It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. ~ A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
Piers Morgan stated a number of times in the latter half of America’s Got Talent it was like watching two shows, the first half was awful and the second half was brilliant. That is what these quotes by Charles Dickens and the judge, Piers Morgan, sum up perfectly about Tuesday night’s show. If I thought last week’s show was really bad, this one took home the prize. Once again there were some acts that faltered on the big stage. Then there was one act that seemed to just give up and do whatever he wanted. It was the only act in the quarterfinals thus far to get all three buzzed X’s by the judges. For a moment I thought I was watching The Gong Show. In all fairness half of the acts were really bad to mediocre at best and then the other half was absolutely entertaining and show-stopping. Here’s how it went down.
The Absolute Worst Act Ever on America’s Got Talent
Chips Cooney – He was truly funny as the magician with the deadpan humor and personality to match. However, he did not come out as that character the judges as well as others enjoyed seeing on Tuesday night. It’s as if Chips went through some metamorphosis and wanted to sabotage his opportunity on America’s Got Talent. No, he did not abandon his routine in the last minute, because the girls standing at edge of the stage were definitely part of the act.
What Chips Cooney did instead was so bad it wasn’t even funny. I was actually embarrassed for him. He came out as the magician explaining he ran out of illusions, so he is going to become a Chippendale dancer. Yes, he did take off his pants and shirt. It was not a pretty sight. Piers Morgan buzzed him right away as he was the only one of the night buzzing away other acts too. After that I was praying Sharon and Howie would buzz this hideous talent off my TV screen. My prayers were answered when all three buzzers and X’s sounded off. I was never so glad to hear that sound and see all three X’s in red.
Mediocre – What More Can I Say?
South Philly Vikings – They opened the show with their interesting costumes, vivid colors and techno music sounds. I liked when they opened up their capes with their bright shiny colors. However, I don’t recall seeing them at the auditions or in the Vegas judging. Piers Morgan buzzed them, because he felt it was just grown men dressed up in costumes not knowing how to dance very well. Granted, they are all blue collar workers with a passion for performing. They don’t have extensive dance training, but it was the judges who put them through.
CJ Dippa – This 11-year old is truly talented and has a lot going for him in the future. Unfortunately that future doesn’t mean a headline show in Vegas later this year. CJ was truly in his element in the auditions, but it didn’t transcend very well on the big stage. It sounded like CJ’s voice was cracking at times while rapping. I really liked his dance moves at the end. He had some nervous energy with his replies when the judges were asking him questions.
Harmonica Pierre – That was some outstanding harmonica playing by Pierre. Piers gave him a compliment of the highest order saying he plays on the same level as Larry Adler, one of the most famous harmonica players. The problem with the performance was those distracting dancers. The music was good, but certainly not “wow”.
Polina Volchek – Talk about one of the most disappointing performances of the night. She blew me and just about everyone else away with her stunning hula hoops act. Tuesday night all she did was a few contortion moves with a rope. Piers buzzed Polina, because he felt her act was completely dull. I actually agreed with him.
The Strange Familiar – I was never a fan of this musical group in the first place. The song choice for the lead vocalist was horrendous. She sounded like she was out of tune most of the time. Their performance was alright, but not anything special at all.
Luigi – His nerves certainly got the better of him. I actually liked the song choice of his by Maroon 5’s This Love. Luigi seemed nervous and unsure at times onstage. Piers buzzed him, because he obviously didn’t like the performance and knew he was better than that. Once again, here was another act that was great in the auditions, but it didn’t translate to the big stage.
The Best of the Night By Far!
Haspop – In my humble opinion it was without a doubt the best performance thus far on America’s Got Talent this season. I was a fan of Haspop when I first saw him in the L.A. auditions with its opening episode for Season 5. His combination of mime, hip hop and comedy was in perfect synchronization to the music in every beat. The routine was about Haspop’s life story. There were filmed images in the background, along with sound effects and an incredible remix dance track. This was one of the acts with the “Wow” factor in it.
Kaya and Sadie – These were the buxom belly dancers I was not keen on during the Chicago auditions whatsoever. They certainly changed my mind with their stunning routine. In the beginning they used these red flowing shawls as props when they were spinning around. It truly looked like something from the Arabian Nights classic stories. Seeing these girls belly dance was very entertaining to watch. Howie was of course speechless. He said “all I could do was watch, not judge.” That I do believe.
Jeremy VanSchoonhoven – He’s the mountain bike climber from Talent, Oregon. Yes, you read that correctly. Jeremy comes from a town called Talent. His routine took on a dangerous element when he was blind-folded. I was holding my breath the whole time. To say Jeremy is always amazing and takes his act to another level each and every time is an understatement. It was also another “wow” moment of the night.
Debra Romer – As I’ve mentioned countless times before in previous weekssome actsnever improve when they get to the big stage in Hollywood. Yet, there are some that radiate with confidence, growth and a bigger talent. That was certainly the case with Debra. She was the intensely shy girl who was nervous during her first audition. Once she sang it was a completely different side of her. I was amazed at how much she has changed for the better from the previous auditions. Throughout her song, which was by Fleetwood Mac, she held her own and simply captivated me and probably most of the audience. It’s not easy singing a song by Stevie Nick’s. I’ll never forget seeing Piers give Debra a standing ovation afterwards.
Studio One Young Beast Society – To close out the show they had a dance group who I know we did not see during the auditions. It’s just as well, because we might have had too many expectations on them. Before they performed it was noted by the judges a dance group has not gone on to the semi-finals yet. After their closing performance that brought the house down I think they will be the lone dance group to be in the semi finals in a couple of weeks. They were truly magnificent and also had the definite “wow” factor.
It was almost half and half of good to bad performances, though there were slightly more of the bad ones. However, the good ones definitely made up for the deficit. One good thing about Tuesday night’s performance night it’s not as cut and dry as it has been in the past two weeks on who will be in the Top 4. Quite frankly I have my favorites, but only time will tell. Stay tuned for the results show with the first season winner of America’s Best Dance Crew, JabbaWockeeZ and the singer Mike Posner.
SOURCES:
A Tale of Two Cities: Important Quotations Explained, SparksNotes
America’s Got Talent, NBC
Carla Patton, “America’s Got Talent: Third Group of 12”, Buddy TV
