ratings and gave her the buzzer to ensure she will be there for the finale for ratings. 

I wasn’t surprised that Preacher got the other spot in last night’s show. I wasn’t surprised either Susan Boyle got the golden buzzer. I hope they have some wild card spots in the finale.

9 hours ago, Laurie14 said:

Who picked these super fans? The whole thing seems rigged.

Terry Crews is a much better host than Tyra. Hope he sticks around.

I don’t get this super fan thing either. Terry is better than Tyra.

[Booklady1017]

8 hours ago, lynxfx said:

Gotta say, this format sucks. The golden buzzer in this truncated season just doesn't make any sense. You have 10 acts, all of which are going to be pretty good, but one judge each show gets to select their favorite, but it can only be their favorite up until that moment? So forget about the first couple acts ever getting it, and once you get to the back 5 they will probably pick it pretty quick so forget about the last person ever getting it. Why not just let all 10 perform and then let the 1 judge, or all of the judges collectively choose their favorite of the night? Then let the theater audience or whomever the "Fifty States" people vote for their favorite.

Other production complaints, stop with the slow motion in the middle of an act. Stop with cutting to commercial in the middle of an act. The NBC control room isn't the talent people are wanting to see. Just give us an unaltered viewing of the act in full please.

Terry Crews: Such an improvement over Tyra. He can actually put a full sentence together with proper inflection and everything. I hope he comes back for the summer season.

(copying this list so it is out of order)

Alexandr Magala, Sword Swallower/Acrobat: I'm always amazed at sword swallowers that can bend and move about. Alex took it to a whole new level. Then of course NBC had to screw with it and insert slow motion, commercial cuts, and an over abundance of reaction shots.

Preacher Lawson, Stand-Up Comedian: He wasn't ever my favorite comedian but he had some good material. A bit shouty though. Never thought of white makeup in that context before. Got a laugh out of me.

Justice Crew, Dance Crew: Worst act of the night. How in the hell did this win Australia's Got Talent? Forgettable song, amateur dancing, pure cheese. They looked like the fake band/crew you would see on a made for tv movie complete with the generic music.

Vicki Barbolak, Stand-Up Comedienne: Never liked her and trailer nasty will never be a thing. The french "whooof" did make me giggle. The rest, blah. I did laugh at what looked like a sarcastic over the top laugh by Preacher back stage that they cut too. 

The Clairvoyants, Mentalist Duo: They are definitely some of the top mentalists out there. But I can see how people might get bored as they tend to do the exact same thing over and over again just in a different way. With technology these days, I'm not that impressed anymore with "pre-taped" but altered footage. It was impressive when the NFL started overlaying yard lines and other graphics. That knowledge alone drops the Clairvoyants down a notch. 

Sofie Dossi, Contortionist: This was a pretty short act. She is obviously a good contortionist but the balancing on the spinning hand thingies has been done to death on this show by all sorts of acts. The second part on the elevated hoop though was much better but pretty short.

Susan Boyle, Singer: I think I've only ever liked the very first song Susan sang 10 years ago. After that I just didn't drink the koolaid. Kinda felt the same tonight. She looked awkward and it felt like she was clipping the notes short. She does have a very lovely and clean voice though. 

Sara and Hero, Dog Act: Didn't think they would go through but still enjoyed it a lot. Those two are just so wholesome to watch. 

Uzeyer Novruzov, Ladder Acrobat: Really liked this guy before. He just has that old timer feel and charm about him. Like you went in a time machine to the vaudeville days and are watching his act. Tonight something felt a bit off though, like his heart just wasn't in it. He just went through the paces. 

Bianca Ryan, Singer: First act, first winner, first sob story based on falling out of the spotlight? Funny how AGT just highlighted that even their winners don't continue to have great success. Her age was a major factor in her win so it never surprised me that she would drop in popularity, even without the vocal cord complications. She did sound pretty good and some chilling notes but this brings me to my final complaint (yeah I know I pretty much hate watch this show but hey a lot of us do :) )...

...Why are these singers, some of which even got recording contracts, coming back and sticking to covers? Shouldn't they have been producing their own songs by now? I've always been more impressed with the singers/bands that came on with songs that they wrote. I also think those tend to have longer lasting careers post AGT than those that only did karaoke on the show.

Congrats to the two moving on.

Great comments and I agree with a lot of them. I like Sofie but she might have made it through if age shot the arrow from her foot again. I always loved Preacher’s energy, but his comedy is hit or miss. It was mostly hit last night and I’m happy though he made it through. Bianca was good but seemed a little too nervous and maybe that’s why she didn’t make it through.

