Americas Got Talent Live show 4- Eric Dittelman

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

HOW DID ERIC DO?

The magic acts in the live shows of Americas Got Talent this year have generally been either disappointing (Jarrett and Raja, Spencer Horsman) or just mediocre (Hawley Magic). But not Eric Dittelman. For his live performance, he did a trick inspired by judge Howie Mandel's show "Deal or No Deal". He had Howie choose a single suitcase out of a possible 16. He then had Howard and Sharon remove half the suitcases, before inviting Howie to change his suitcase for one of the eight remaining ones, which he did. Eric soon revealed that the case Howie now had was the only one of the 16 with "You will choose this Case" inside. He then revealed a sealed envelope, which contained a message that correctly predicted Howie's choice. Eric really upped his game with a more elaborate trick and a unique, appropriate, and professional presentation. He could get really far in this competition.

WHAT DID THE JUDGES SAY?

All three judges gave Eric a standing ovation. Howard said Eric kept getting "Better and Better and Better" each time and added "If America doesn't vote for him, there must be something wrong with the show". Howie called him "The real deal". Sharon finished by calling the performance incredible and saying "The whole of America will be talking about [You] tomorrow morning".

WHAT IS THE COMPETITION LIKE?

This was probably one of the most competitive Americas Got Talent heats ever. As well as Eric, two other acts gained standing ovations from the whole panel; innovative musician William Close (together with his Earth Harp Collective) was singled out as a potential winner, and dog act Olate Dogs went down well with the judges and audience despite a couple of minor mistakes. Apart from them, It's anyone's guess. Ulysses can be ruled out, however, as he gained three X's, having spent the series wasting his strong voice on an awful TV theme-tune gimmick. Horse took more blows to the genitals, and was amusing, but his act is more suited to a 10-minute office break on YouTube then a Vegas stage. Singer-and-guitarist duo Eric & Oliva are talented but bland. Series 1 veterans All That are one of the best dance acts in the competition, but risk being overshadowed by their opponents, as do Unity in Motion, a dance and contortion act who attempted to copy moves from recently-confirmed semifinalist Turf in a bid to stand out. Lindsey Norton is a solo gymnast with an act similar to Unity in Motion's. She is talented, but should head to London rather then Vegas. Human cannonball David "The Bullet" Smith is incredibly talented, and I liked his American Football theme, but his act, like so many others this week, is not suitable for Vegas. Sand artist Joe Castilo is talented and innovative, but his environment-themed routine may have turned off as many as it impressed, something you cannot afford to do in this heat. Finally, Mariachi singer Sebastien "El Charro de Oro" is talented and may gain support from a Latin fan base, but seems to be a little too young and unusual for many voter's tastes. In short, most of these acts would have easily made it through in any of the other heats (Especially the first and third ones), but here, their future looks a lot less certain.

WHAT ARE HIS CHANCES?

The competition may be tough, but Eric stood out and gained enough praise from judges and viewers to make his chances of advancing very good indeed.

Australia's Got Talent 6 Final - Soul mystique

Despite their tough opposition, Soul Mystique made the final as a judges choice. There, they pulled out all the stops in a bid to win the A$250,000 prize

What did they do?

For the final, Soul Mystique started with a mime routine, then gave us all sorts of clothes changes. They included a giant box which made them disappear, then reappear with different clothes, and all sorts of colourful cloths, suits and dresses. They finished by changing into wedding clothes amidst a shower of confetti. In short, an impressive performance. Soul Mystique have certainly came a long way since they first appeared in series 1, but have they come far enough to win a more competitive series?


What did the judges say?


All three judges gave Soul Mystique a standing ovation. Danni called them "Incredible" and said she couldn't figure their routine out. Kyle called it "spectacular" and praised the increased amount of clothes changes compared to previous routines. Finally, Brian praised the unique nature of the act and called it "mind boggling".


What is the competition like?

Unlike last years series, which was dominated by eventual winner Jack Vidgen,  there are no clear favourites this year, although the amazing gymnastics act Odyssey look the most likely to win. Also looking good are country rock band The Wolfe Brothers and singer-songwriters Joe Moore and Andrew De Silva, of whom the latter, with his more contemporary approach and devoted fan-base, looks the more likely winner. Dance crew Kookies N Kream and beat boxer Genesis are outsiders, but might fare well in the vote. Even stripper Dylan Yeandle, who looks out of place in the final, has a strong fan-base and can't be ruled out. Anyone could win this year.

What are their chances?


As a judges choice in the most competitive of the two Semifinals, Soul Mystique's chances of winning appear to be only moderate, but a strong performance and a solid fan-base mean they could spring an upset. I have a feeling they will be in the top 5 at least. 

Americas Got Talent live show 3-Spencer Horsman

For British Viewers, this article may contain spoilers


How did Spencer do?

