It’s Wild Card Week on America’s Got Talent tonight. This is when the acts who didn’t make the Top 24 the first time around get a second chance to prove to America and the judges that they have what it takes to win $1 million and headline a Las Vegas show.
This year, Avery and the Calico Hearts, Charles Peachock, J Chris Newberg, Landon Swank, Seth Grabel, Shevonne, Summerwind Skippers, The Fiddleheads, The Kinetic King, Those Funny Little People, West Springfield Dance Team, and Yellow Designs Stunt Team all get that second chance. Some of them deserve this chance. Others, not so much. But no matter how close or how far they were the first time, they all have to step it up a notch to win over our hearts. And votes.
I will be blogging the performances live after the jump.
“Live from Hollywood, this is America’s Got Talent. And here’s your host, Nick Cannon.”
Nick looks nervous walking out on stage, since it is set up for The Kinetic King’s second chance. Wouldn’t it be funny if Nick accidentally broke something while walking through all that stuff?
Okay, maybe not so much for The Kinetic King. But the rest of us would be dying with laughter.
Piers Morgan is being a pompous jerk again.
The Kinetic King is, indeed, the first one up tonight, brought back by Piers. The King says he’s been obsessing over every detail this time around, not wanting a repeat of several weeks ago. No glue this time, he says. And no girls doing a quick dance to start things off. Just a countdown with Nick and the audience’s help. It looks for just a moment like the cans and sticks weren’t going to fall over, but they do get going. There are some really cool tricks taking place as everything topples over, ending with several trash cans collapsing off a table. It’s a slow act overall, something that would cause anyone else to be dinged. But it worked. Nice job.
And “Fetal Position of Victory” for the win.
Next up is a favorite of Howie Mandel and the bane of Piers: Those Funny Little People. I did not see their Top 48 performance, but I did see their audition. And as much as it pains me, I agreed with Piers back then. They are dancing to “Constantanoble.” Piers wastes no time pressing his X. And then he hides his eyes for the rest of the performance. I could see this being an act at a theme park, and I could even see it being turned into a 90-minute show that includes the comedy bits we see in the pre-performance video. But for this show, it just doesn’t work for me. I won’t threaten to quit watching if they make it through, though.
Sharon Osbourne’s first pick of the night is Avery and the Calico Hearts. I hate trashing little kids, but this act completely rips off the Chipmunks. Bad notes throughout their Top 48 performance, especially from the two back-up singers sealed their fate. They’ve brought in young boys as back-up dancers this time, which causes Piers to buzz. It’s still a bad chipmunk impersonation, starting off with a wrong note and never recovering. I’m ready for these chipmunk wannabes to be put out to pasture.
Chris Daughtry Seth Grabel has Howie to thank for his second chance tonight. I didn’t see his Top 48 performance, and can’t say I remember him from the auditions. Seth starts out high above the stage holding on to the inside of a really large hula hoop. He starts with a monologue as he’s being lowered, which makes no sense. AFter a few gymnastic moves, he makes a car appear on stage with miniature versions of the judges. The act was slow, contained a lot of flash, but almost no content. The mini-judges steal the spotlight once they come out. Send Seth home, but put the mini-judges through.
Shevonne, who actually went home during Vegas week, is back courtesy of Sharon. This is another act that I have no memory of seeing before. She has a really weird staccato singing style, but it actually works. Or, it did work. I don’t know if the key change, tempo change, or ring of fire surrounding her. But the song went downhill fast. She lost the key and never found it again. Sharon doesn’t call her out on it. Howie says they made a mistake letting her go in Vegas. Piers says they were wrong to send her home as well, though at least he does mention she was “a little pitchy.”
Would someone please hand the judges some Q-Tips? This is getting ridiculous.
Another Sharon pick takes the stage in the form of the West Springfield Dance Team. These vampire wannabes failed to stay synced with each other last week. They do a little better this week, but the make-up truck that exploded all over them before the show is really distracting. Okay, to be fair, they are all dressed like the Joker from Batman. At least they have an obvious theme this week, which this horror dance troupe didn’t have last week. Still, they pale, badly, in comparison to the other dance acts still in the competition.
Comedic singer J Chris Newberg is back thanks to Howie. I didn’t see his Top 48 performance, and I’m thinking that is a good thing. Piers wastes no time buzzing Chris (when did Piers become the voice of reason on this show?). Chris does a roast of Piers tonight, all of which he reads off little note cards. His face doesn’t change emotion once during the act, making me think that a clinic nearby is missing a whole lot of Botox. The audience reaction contained a lot of boos after most of his “jokes,” a term I use extremely likely here.
Thankfully, we are now just over halfway through with tonight’s show. If not for the fact that there are acts to come that I’m looking forward to, I would be calling it a night and going to bed.
Sharon finally does something right by bringing back Yellow Design Stunt Team. I don’t think these stunt bikers are as good as the Smage Bros., but I do like them and their stunts. They have a pirates theme going this time. If memory serves, last time the theme they had going on on stage distracted from the stunts. They seem to have learned their lesson this time as they put much more focus on the stunts. One trick near the end results in a small spill, but nothing too bad. I finally have an act I really want to see make it through to the next round.
Piers brings juggler Charles Peachock back for a second chance. He is going back to his dangerous juggling route, which means I may not have the stomach to watch his performance, as I have a low tolerance for dangerous acts. A chainsaw on fire is pushing my limits. Balancing swords on top of his forehead while juggling other swords forces me turn off the feed. After giving him enough time to either finish or kill himself, I turn it back on to hear the judges say how sorry it all went wrong. Sounds like he dropped something. He still seems to have all his limbs, so I’m guessing he wasn’t harmed in the process of failing.
Howie brings back The Fiddleheads, a Bluegrass Band, for their second chance. I didn’t see their Top 48 performance, but I have seen their music and I’m really looking forward to hearing them. They give us a simple, laid back, bluegrass performance. They do a really great job. Bluegrass is a unique sound, and apparently doesn’t sit well with Piers as he buzzes them halfway through the song. It was a terrific performance, and Piers insistence that the band is holding back the lead singer is ludicrous. Thankfully, the audience simply boos Piers into silence. Nice to see that the world is back in order.
Piers brings back Summerwind Skippers, a jump-rope skipping routine that, surprisingly, didn’t make it through to the Top 24. Their pre-performance video indicates that their routine is practiced to perfection, which worries. There are so many good dance troupes in the competition, they need to give it 200% to have a chance. They recover from an early mistake to do some amazing jump-rope skipping routines. Wait…….. are those ropes on fire? My stomach just dropped to my feet, but they pull it off. Amazing. Come on, America. Vote them through.
The final act of the night, magician Landon Swank, has Piers to thank for his second chance. I felt sorry for Landon in his Top 48 performance, as he had to spend most of his rehearsal time fixing a piece that broke in transit. For his act tonight, his hands are cuffed behind his back and his head is chained to the bottom of an underwater tank. As he is prepped, a video of him explaining the trick to the audience. He has one minute to escape before a rescue team comes to get him out. As the coworkers put the lid on, Landon quickly escapes the handcuffs. A curtain is raised over the tank. Shortly after the 60 second mark, the curtain drops and Landon is seen on top of the tank while his female assistant is in the tank. Amazing.
My picks for tonight are Summerwind Skippers, The Fiddleheads, Landon Swank, and the Yellow Design Stunt Team.
What did you think about tonight’s America’s Got Talent? Do you agree with my picks? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
And don’t forget to join me and Rickey, from Rickey.org, tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 11 PM ET / 10 PM CT for the Idol Radio Show as we discuss tonight’s performances, tomorrow’s results show, and other entertainment news.
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