Do It Live: America’s Got Talent, Season 6, Ep 19 (4th Quarterfinals)

Here we are, people. The last week of the Quarterfinals on season 6 of America’s Got Talent. It’s been a great mix of variety acts and novel musicians. Most of the singers who have moved on would not have stood a chance on previous seasons for not appealing to obvious demographics.

Tonight is going to be a strange one for the show. We have acts that clearly can’t fill a 90 second audition that could be X’d before they’re finished. We have danger acts and young musicians and even an impressionist who just flows from one character to the next. Who will move on by capturing America’s hearts and who will be the first act to be prevented from finishing their performance? Someone is going to get 3 X’s tonight. I can feel it. I’m also going to try updating the site in reverse. Meaning, the newest act will appear on top for easier reading. Then I’ll just sort it all out after the show.

First up is The Kinetic King. He’s the man who makes the domino-like chain reactions out of stick-bomb bundles. The judges seemingly put him through out of admiration for his work and liking his honesty about his act. I don’t see this moving on because he’s a one note act, but he sure is a lot of fun.

The stage is already set up for his performance. Nick Cannon was actually held in a cherry-picker over the stage to prevent setting off the reaction before the show is ready to judge him. He gets dancer girls to assist him in launching the act which is set to “Eye of the Tiger.” The reaction is not going off. Piers X’d him. He was aiming for the world record and everything went wrong. Howie X’d him. He gives up. 2 X’s.

Second tonight is Zuma Zuma. They’re the tumbling team originally from Kenya that put on the high energy and super-dangerous stunt shows. Will they once again perform to “Who Let the Dogs Out?”

The stage is set with two large poles and some stunt mats. Their background is a moving African plain. They are performing to “Calabria 2007.” Their stunts are well choreographed to the music, though I’d like to see more happening onstage. At least they’re doing an upbeat song and continually moving. The pole work is fun, but not as dynamic as their tumbling. The back flips from one bar to the next are impressive. The fall down at the end was a nice touch. No X’s.

Up third are Avery and the Calico Hearts. They’re the young singing girl group with the solid harmonies. I don’t know if they’re quite ready for Vegas, but I do appreciate genuinely talented children getting a chance on a show like this. Can they appeal to a wide enough audience to move through?

There’s a light-up neon house on the stage. The children are singing a Stevie Wonder song. Their harmonies are already off. The background is an expanding star in bright blue. Avery has a very dynamic presence onstage. I think they are struggling to adjust to the in-ear monitors. This song is a little mature for girls this young. It’s a nice performance, but I’m a little thrown off by the song. No X’s.

Fourth tonight is Charles Peachock. He’s the high-tech, high danger juggler who did the LED juggling audition. Can he escape the drop everything pitfall that has hurt jugglers before him?

He is sitting down at a piano. He’s juggling balls off of a piano. Sharon buzzes him. It’s actually an old-fashioned act. I don’t know if he knows that or not. He’s playing the “Can-Can” with two dancing girls. I think it’s a little too static. The music changes and Howie X’s him into “Jailhouse Rock.” He’s still playing the piano. I think this is a big misfire. He’s not playing in beat. Now he’s just playing the bass line. 2 X’s.

Tonight’s fifth performer is Sam B. He’s the large dancer that the judges like to laugh at. He’s fodder to be eliminated instantly. How long will they let him go on?

Sam B is doing an 80′s themed act to a Black Eyed Peas song. He gets a bunch of dancers to back him up. He’s doing his usual high-energy club dancing. I’m kind of in awe. Piers X’d him. Thank you, Piers. He’s just kind of jumping and pointing now. The dancers around him are trying to make this work. He’s just a crazy guy that doesn’t get that people are laughing at him. Sad. The confetti cannon at the end is a nice touch. 1 X.

Sixth, Taylor Davis takes the stage. He’s the heavier singing guitar player. Otherwise, I couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. Can he do enough to stand out tonight?

Taylor Davis is singing “Falling Slowly” from Once. It’s very low-key. Piers X’d him. The background is a photograph of a park with falling leaves. Taylor’s just a bit mellow sitting there on a stool and singing this song. He has pitch issues with his falsetto on the chorus. Now the back-up track/singers are over-powering him. He has a good voice, but he’s a bit too small for this arena. Bigger is better on a stage like this. 1 X.