14 minutes ago, giaNtsandYankees said:

Not a bad start.

I enjoyed Sofie Dossi when she was first on Season 11. Unfortunately, per performance this time had me thinking, "That was it?"

I felt the same way about The Clairvoyants. I've seen that trick before - same format, different objects. Take a look at their jelly bean act on the YouTube link below, and you'll see what I mean.

I'm a little bummed out that Alexandr Magala didn't go through. I've seen quite a few sword swallowing acts, but this one was amazing. He left me wanting more. I'll most likely follow him on social media if I can find him.

When Preacher Lawson was on his Season 12, I barely laughed at his routines. Last night, he actually had me laughing. His best routine by a mile. I'm quite glad that he went through.

Speaking of comedians - I'm wondering why Vicki Barbolak was called back. There is a conundrum, as I find her likable, but not funny. If they wanted to bring back someone from the thirteenth season for a second chance, they could have brought back Brian Joseph King or Zurcaroh.

 

I love Terry Crews as a host. I wouldn't mind if he replaced Tyra and hosted the summer seasons.

 

I like the Clairvoyants but agree some of their act can get repetitive. I found Preacher to be funnier than Vicki. 

[roamyn]

11 hours ago, Juneau Gal said:

Exactly Silverspoons. I’m not mad about Susan Boyle getting Golden Buzzer, I am sure that was pre-determined, she truly did put this whole franchise on the map. 

I would say she put it on the map, but Jonathan Antin is probably the most successful BGT (non) winner.

Her rendition at first left me blah, until the chorus kicked in.  Different version, but right for her and very beautiful.

[Babalooie]

12 hours ago, silverspoons said:

She looked uncomfortable. She barely spoke, and looked robotic.

Susan Boyle has Asperger's.  Being socially awkward is a part of it.

         https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-25299300

Edited January 8, 2019 by Babalooie

[Commando Cody]

I walked out of the room for a few minutes. When I cam back, I wondered who the shitty dance troupe was. 

This show wasn't really about "champions". It was more about who is available to do this show. 

They brought back Vicky Barbolak. Vicky Barbolak! What the hell. She couldn't tell a joke if a trailer park walked up to her and hit her in the ass. 

Didn't Susan Boyle sing "Wild Horses" during her competition? I don't really care for her rendition of the song.  I don't believe she won her year either. I think she came in second. Is that person in this competition?

I remember someone in the forum during Bianca's year stating that she's going to have blown pipes - It was on the old TWOP board. There was a lot of criticism about little kids singing without proper training. Good foresight, unknown TWOP poster. 

[silverspoons]

2 hours ago, Babalooie said:

Susan Boyle has Asperger's.  Being socially awkward is a part of it.

         https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-25299300

Is she comfortable singing and being on stage or just on the show for money or the show wanting her for ratings? I have a child with autism and they hated being on stage. They were in the orchestra and even though they were a good player, the teacher would let them sit in the very back on the side to avoid feeling so nervous. 

Susan can sing but I just feel bad if she does not want to be on stage. She seems like it is best just to make albums and do pre-recorded singing and interviews in a comfortable space. 

[atlantaloves]

Well I really enjoyed the show except for the "danger" acts. But who gets to vote, that really makes me mad. America should get to vote! So glad that Preacher made it through!

[kathyk24]

I loved Susan Boyle. Who was that nice person pretending to be Simon Cowell? He was so charming with Holly you never saw that side of him on American Idol.

[Babalooie]

1 hour ago, silverspoons said:

Is she comfortable singing and being on stage or just on the show for money or the show wanting her for ratings?

I don't  think she' very comfortable .  I had read stories when she first made a name for herself, and there were times when she had meltdowns and had to be hospitalized.  I don't know her motivation now, unless its contractual.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, silverspoons said:

Susan can sing but I just feel bad if she does not want to be on stage.

I don't think she would be there if she didn't want to be.  Going back and looking at YouTube footage of her before and after being on Britain's Got Talent, apparently it was very disappointing to her that she didn't win that competition because she thought she'd never be heard from again.  She didn't think she'd have success coming in second, but Simon Cowell promised her that things would be okay and he worked with her in getting her album produced.   He took her under his wing and helped get her started.  It had been reported that she was deprived of oxygen at birth, but Susan saw a doctor, and through testing, found out she actually has Asperger's syndrome.  

I think she would really like to win the competition, since it seems to me that she feels like that's unfinished business.  She was very well received in the U.S. from the beginning, so I hope that she felt that love and admiration up there on the stage while performing.  I'm happy that Mel B did the Golden Buzzer for her.  That took some stress off of her, and I believe she deserved it.  Having watched many of her performances via YouTube, she does tend to be a little stiff while on stage, but I attribute that to the Asperger's.   However, if you really listen to the lyrics of the songs she sings,  you can feel her emotions coming through loud and clear in those performances.   