It is common for magic acts to disappoint in the live shows, but Spencer Horsman's failure was especially frustrating, not least because, out of the four magic acts put through to the live shows, he had the most potential. For his live performance, Spencer was put in an iron straitjacket, then loaded into a mailbag, and hoisted in a box over a bed of spikes. He had 45 seconds to escape before he was dropped on the spikes. On paper, this seemed like a brilliant stunt, but Spencer made one major mistake; he chose to do the escape in shadow beneath a sheet, hiding it and turning him from the escapologist he had been in the auditions and Vegas into a magician. This meant that, unlike with his previous performances, there was never any doubt he would escape unharmed, even when he appeared to drop onto the spikes early. Furthermore, even as a magic trick, it wasn't difficult to figure out, due to the excessive amount of time spent locking Spencer inside the bag. Following Jarrett and Raja from two weeks ago, Spencer became the second magic act this year to be booed by the hard-to-please audience.


What did the judges say?


Sharon felt that the act was clever, but felt Spencer spent too much time wiggling in the bag, making the trick look boring, Howard was annoyed that he couldn't see Spencer behind the screen. Howie, however, put it best, however, when he said it "became A magic trick rather then an escape" and called it confusing


What was the competition like?


The heat was full of risky acts that could have either succeeded or failed. Most of them, however, did the latter: Rock Star Juggler Mike Price dropped a pin midway through his act, whilst Inspire the Fire lacked the personality of previous performances. Balancer Cristin Sandu's rola-bola tower collapsed within seconds of him climbing it. Jake Wesley Rogers sang a boring version of "Toxic", All Wheel Sports and their blend of biking, skating, trampolining, and cheerleading, were as cluttered as usual. Jacob Williams wasn't as funny as he was in previous rounds, whilst drag queen All Beef Patty was more boring then expected. The other four acts were solid, but with the exception of glow-in-the-dark puppeteers Light Wire Theater, none stood out. Elusive was a talented dancer, but is likely to be upstaged by other, better acts. The Untouchables, an offshoot of last years finalists Miami All-stars were as technically proficient as their predecessors, but, if they go through, will owe their place to a lack of adequate competition. Finally, rap-rock group Wordspit the Illest sang an original song, but were criticised for being too unconventional.


What are his chances?


Due to his highly disappointing performance, Spencer's chances of making the next round are pretty low.

Australias Got Talent series 6 semifinals-Soul Mystique

Australias got Talent is back in full swing, with the final drawing ever closer. Three magic acts made the live shows, but whilst comedy illusionist Pip and mentalist Anthony Laye didn't get through, quick-change duo Soul Mystique made the semifinals.

How Did they do?

Soul Mysique had a burlesque theme for their semi-final performance, and utilised jets of smoke, feathers and clothes racks for their costume changes. Whilst quick change is a pretty narrow field of magic, Soul Mystique's clothes changes were fresh and original. Unlike their equivalents from Americas Got Talent, David and Dania, who essentially repeated their audition performance throughout their run on the show,  Soul Mystique do something different and impressive each time.

What did the judges say?

Danni Minouge called it "Beautiful" and praised Soul Mystique for upping their game. Kyle Sadilands called it "fascinating" and hoped the duo made the final. Todd Mckenney, standing in for judge Brian Mcfadden, said he was "A mad fan", but voiced the only critisism, wondering if the busy nature of the act made some of the changes less spectacular. The performance also went down very well with the audience and host Grant Denyer

What is the competition like?

To reach the final, Soul Mystique will have to beat some tricky opposition. Three acts stood out in particular. Flowers For Midnight did an excellent version of "With a little help from my friends", The Nelson Twins are the funniest comedy act ever seen on Australias Got Talent, and Kookies N Kream could follow in the footsteps of previous champions Justice Crew. The other four acts weren't as good, but have significant fanbases. George and Noriko are a unique east-meets-west guitar act, The Wolfe Brothers sang an original song, Rhys Tolhurst is a young crooner with a strong voice, and Andrew De Silva is a very modern singer-songwriter. Unfortunately for Soul Mystique, this is the stronger of the two semifinals (they are one of six acts in this heat who got through by public vote)

What are their Chances?

Soul Mystique's Chances of reaching the final are only moderate, due to their tricky opposition, but they certainly deserve a place there

Americas Got Talent live show 2 - Hawley Magic

For British viewers, this article may contain spoilers

How Did Hawley Magic do?

For his live performance, magician Johnathan Hawley performed a version of the "Impaled" illusion. He balanced his assistant horizontally on a sword in the middle of the stage. He span her on the tip of the sword,  but she appeared to be impaled by it. However, Johnathan revived her and lifted her off the sword with barely a scratch. Like most of Hawley magic's tricks thus far, it was pretty routine, but, as far as I know, hasn't been done on Americas got talent before (At least not in this form). The presentation was humdrum, but the trick was executed flawlessly.

What Did The Judges Say?

Howard said Hawley Magic's illusion was strong, but called the presentation "Old school". However, he said it was an improvement on their Vegas performance. Sharon, though, felt the presentation was dated. Howie agreed with Howard and Sharon on the presentation,but said the trick was "Tremendous".

What Was The Competition Like?

