Americas Got Talent 9 Live Shows - Mat Franco

For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers

Last week, David and Leeman made it through automatically in spite of the fact that their Live Show performance wasn't as good as their audition. This week, close-up magician Mat Franco was among the twelve acts competing to join them in the next round.

How Did Mat Franco Do?

Mat Franco, Quarter Finals 2 ~ America's Got... by HumanSlinky

Mat Franco was under pressure to deliver a spectacular routine for the Live Shows, but fortunately, he succeeded in doing so. Mat began his routine by drawing a prediction on a wall with spray paint. He then got Heidi to pick a card (the Ten of Spades) and show it to the camera and audience. When she had done this, Mat revealed his prediction, which turned out to be the Two of Diamonds. Upon being told that this was not the chosen card, Mat took the spray paint and a candle, creating an impromptu flamethrower. He fired it at the wall, and the old prediction burned away to reveal a correct prediction of the chosen card - The Ten of Spades. However, Mat's initial prediction had to have some significance, and a few moments later, he made the Two of Diamonds appear inside Howie's trouser pocket. The trick was a lot simpler than Mat's earlier performances, but it was still impressive. The presentation was unique, and although the trick is fairly easy to figure out, it was executed without any obvious errors. Mat has now taken over as the magic act to beat this season.

What Did the Judges Say?

The judges were full of praise for Mat, with Heidi, Howard and Howie giving him a standing ovation.  Heidi and Howie had no idea how the trick was done, with Heidi claiming that Mat "blew [her] mind". Mel B claimed that he "made magic hot". Howard called him "A really cool magician" and said that he wanted him to reach the Top 5. If Mat continues to up his game, he could easily achieve that goal.

What Was The Competition Like?

Only two acts received the same levels of praise as Mat. They were the Hand Balancer Andrey Moraru, who provided a beautiful and graceful performance, and Aerial Animation, who used aerialism and acrobatics to interact with animated videos. The rest of the acts were pretty disappointing. Hart Dance Team let flashy tricks, such as contortion and flying, distract from their otherwise elegant performance. Loop Rawlins performed with flaming whips and a lasso, but his routine was not very dangerous or energetic, whilst John & Andrew's salsa dancing was fast-paced, but not quite spectacular enough to stand out. The singers did not reach their full potential either. Livy, Mat & Sammy let weak vocals ruin an otherwise solid performance. Mara Justine is very talented for her age, and was one of the better acts of the night, but she had a slow start, whilst Jaycob Curlee abandoned his indie style in favour of R&B and sounded flat on a number of occasions. Acte II applied their operatic voices to "I Will Always Love You", but were not as spectacular as you might expect given the song choice. Two acts are practically guaranteed to be heading home. Comedian Darik Santos blended an annoying delivery and unfunny one-liners, whilst rollerskater Juan Carlos, this years "Joke act" was both talentless and boring.

What are Mat Franco's Chances of Reaching the Next Round?

Having given one of the strongest performances of the night in an otherwise weak heat, Mat Franco is almost guaranteed to make the next round. In fact, he is now a major favorite to reach the finals.