ETA:  You can find some in-depth interviews with her on YouTube.  There's a multi-part series about her.

Edited January 8, 2019 by ChitChat

[silverspoons]

2 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

I don't  think she' very comfortable .  I had read stories when she first made a name for herself, and there were times when she had meltdowns and had to be hospitalized.  I don't know her motivation now, unless its contractual.

She had a breakdown while visiting my city as a tourist, it was 5 years ago. There was a  very bad traffic backup and we are landlocked city. I think she felt trapped or something. I felt very bad because it showed she could not even enjoy her money and travel. There were tons of school kids trapped in this traffic, and were in a much worse situation then Susan (buses had low fuel and no food)  and the kids had no issues, in fact they were highlighted on national TV for helping and being so calm during the long delays. 

I hope she has a say in what she wants to do and did not sign something that forces her to do this show. I know my child with autism who is an adult now and very high functioning, tells me they are happier sometimes at home. They hate Disneyland. Everyone tried to push them into Disneyland but it just is not enjoyable with the people, noise, it is just not fun. they would rather go out to dinner with a few close friends and watch foreign films then join us for Disney.. My child was so much happier and less anxious when high school was over and in college could choose classes and times for classes and their job. It is hard to watch at first my child turned down a big name college for a small focused degree school but was what works for them, they honestly say they just want a certain job, not be a boss or make huge money or a huge house, a job they love and that will give them a basic decent living. I just hope Susan who seemed to love her little home and cat was not pushed into something more. These reality contracts are crazy. I have signed a few to be extras or background and it is pages and they give you literally a minute to sign or you cant see the show be filmed or be on TV. Lets hope Susan has honest management or lawyers helping her. 

[helenamonster]

Really enjoy Terry Crews and hope he sticks around for the regular season.

I'm also confused about who exactly these superfans are supposed to be, but I think the show is really pushing the "all fifty states" thing as an attempt to convince viewers at home that we are being represented, even though we don't get to vote. The statistics Terry read during the results (about Bianca being popular in the west and Preacher being popular with women 18 - 34) were also supposed to be a part of that, to make sure we knew that all demographics are getting a say. As if all people who live in the west or all women 18 - 34 like the same things. I'm not going to get overinvested in who wins and will just be watching to see some of my favorites again.

So good to see Sara & Hero again! I wonder how old he is...so sad to hear that apparently he's getting a little too long in the tooth for these shows. I hope she still has the other two dogs and continues pursuing this, she and all of the dogs are always such a joy to watch.

Vicki Barbolak being asked back makes me think a lot of other people said no.

I'm sure Alex Magala is very talented but I just can't watch that sword swallowing stuff.

Agree that Justice Crew were trash. A lot of great talent has come out of Australia...this is the best they could give us?

Aw, I really wanted Sofie Dossi to go through. She's always been at the top of her game.

I found Simon's comment about some people who won not wanting to come back because they're afraid of losing. Of the AGT winners, this is who is not listed to be on this show: Terry Fator, Kevin Skinner, Michael Grimm, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., Olate Dogs, Mat Franco, and Grace VanderWaal (Neal E. Boyd died last year). I'm not saying they all refused for the reason Simon said, but that is a lot. I remember people mentioning here that Kevin Skinner really was just a normal dude who picked up a guitar and started singing and wasn't into all the fame that came with the show, and that Mat Franco is dealing with some legal troubles currently? Grace is the most surprising to me, given how much she was pimped on her season, but I am not at all disappointed.

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, silverspoons said:

Lets hope Susan has honest management or lawyers helping her. 

From the interviews I've seen of her on YouTube (and these were several years ago,) it appeared that her manager was with her almost everywhere she went.  There was also some footage of her and Simon together discussing her album (maybe her 1st?)  I'm just guessing, but I'd bet that Simon made sure she had the right people around her.  From what he's said, she was a wakeup call for him in terms of how he judges and treats people on first glance.  He reassured her in the beginning that she'd have a record deal.  I have a feeling that if you're friends with Simon, he'd do anything to protect you (going by some of the footage I've seen.)  Other interviews of Susan show her at home, happy and content, but she's also happy performing.  I really don't think she'd do something she didn't want to do.  Of course, this is just my perception from the interviews I've seen.  Things could be totally different behind the scenes!  

There was some footage of Susan when she first came to the U.S. and she met a group of women fans in Texas.  One of them gave her a handmade quilt.  You could see that Susan was very moved by that.  I think it made her feel good that she was welcomed with open arms here in the U.S.   Maybe that's part of why she went on the show too.  She knows she still has a fanbase here.