Up seventh is Melissa Villasenor. She is the judge’s choice who does the great comedic impressions. Can she string together a cohesive set in 90 seconds on live TV?

Melissa is standing with a microphone and live video on both sides of the screen. She starts with Drew Barrymore, weight issues, and crying. She switches to Owen Wilson. This is an odd act. It’s a bit specific in its targets. Now she’s doing Sharon Osborne…poorly. Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, and Mariah Carey are going to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She already did the Christina impression before. She’s losing focus in front of the audience. Now she’s doing a spot-on Judy Garland. I think she ran out of time. No X’s.

Eighth tonight is Scott Alexander. He’s the magician who did the fabulous water levitation audition. If he goes with an unexpected twist on a classic trick again, he could be voted through no problem.

There is a gospel choir onstage. His assistant is standing in a curtained-off booth. It’s a Church/gospel themed trick. Nice angle for a magic act. Now get to the trick. The chorus is now in the curtained platform. He’s going to make them disappear. Very slick big disappearance trick. He even dropped both of the curtains and had the full choir reappear in the balcony. A great spin on an old trick. Nicely played. No X’s.

Going ninth are Fatally Unique. They’re the hip-hop dance crew that had the unfortunate accident in Las Vegas. They’re a very clean and very large dance crew. Can they distinguish themselves from the other dance acts already seen on the show?

The stage is some post-apocalyptic wasteland. The dancers are dressed as military personnel. They’re marching into their first formation. It’s very “Rhythm Nation.” Now they’re doing the style that got them through to the live rounds. It’s clean and exciting. I think they made a mistake choosing lesser known songs for the main part of their routine. Still, I could see this being turned into a Las Vegas show. Very engaging performers. No X’s.

Tenth, we have Yellow Designs Stunt Team. They’re the bicycling stunt crew that biffed a trick in their initial audition and tried it right again without stopping. Has American gotten tired of two-wheel stunt shows yet?

The theme is The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. There are two large ramps covered in large playing cards flanking the stage. I hope they fair better than the Wonderland musical. There are dancers in whacky costumes onstage. The camerawork is atrocious again. Why can’t they show us the full stage for a stunt show? I see they’re reusing the golden chandelier from Dezmond Meeks’ audition. The team hasn’t made many mistakes. It’s just an odd choice of audition. No X’s.

The eleventh act is Frank Miles. He’s the insane stunt performer. He juggled in water with tasers and jumped on foam coolers that may have held a knife. What can he do to raise the bar without disgusting the audience?

There is a girl onstage holding a balloon while Frank Miles gets the crowd used to shooting a crossbow. An expected successful hit. There is a chain reaction of crossbows that will kill him if he doesn’t get out of the way in time. No, wait. He’s going to have a jelly donut shot off of his head. If it goes wrong, he dies. He’s approaching it with humor to calm the audience. And he missed the donut. Boo. No X’s.

Unsurprisingly, another judge’s favorite that received a lot of screen time ends the show. Team iLuminate go last. They did that amazing audition with the light-up costumes sequenced to the music. Can they keep that magic going with a limited range of technology at their disposal?

There’s a separated body floating across the stage. They’re dancing to Katy Perry’s “E.T.” Very nice choreography and playful use of the technology. It’s an engaging act that could sustain a show in Vegas. The choreography could be a bit more expansive. It’s groovy, but a bit static in its placement on stage. The visuals are great but the dancers could be challenged more. Now they’re really using the stage for some clever gags. A dancer just floated off with wings. Great ending. No X’s.

Personal Ranking:

1. Team iLuminate
2. Fatally Unique
3. Scott Alexander
4. Frank Miles
5. Zuma Zuma
6. Yellow Designs Stunt Team
7. Avery and the Calico Hearts
8. Melissa Villasenor
9. Taylor Davis
10. Charles Peachock
11. Sam B
12. Kinetic King

Prediction:

• Team iLuminate
• Frank Miles
• Yellow Designs Stunt Team
• Fatally Unique
• Alternate: Melissa Villasenor

This was a great episode. I haven’t had this much fun with the show in a long time.