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Wednesday 30 July 2014

Americas Got Talent 9 Live Shows - David and Leeman

For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers


How Did David and Leeman Do?


David & Leeman, Quarter Finals 1 ~ America's... by HumanSlinky

For their live show performance, David and Leeman began by taking a "Selfie" of themselves and the judges and uploading it onto Twitter. They then took out four books (all of which were autobiographies which had been written by the judges during their career outside AGT), and had each judge choose a book (Not their own), tear a random page out of it, and tear that page up into smaller pieces.  They then got Howard to choose a number between one and ten. He chose seven, and David gave Howie the seventh scrap of paper in the pile. He then told Howie to pick the longest word on his scrap of paper, which turned out to be "Camera-Ready". David and Leeman then showed the "Selfie" that they had uploaded to Twitter- "Camera-Ready" was the opening word in the tweet containing the photo. Furthermore, they had also changed their signature name tags to show the chosen word.

The trick was not as original as David and Leeman's audition, but it was still clever, and the presentation was funny and creative. However, there were two major flaws which almost ruined the performance. The first of these was the use of all four judges as volunteers. As Collins Key found out on several occasions last year, they are not very co-operative, and their banter proved to be an annoying distraction. A more serious problem was the fact that David and Leeman were unusually specific when telling Howie to pick a word, advising him to pick the biggest word he could, and making him change his choice because the first one he picked ("Wrong") was not impressive enough. This damaged the trick, because reducing Howie's freedom reduced the impact of the correct prediction. In spite of the errors, David and Leeman did well enough to avoid being an outright disappointment, but their performance could have been so much better.


What Did the Judges Say?

Howard, Mel B and Howie gave David and Leeman a standing ovation. Mel B called them "Genius" and Howie said their tricks were "Baffling". Howard was more reserved, enjoying the trick but feeling that the delivery dragged. Heidi said that she preferred their audition and agreed with Howard's criticisms of the delivery.

What Was the Competition Like?

For the most part, David and Leeman's competition was strong. However, two acts can be ruled out very quickly. JD Anderson repeated stunts from his earlier performances and made a number of mistakes, whilst Sean & Luke's performance was too noisy and not precise enough. Valo & Bobby provided a spectacular performance, but the levels of danger involved may prevent viewers from voting for them. The Willis Clan's appeal may be limited to fans of country music, whilst Julia Goodwin squandered her haunting voice on an inappropriate song choice ("Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls). Dan Naturman was funny, but his material is better suited to a deadpan approach instead of the hyperactive delivery he uses. Jasmine Flowers were beautiful to watch, but bad staging and lighting distracted from their performance. The two other dance troupes in the heat, Flight Crew Jump Rope and Baila Conmigo were fast-paced, energetic and precise, but i'm not sure if they're unique enough to be major contenders.  Two acts are almost guaranteed to make it through. Emily West provided a unique and spectacular rendition of Sia's song "Chandelier", whilst Miguel Dakota blended his heartthrob looks with the voice and style of a Rockstar twice his age.

What Are David and Leeman's Chances of Reaching the Next Round?

With five acts going through this week instead of the usual four, David and Leeman have a good chance of reaching the semi-finals due to their creativity and the American public's love of magic acts. However, due to the fact that their Live Show performance was not as professional or unique as their audition, they might have to advance as a Judge's Choice.

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