30 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

I'm sure Alex Magala is very talented but I just can't watch that sword swallowing stuff.

I couldn't either!  I generally don't like stuff like that, but hopefully he'll find success with his talent.   

[ams1001]

I like Terry Crews; he's entertaining but not too over-the-top or annoying. And he's cute. 
I don't understand the point of the Golden Buzzer in this setup, but at least they're being up front about the fact that one judge is assigned to it each night (because you know that's true in the regular show, too).
Also don't get the point of announcing the 'semi-finalists' and then immediately eliminating some. Just announce the final two, then.
I was annoyed by Simon's comment that some of the people who were invited back declined because they are afraid of losing. Maybe they're just busy, and/or don't want to deal with the shady behind-the-scenes shenanigans that apparently go on.

(list copied from lynxfx)

Alexandr Magala, Sword Swallower/Acrobat: I went into the kitchen and put away some dishes. He's nice to look at, but I just cannot watch these acts. 

Preacher Lawson, Stand-Up Comedian: The white-girl makeup bit made me laugh, being that I am a very pasty-pale person (I don't really wear makeup, though, nor have I ever dated anyone with dark enough skin for it to be noticeable if it got on them, so that issue never occurred to me). I don't love him but I'll take him over Trailer Nasty any day.

Justice Crew, Dance Crew: Who? Not my kind of music; wasn't paying attention.

Vicki Barbolak, Stand-Up Comedienne: Ugh. She did have one joke that made me laugh but I can't remember what it was now.

The Clairvoyants, Mentalist Duo: Didn't like them the first time around, didn't watch this one.

Sofie Dossi, Contortionist: I like her and I don't know how she stood up after spinning like that. I have a cold and I'm lucky I can stand up after turning my head too fast.

Susan Boyle, Singer: Eh. I don't really have feelings one way or the other about her. I remember when she was the big surprise sensation but I didn't actually watch more than a few video clips of her.

Sara and Hero, Dog Act: Knew they wouldn't go far but I love dogs.

Uzeyer Novruzov, Ladder Acrobat: So bugged by them repeatedly reminding him that he fell (and could have killed himself) when he did the big ladder the first time. Right before he does it again.
Can really do without cutting to Howie's worried face in the middle of the act.

Bianca Ryan, Singer: She was okay. Was much more impressed by her 11yo self doing Janice Joplin.

[anthonyd46]

This format seems very underwhelming for the acts of this caliber. Feels like this should have been a normal length summer season. 

My first problem with the format is the whole voting thing. For a show called "America's" got talent if America isn't voting what is the point? Like someone else said in another post who are these superfans anyway? 

Also agree with whoever said the Golden buzzer doesn't make sense here. Is the first person ever going to get the golden buzzer? Seems unlikely. What about the last? Seems impossible, because obviously if 9 out of 10 have already performed obviously the 10th person HAS to get it. (I don't think they would ever make it get to that point).

Also only 2 making it through? With the one golden buzzer being guaranteed again seems to be a bad format.

The show not being live takes away from everything as well.

Yet they are trying to push this like its not pre-taped and America is actually voting.

Also don't like that the Golden Buzzers are locked into a certain judge each episode. What if another judge wants to hit a GB? Oh too bad this isn't your pre-determined episode to use it.

Edited January 9, 2019 by anthonyd46

[lynxfx]

Has it been mentioned what the winner gets? Is it the same as the summer show, 1 million plus a 3 night headlining show in Vegas?

[Diana Berry]

21 hours ago, lynxfx said:

Gotta say, this format sucks. The golden buzzer in this truncated season just doesn't make any sense. You have 10 acts, all of which are going to be pretty good, but one judge each show gets to select their favorite, but it can only be their favorite up until that moment? So forget about the first couple acts ever getting it, and once you get to the back 5 they will probably pick it pretty quick so forget about the last person ever getting it. Why not just let all 10 perform and then let the 1 judge, or all of the judges collectively choose their favorite of the night? Then let the theater audience or whomever the "Fifty States" people vote for their favorite.

Other production complaints, stop with the slow motion in the middle of an act. Stop with cutting to commercial in the middle of an act. The NBC control room isn't the talent people are wanting to see. Just give us an unaltered viewing of the act in full please.

Terry Crews: Such an improvement over Tyra. He can actually put a full sentence together with proper inflection and everything. I hope he comes back for the summer season.