The level of talent this week was stronger then last week, which is bad news for Hawley Magic. Whilst the talentless Big Barry can safely be ruled out, and The Lisa Clark Dancers, Aurora Light Painters and The All Ways disappointed, the other seven acts all have a chance  LionDanceMe were technically impressive, but came across as boring, and their act seems limited. Dancer and contortionist Turf is very talented, but needs to turn his two talents into an audience-pleasing act. Danielle Stallings gave a decent performance. Last week, she would have definitely gone through, but this week, her place in the next round looks uncertain. Comedian Tom Cotter applied his edgy and outrageous approach to common expressions. He was mildly amusing, but never laugh-out-loud funny. Finally, crossbow artist Ben Blacque made no mistakes,but prop malfunctions (A balloon he hit failed to burst properly) and the limited nature of his act could cost him.The other two acts, however, will almost certainly make it through. Acrobats Donovan and Rebecca performed an electrifying Ariel routine, whilst Tim Hockenberry applied his distinctive voice to a Katy Perry song and was as good as ever.

What are their chances?

Due to the mixed comments and strong competition, Hawley magic's chances of getting through to the next round are low.

Americas Got Talent Live show 1- Jarrett and Raja

For British viewers, this article may contain spoilers

How did Jarrett and Raja do?

Jarrett and Raja did a modern spin on the Spirit Pyramid trick. As Raja played "Singing in the Rain", Jarrett sang along, then went into a shower cubicle. He produced two assistants from under bath towels, before vanishing from the cubicle to reveal himself under a third towel. The cubicle was reopened to reveal Raja inside. The presentation was unique and interesting. However, it was marred by mistakes, with two particularly large problems: First, we could clearly see the legs of the assistants and Jarrett under the towels, and second, we didn't see Raja at all from the his introduction at the start of the performance to when he appeared in the shower. For all we know, he could have walked from the piano or gone down a trapdoor in plain sight. The latter mistake was probably due to the TV crew focusing on Jarrett, but it doesn't help the duo much, particularly as the errors they made led to a large section of the audience booing them. In short, their performance was very disappointing, and also frustrating, as, had a few mistakes been spotted and corrected in rehearsals, they would have came across a lot better to the audience, the judges, and the viewers at home

What did the judges say?. 

The judges generally criticized Jarrett and Raja's performance. Howard Stern said he felt "People thought they could figure out how to do that" and said they needed to bring "The pizzazz [they] had over in Vegas". Sharon Osbourne said it was "Cheesy" and that the duo needed "Longer towels". Howie Mandel disagreed with Howard, Sharon and the audience, saying "It was a good trick" and praising the showering theme.

What is their competition like?

With the exception of Michael Nejad, who created instruments out of household objects and got 3 X's, Jarrett and Raja's competition was superior, though generally mediocre. The Distinguished Men of Brass would be great in a parade, but don't seem to be real competitors. Ventriloquist and animal trainer Todd Oliver was criticized for his weak material, whilst Niki Jensen didn't do as well as she did in Vegas. The Scott Brothers and Edon were talented but unspectacular, whilst Lil Star was felt to be too young and inexperienced. American BMX Stunt Team and 787 Crew fared well with the crowd and judges, but appeared to take a conservative approach after making mistakes in Vegas. The best performances of the night were from the charming and talented father-daughter duo Shanice and Maurice Hayes and energetic dancing painters David Garibaldi and his CMYKS.

What are their chances?

Due to the bad reception from the audience and the judges, Jarrett and Raja's chances of making the next round are very slim indeed. 

Americas Got Talent- Vegas Round

For British Viewers, This article may contain Spoilers

Over Vegas week, seven magic acts competed to gain a spot in the live shows. But who went through?

1. Judges Favourites

Mentalist Eric Dittelman started things off by predicting the name of a (Fictional ) first crush of Sharon's, terrifying and amazing her and the rest of the judges. He was followed by two more traditional illusionists. Taylor Reed gave it his all and made a helicopter appear, whilst, on the other end of the price scale, the previously unseen Justin Riviera did a cut-price version of the "Modern Art" illusion with cardboard boxes. The presentation was interesting, but he made mistakes which spoiled the trick. Last up was Spencer Horsman, who escaped from a water tank in what was probably the scariest performance in all of Vegas Week (In the best possible way)

2. StandBys

Hawley Magic started proceedings with a double levitation. This was a clever spin on the classic illusion, but it wasn't particularly original or hard to figure out. Mentalist Giani followed and disappointed. Although he predicted which Number, city and name the judges chose correctly, he misspelt the name of the Judges chosen city, "Millan" as "Billan". Last up were Jarrett and Raja (Who I mistakenly called "Dirk and Roger" in my previous article). Having barely scraped through the auditions, they had a lot to prove in Vegas, and their performance was a huge improvement on their auditions. Raja got into a large box and played a small piano. Jarrett closed it, spun the box around, and made a whole orchestra appear with Raja. Whilst we've seen this sort of trick several times before, the excellent presentation made it stand out for the better.

Who went Through?

A record 4 magicians were put through to the live shows. They were...

1. Eric Dittelman
2. Spencer Horsman
3. Hawley Magic
4. Jarrett and Raja

I wish them all the best of luck in the live shows!