Americas Got Talent 8- Leon Etienne & Romy Low are Wildcards

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

On Americas Got Talent's results show last week, there was good news for magic fans all over America First of all, Colins Key made it automatically through to the top 12, surpassing such fan favorites as Catapult Entertainment, Dave Fenley and Johnathan Allen in the vote. This was followed by a major revelation from Howard Stern. This year, each judge got to pick a previously eliminated act to compete in the semifinals, and Howard chose illusionists Leon Etienne & Romy Low.

Was This a Good Choice?

Don't get me wrong, Leon & Romy are a very good magic act, and I'm happy to see them in the semifinals. But the fact is that their previous performance was a disappointment, and there are a large number of acts that should have been chosen instead (Such as Ciana Pelekai, American Hitmen and Hype). The fact that Leon & Romy were put through in spite of their failure has left a negative taste in the mouth for a number of viewers, who have probably written them off as a waste of space. However, Leon & Romy have one major advantage- Unlike this year's other wildcard acts (Tone the Chiefrocca, Red Panda and Duo Resonance), who were notable for their lack of range, they have the capacity to bounce back and improve heavily on their previous performances.  However, unless they do something truly amazing, they are unlikely to emulate AGT's two great Wild Card magicians, Michael Grasso and Landon Swank, and turn from seat fillers into serious favorites.


What Should Leon & Romy Do?

Leon & Romy's trick in the Third Live Show, shown above, was a version of Lance Burton's classic "Backstage" illusion. It was actually pretty good if you were watching closely. To explain it without the "Showing you from behind" patter, Leon walked from the box to the table, then vanished from beneath the table to reappear inside the box. The main problem was the fact that "Backstage" is a fairly slow routine, in the sense that it is not clear what the surprise is supposed to be until the very end. AGT's audience demands instant gratification- They want to have an idea of what is happening from the beginning, and don't want a protracted build-up. For that reason, Leon & Romy should try and keep their Semifinal performance as simple as possible. Whilst Colins Key got away with doing an over-elaborate trick last week, Leon & Romy can't afford to make that mistake again due to their lack of exposure, smaller fan base and their status as a wild card.

The two other things that Leon & Romy need to do have been mentioned in earlier posts. They need to do something that the majority of AGT's audience hasn't seen before, and they need to do something spectacular. Colins Key has raised the bar incredibly high, and Leon & Romy will need to give it everything they've got if they want to join him in the next round.

What is the competition like?

Last week, Colins Key benefited immensely from the below-par performances of many of his rivals. This week, however, the standard appears to be very high. Leon & Romy will be facing:

1. The KriStef Brothers- It's still uncertain whether or not The KriStef Brothers will be able to perform, due to the neck injury that kept them out of last week's show. That said, If they do perform, I can't wait to see them. They are great acrobats and very amusing. Their main problem is the fact that they will be up against two other excellent acrobatics acts, who we will get to later.
2. Branden James - Branden James is a very good opera singer, but the very similar Johnathan Allen failed to make it through last week. Granted, Johnathan was up against the superior Forte, but it could be a sign that voters are tiring of opera singers, or rallying behind Forte.
3. Anna Christine - Anna Christine is a very talented and mature singer for her age, but she scraped through the last round by the narrowest of margins after a weak performance. Furthermore, the prize for winning, a show at Las Vegas, is too big for a ten-year-old, so viewers will not vote for her unless she does something Spectacular.
4. Marty Brown - Marty Brown shouldn't be here. His previous performance was a disaster, and the fact that he went through despite it upset a large number of viewers. If he gives another performance like that, his legion of fans may desert him. But even if he gives a good performance, he has hostile viewers and an immediate rival to contend with
5. The American Military Spouses Choir - The AMSC are decent singers, but the main reason they have advanced this far is due to support for their cause. They need to give a knockout performance to prove that they deserve to go further in the competition.
6. Kenchini Ebina - Two weeks ago, Kenchini Ebina was unquestionably the favorite to win, until he was upstaged by Catapult Entertainment. However, last week, Catapult Entertainment disappointed and barely made it through as a judges choice. This means that Kenchini is in a good position to reclaim his status as the act to beat, but he needs to give a performance even better then his last one- certainly a tricky task.
7. The Chicago Boyz - The Chicago Boyz are exciting and energetic, but they are the weakest of the three acrobatics acts performing this week, and the fact that they lost a member to injury leaves them at a further disadvantage.
8. Jimmy Rose- Marty Brown's aforementioned rival, Jimmy Rose is another Kentucky-based country singer. He is probably more talented overall and unlike Marty, earned his place in the semifinals, but Marty has more experience and an obsessive fan base gained from years of performing. Which of the two makes it through depends on the quality of their performance on the night.
9. Timber Brown -Aerialist Timber Brown is energetic, strong and graceful- everything a performer of his kind should be. Unfortunately, he is up against a number of safer, more appealing acts. There is a real risk that he will become this year's Donovan and Rebecca- A brilliant acrobat who doesn't get the support he deserves from AGT's voters.
10. D'Angelo and Amanda - Child Dance acts have always fared well on AGT, and D'Angelo and Amanda are likely to continue that trend. D'Angelo is a former member of The Untouchables, one of last year's finalists, and he and Amanda have been performing together for years. Their previous performance was undeniably impressive, but can they keep the momentum up?
11. John Wing - In contrast to Taylor Williamson's awkward personality and un-PC material, John Wing is a safer, more old-fashioned type of stand-up comedian. I personally prefer him to Taylor, but I worry that voters will find him boring by comparison.

Predictions

Leon & Romy's chances of making it through are very slim. As mentioned earlier, many viewers probably resent the fact that they were chosen as wildcards ahead of more deserving acts. Their opponents are very strong (And include three acts from Leon & Romy's heat) , and a better magician, Colins Key, has aleady got through. Leon & Romy need to do something amazing if the want to beat the odds and get through, and the more likely scenario is that they will redeem themselves, but not enough to get though.