(copying this list so it is out of order)

Alexandr Magala, Sword Swallower/Acrobat: I'm always amazed at sword swallowers that can bend and move about. Alex took it to a whole new level. Then of course NBC had to screw with it and insert slow motion, commercial cuts, and an over abundance of reaction shots.

Preacher Lawson, Stand-Up Comedian: He wasn't ever my favorite comedian but he had some good material. A bit shouty though. Never thought of white makeup in that context before. Got a laugh out of me.

Justice Crew, Dance Crew: Worst act of the night. How in the hell did this win Australia's Got Talent? Forgettable song, amateur dancing, pure cheese. They looked like the fake band/crew you would see on a made for tv movie complete with the generic music.

Vicki Barbolak, Stand-Up Comedienne: Never liked her and trailer nasty will never be a thing. The french "whooof" did make me giggle. The rest, blah. I did laugh at what looked like a sarcastic over the top laugh by Preacher back stage that they cut too. 

The Clairvoyants, Mentalist Duo: They are definitely some of the top mentalists out there. But I can see how people might get bored as they tend to do the exact same thing over and over again just in a different way. With technology these days, I'm not that impressed anymore with "pre-taped" but altered footage. It was impressive when the NFL started overlaying yard lines and other graphics. That knowledge alone drops the Clairvoyants down a notch. 

Sofie Dossi, Contortionist: This was a pretty short act. She is obviously a good contortionist but the balancing on the spinning hand thingies has been done to death on this show by all sorts of acts. The second part on the elevated hoop though was much better but pretty short.

Susan Boyle, Singer: I think I've only ever liked the very first song Susan sang 10 years ago. After that I just didn't drink the koolaid. Kinda felt the same tonight. She looked awkward and it felt like she was clipping the notes short. She does have a very lovely and clean voice though. 

Sara and Hero, Dog Act: Didn't think they would go through but still enjoyed it a lot. Those two are just so wholesome to watch. 

Uzeyer Novruzov, Ladder Acrobat: Really liked this guy before. He just has that old timer feel and charm about him. Like you went in a time machine to the vaudeville days and are watching his act. Tonight something felt a bit off though, like his heart just wasn't in it. He just went through the paces. 

Bianca Ryan, Singer: First act, first winner, first sob story based on falling out of the spotlight? Funny how AGT just highlighted that even their winners don't continue to have great success. Her age was a major factor in her win so it never surprised me that she would drop in popularity, even without the vocal cord complications. She did sound pretty good and some chilling notes but this brings me to my final complaint (yeah I know I pretty much hate watch this show but hey a lot of us do :) )...

...Why are these singers, some of which even got recording contracts, coming back and sticking to covers? Shouldn't they have been producing their own songs by now? I've always been more impressed with the singers/bands that came on with songs that they wrote. I also think those tend to have longer lasting careers post AGT than those that only did karaoke on the show.

Congrats to the two moving on.

Yea, I wish they would have had a split screen of Preacher during Vickie's entire routine.  So the sword is collapsible  right?

[lynxfx]

2 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

So the sword is collapsible  right?

The swords are legit. Of course Alex might have had a safety mechanism in the final sword incase he did hit the ground. It was thinner and did end up bent when he pulled it out.

Here's an article on sword swallowers and some of the injuries they tend to get.

[Chit Chat]

2 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

Susan Boyle, Singer: I think I've only ever liked the very first song Susan sang 10 years ago. After that I just didn't drink the koolaid. Kinda felt the same tonight. She looked awkward and it felt like she was clipping the notes short. She does have a very lovely and clean voice though. 

I didn't follow her after Britain's Got Talent, but a patient of mine gave me a Susan Boyle CD for Christmas, so I played it on my way home and I really enjoyed listening to her.  That's when I went in search of more info on her with YouTube.  One of the songs on that particular album is called 'Perfect Day,' and it's beautiful.  I love anything with a choir singing along.  As I said before, even though she's a little awkward on stage, I really feel like she's singing every lyric straight from her heart.  I feel for her and what she's been through in her life.  Along with having Aspergers, having kids make fun of you while growing up has got to leave some mental scars.  Good for her that she had the courage to go on that stage in BGT and she made her dreams come true.  I find her to be an inspiration to everybody in never giving up on a dream.  

I wonder if Darci Lynne is going to be on.  She is really talented too.  I'd love to see Shin Lim, but it's probably too soon for him to be back.  He might have contract obligations since he just won a few months ago.  

[lynxfx]

3 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

I'd love to see Shin Lim, but it's probably too soon for him to be back.  He might have contract obligations since he just won a few months ago.  

Shin is going to be on the show according to the act list.

[Chit Chat]

Thanks, lynxfx!  I haven't seen the list.  I need to pay more attention!!

I just found this in the People magazine: 

Explaining why she decided to participate in the Champions series, Boyle said she hopes to be a “champion” for others.

“A champion for those who maybe don’t have the confidence to do things, for those who don’t have a voice, the ones who people tend to ignore, I feel like I’m a champion for them,” she said. “Coming in second doesn’t mean you lost, it’s an unfulfilled promise.”

Boyle added, “[I’m] excited to show Simon how much I’ve grown since the last time he saw me. It’s my golden opportunity to have that promise fulfilled.”

Edited January 9, 2019 by ChitChat

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The whole time I was wishing my Prince would be on this ep as the talent was so weak.

Susan Boyle deserves whatever free passes Simon can arrange for her.  Her basic competency and pretty tonality is welcome to my ears.

The two comics were, and remain, atrocious.  I think back to decades past and truly am at a loss how the entire stand-up genre has declined. 

As expected, the production values and art direction were superior.  

To me, the Clairvoyants was the best imagined and executed presentation.  Their non-American accents hurt them badly.  Yes, the wonder of their craft has dissipated over time - as it has every other art form on AGT.  The mini-orchestra they have adds a note of class.  Of course it was hidden by TPTB. 

The bottom line is that I am glad we get to see some terrific acts and AGT, in some form, is back.

[MsJamieDornan]

Too many crowd and judge reaction shots !!

[peachmangosteen]

20 hours ago, roamyn said:

I would say she put it on the map, but Jonathan Antin is probably the most successful BGT (non) winner.

The hair stylist? What did he do on BGT?

12 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I wonder if Darci Lynne is going to be on. 

They've been showing her in the promos.

[AZChristian]

I wonder if the Clairvoyants knew ahead of time that they weren't even going to make top 3.

[helenamonster]

15 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I wonder if Darci Lynne is going to be on.  She is really talented too.  I'd love to see Shin Lim, but it's probably too soon for him to be back.  He might have contract obligations since he just won a few months ago.  

Both are scheduled to appear. Wikipedia has the full list (in general I really like how whoever edits the Wiki for this show organizes the results): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America's_Got_Talent%3A_The_Champions

[anthonyd46]

14 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

The whole time I was wishing my Prince would be on this ep as the talent was so weak.

Susan Boyle deserves whatever free passes Simon can arrange for her.  Her basic competency and pretty tonality is welcome to my ears.

The two comics were, and remain, atrocious.  I think back to decades past and truly am at a loss how the entire stand-up genre has declined. 

As expected, the production values and art direction were superior.  

To me, the Clairvoyants was the best imagined and executed presentation.  Their non-American accents hurt them badly.  Yes, the wonder of their craft has dissipated over time - as it has every other art form on AGT.  The mini-orchestra they have adds a note of class.  Of course it was hidden by TPTB. 

The bottom line is that I am glad we get to see some terrific acts and AGT, in some form, is back.

Biggest problem with this show is this whole show is pre-taped. Therefore they can cut out/fix/change whatever they want. When its live theres far fewer things they can change.

[Booklady1017]

On 1/8/2019 at 12:56 PM, Babalooie said:

Susan Boyle has Asperger's.  Being socially awkward is a part of it.

         https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-25299300

I didn't realize it but her behavior seems to fit that. 

21 hours ago, atlantaloves said:

Well I really enjoyed the show except for the "danger" acts. But who gets to vote, that really makes me mad. America should get to vote! So glad that Preacher made it through!

I don't like the danger acts either. Yeah I don't get how they pick these super fans and how they get to vote.

22 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

I walked out of the room for a few minutes. When I cam back, I wondered who the shitty dance troupe was. 

This show wasn't really about "champions". It was more about who is available to do this show. 

They brought back Vicky Barbolak. Vicky Barbolak! What the hell. She couldn't tell a joke if a trailer park walked up to her and hit her in the ass. 

Didn't Susan Boyle sing "Wild Horses" during her competition? I don't really care for her rendition of the song.  I don't believe she won her year either. I think she came in second. Is that person in this competition?

I remember someone in the forum during Bianca's year stating that she's going to have blown pipes - It was on the old TWOP board. There was a lot of criticism about little kids singing without proper training. Good foresight, unknown TWOP poster. 

I think Vicky is okay but there were other comedians better than her. You have a point probably about who they picked to be on the show based on who is available. 

[Booklady1017]

20 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I don't think she would be there if she didn't want to be.  Going back and looking at YouTube footage of her before and after being on Britain's Got Talent, apparently it was very disappointing to her that she didn't win that competition because she thought she'd never be heard from again.  She didn't think she'd have success coming in second, but Simon Cowell promised her that things would be okay and he worked with her in getting her album produced.   He took her under his wing and helped get her started.  It had been reported that she was deprived of oxygen at birth, but Susan saw a doctor, and through testing, found out she actually has Asperger's syndrome.  

I think she would really like to win the competition, since it seems to me that she feels like that's unfinished business.  She was very well received in the U.S. from the beginning, so I hope that she felt that love and admiration up there on the stage while performing.  I'm happy that Mel B did the Golden Buzzer for her.  That took some stress off of her, and I believe she deserved it.  Having watched many of her performances via YouTube, she does tend to be a little stiff while on stage, but I attribute that to the Asperger's.   However, if you really listen to the lyrics of the songs she sings,  you can feel her emotions coming through loud and clear in those performances.   

ETA:  You can find some in-depth interviews with her on YouTube.  There's a multi-part series about her.

I feel like she did well even without winning. Is there much more she can do? That being said Susan Boyle is very talented and deserves all the success she had. 

19 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Really enjoy Terry Crews and hope he sticks around for the regular season.

I'm also confused about who exactly these superfans are supposed to be, but I think the show is really pushing the "all fifty states" thing as an attempt to convince viewers at home that we are being represented, even though we don't get to vote. The statistics Terry read during the results (about Bianca being popular in the west and Preacher being popular with women 18 - 34) were also supposed to be a part of that, to make sure we knew that all demographics are getting a say. As if all people who live in the west or all women 18 - 34 like the same things. I'm not going to get overinvested in who wins and will just be watching to see some of my favorites again.

So good to see Sara & Hero again! I wonder how old he is...so sad to hear that apparently he's getting a little too long in the tooth for these shows. I hope she still has the other two dogs and continues pursuing this, she and all of the dogs are always such a joy to watch.

Vicki Barbolak being asked back makes me think a lot of other people said no.

I'm sure Alex Magala is very talented but I just can't watch that sword swallowing stuff.

Agree that Justice Crew were trash. A lot of great talent has come out of Australia...this is the best they could give us?

Aw, I really wanted Sofie Dossi to go through. She's always been at the top of her game.

I found Simon's comment about some people who won not wanting to come back because they're afraid of losing. Of the AGT winners, this is who is not listed to be on this show: Terry Fator, Kevin Skinner, Michael Grimm, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., Olate Dogs, Mat Franco, and Grace VanderWaal (Neal E. Boyd died last year). I'm not saying they all refused for the reason Simon said, but that is a lot. I remember people mentioning here that Kevin Skinner really was just a normal dude who picked up a guitar and started singing and wasn't into all the fame that came with the show, and that Mat Franco is dealing with some legal troubles currently? Grace is the most surprising to me, given how much she was pimped on her season, but I am not at all disappointed.

I enjoy Sara and Hero. I didn't see her going forward but I hope she continues to perform with Hero and her other dogs. It's definitely an entertaining act. I'm glad she was able to make something of her act and get a home too. 

Yeah that sword swallowing stuff made me uncomfortable.

I wanted Sofie to go through too. Too bad she didn't. 

[Booklady1017]

18 hours ago, anthonyd46 said:

This format seems very underwhelming for the acts of this caliber. Feels like this should have been a normal length summer season. 

My first problem with the format is the whole voting thing. For a show called "America's" got talent if America isn't voting what is the point? Like someone else said in another post who are these superfans anyway? 

Also agree with whoever said the Golden buzzer doesn't make sense here. Is the first person ever going to get the golden buzzer? Seems unlikely. What about the last? Seems impossible, because obviously if 9 out of 10 have already performed obviously the 10th person HAS to get it. (I don't think they would ever make it get to that point).

Also only 2 making it through? With the one golden buzzer being guaranteed again seems to be a bad format.

The show not being live takes away from everything as well.

Yet they are trying to push this like its not pre-taped and America is actually voting.

Also don't like that the Golden Buzzers are locked into a certain judge each episode. What if another judge wants to hit a GB? Oh too bad this isn't your pre-determined episode to use it.

Yeah I'm not sure I like this Golden Buzzer format either and should have it open to any judge. And they should only be able to hit it after everyone performs. I hope at least in the finals we get to vote.  I wish they had more finalists going through too.

16 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I didn't follow her after Britain's Got Talent, but a patient of mine gave me a Susan Boyle CD for Christmas, so I played it on my way home and I really enjoyed listening to her.  That's when I went in search of more info on her with YouTube.  One of the songs on that particular album is called 'Perfect Day,' and it's beautiful.  I love anything with a choir singing along.  As I said before, even though she's a little awkward on stage, I really feel like she's singing every lyric straight from her heart.  I feel for her and what she's been through in her life.  Along with having Aspergers, having kids make fun of you while growing up has got to leave some mental scars.  Good for her that she had the courage to go on that stage in BGT and she made her dreams come true.  I find her to be an inspiration to everybody in never giving up on a dream.  

I wonder if Darci Lynne is going to be on.  She is really talented too.  I'd love to see Shin Lim, but it's probably too soon for him to be back.  He might have contract obligations since he just won a few months ago.  

I'm guessing people like Darci, Terry, Shim probably had contract agreements or were on tour and couldn't commit to the show.

[atlantaloves]

Shin Lim is booked to be on the show.

[Booklady1017]

30 minutes ago, atlantaloves said:

Shin Lim is booked to be on the show.

I didn't realize that and that's great to hear.

[Ohwell]

21 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I was annoyed by Simon's comment that some of the people who were invited back declined because they are afraid of losing. Maybe they're just busy, and/or don't want to deal with the shady behind-the-scenes shenanigans that apparently go on.

Yeah, I was annoyed by that snarky comment as well.  How the hell does he know they were "afraid of losing"?

I still miss Prince Poppycock.

Edit:  I just checked the list and my Prince is coming!

Edited January 9, 2019 by Ohwell

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Edit:  I just checked the list and my Prince is coming!

 

That's part of the reason I'm watching. I was reading the media thread the other night while debating if I wanted to bother and someone mentioned he'd be on. 

Just looked at the wikipedia page and Piff the Magic Dragon is on, too! Yay!

Also Courtney Hadwin. Haven't we seen enough?

Edited January 9, 2019 by ams1001

[ketchuplover]

Tyra>Terry 

[roamyn]

@peachmangosteen, Jonathan Antoine was part of the duo that lost to a dog.  He’s an opera singer that Simon likened to Pavarotti.  He has albums certified Gold & Silver and has been invited to pretty much every major opera house in the world.  He even made me like Opera!

[SnarkyTart]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

That's part of the reason I'm watching. I was reading the media thread the other night while debating if I wanted to bother and someone mentioned he'd be on. 

I'm all in for Prince Poppycock, Tape Face, Viktor Kee, and Shin Lim. Also interested in seeing unfamiliar acts from other countries, although if that Australian dance crew was any indicator, eww.

[anthonyd46]

Darci and shin lim are on mat Franco grace and Terry are not. 

[DEL901]

On 2019-01-08 at 6:06 PM, lynxfx said:

Has it been mentioned what the winner gets? Is it the same as the summer show, 1 million plus a 3 night headlining show in Vegas?

If they get a million, I hope it is paid all at once like Survivor and not over 40 years like regular AGT seasons.  

[Commando Cody]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Also Courtney Hadwin. Haven't we seen enough?

More than enough. 

She didn't even make the top 5. Her schtick worked with the general viewing audience for one or two performances. After that, she was done. She's probably there because she signed a record deal and Simon needs to remind everyone to buy her album. 

[Irlandesa]

On 1/8/2019 at 4:45 PM, helenamonster said:

I found Simon's comment about some people who won not wanting to come back because they're afraid of losing. Of the AGT winners, this is who is not listed to be on this show: Terry Fator, Kevin Skinner, Michael Grimm, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., Olate Dogs, Mat Franco, and Grace VanderWaal (Neal E. Boyd died last year). I'm not saying they all refused for the reason Simon said, but that is a lot. I remember people mentioning here that Kevin Skinner really was just a normal dude who picked up a guitar and started singing and wasn't into all the fame that came with the show, and that Mat Franco is dealing with some legal troubles currently? Grace is the most surprising to me, given how much she was pimped on her season, but I am not at all disappointed.

Unless there's something else, Mat Franco is suing his management company.  But with guys like Terry and Mat, I wonder if part of the reason they're not doing it is because they're busy and can make more money doing their shows in Vegas than coming back to AGT. 

[retrograde]

On 1/8/2019 at 1:52 AM, lynxfx said:

Justice Crew, Dance Crew: Worst act of the night. How in the hell did this win Australia's Got Talent? Forgettable song, amateur dancing, pure cheese. They looked like the fake band/crew you would see on a made for tv movie complete with the generic music.

You answered your own question: Australians luuurve cheese. That song, I'm sorry to say, was a big No. 1 hit (seven years ago, but still).

Australia's Got Talent is also not one of the better reality competition shows in the country (even by the standard of Australian reality competition shows, which...) and doesn't attract that much, yknow, talent. A lot of kid singers and adult performers who pull on the heart strings more than they're actually good.

This is really the only good thing to ever come out of it.