For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers
How Did David & Leeman Do?
For their Top 12 performance, David & Leeman did a trick themed around addiction. They showed the audience a giant lottery ticket and five balloons of different colours. The judges were told to each pick a balloon and choose a number between 1 and 99. David & Leeman popped the chosen balloons and wrote the chosen numbers on the lottery ticket. They then gave the remaining balloon to the judges and popped it to reveal a normal-sized scratchcard inside. The judges scratched off the covering to reveal that it contained correct predictions of the numbers chosen by Howie, Heidi and Mel B. However, the fourth prediction was incorrect - It was 85 and Howard had chosen 86 as his number. David & Leeman told Howard that, because their predictions were not 100% accurate, he could take their jackets as a consolation prize. They removed their jackets to reveal another prediction on the back of their shirts - It correctly stated that Howard would be "off by one".
This was easily David & Leeman's best performance since their audition. The presentation was as slick and amusing as ever, but the trick they did this time was far more original then the ones they did in the last two rounds. If they had performed tricks of this calibre throughout the competition, then they might be favourites instead of outsiders.
How Did Mike Super Do?
Mike Super dropped his paranormal theme almost entirely and did a mentalism routine based on the viewers' spending habits. He used Nick as a volunteer, and got him to shuffle a deck of cards before dealing eight onto the table. Nick was then put in a money booth full of dollar bills and told to pick one at random. When Nick had made his choice, Mike got him to read the serial number on it, and as he did so, turned over the cards in the order in which they had been dealt - The eight-digit number made by the cards matched the number on the bill. Mike then made Howard open an envelope which he had been sent the previous day and kept with him ever since. The envelope contained a message which Mike went over with a Butane lighter. As he did so, the message changed into a correct prediction of the serial number.
Mike's trick was not as spectacular as his previous ones, but it was enjoyable to watch. The main problem was the fact that Mike dropped his unique approach in favour of something a little too similar to David & Leeman's brand of comedic mentalism. Whilst the trick Mike performed was clever, original and hard to figure out, a more serious delivery would have increased its impact.
How Did Mat Franco Do?
Mat Franco chose to go back to basics and perform a couple of classic card tricks. First of all, he did an interactive version of the "Card on Ceiling" trick. He told the viewers at home to think of a card, then loaded the deck into a small cannon which he fired into the air - the card which the viewers thought of was the only one to stay stuck to the ceiling. Mat then went to the judges' table and performed the "Ambitious Card" trick. He got Howard to pick a card and sign it, and no matter where the card was placed in the deck, it reappeared at the top. Mat finished this sequence by making the card appear inside a small box that had been kept on the table throughout the performance.
Overall, Mat's performance was a bit of a downgrade. The presentation was as slick and professional as ever, but the tricks were far too conventional. Interactive tricks should generally be avoided, as they are too easy to figure out (Obviously there has to be a very simple way to get millions of viewers to all pick the same card), and whilst the "Ambitious Card" is a good trick, it was a bit too small-scale and familiar for such an important performance. Given that one of Mat's biggest strengths has been the unconventional nature of his tricks, he should have done something a little more creative instead.
What Did The Judges Say?
The judges' reviews for all three magic acts were similar and full of unreserved praise. The most significant comments were probably made by Heidi, who claimed that Mat Franco was her favourite out of the magicians, Mel B, who advised America to vote for David & Leeman, and Howard, who noted how far Mike Super had improved since he dropped his "Spirit Energy" Desmond in the semifinals.
What Was The Competition Like?
The Top 12 was highly competitive, as the acts generally did very well. Mara Justine had to deal with technical problems, but gave her best performance in ages. Sons Of Serendip applied their unique approach to the Duran Duran song "Ordinary World", whilst Christian Stoinev chose to reduce the role of his dogs and focus on balancing tricks. Emil & Dariel lost sight of what made their act great with a slow song choice ("I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith) and too much focus on their backing band and a newly-added choir. AcroArmy provided some amazing stunts and acrobatics, but there is a risk that their performance might not look as impressive on TV as it does in the theatre. Quintavious Johnson sang "I'm Going Down" and was labelled a potential winner by the judges. Meanwhile, Blue Journey made use of some wonderful visuals, but failed to provide the spectacle that helped Kenichi Ebina to win last year, whilst Emily West provided some great high notes, making up for the fact that her performance ended too quickly. Finally, Miguel Dakota delivered an energetic performance, but failed to win over Howard.
Verdict
Out of the three magicians, Mat Franco has the best chance of making the Grand Final. Although his performance was not as good as it should have been, the quality of his previous ones, coupled with the substantial support he receives on Facebook and YouTube, should send him through.
David & Leeman's chances, on the other hand, are slim. Though their Top 12 performance was probably their best to date, the unimpressive nature of their previous performances and their early performance slot this week, means that they will be overshadowed by more consistent acts.
Mike Super has a moderate chance of making it through. Whilst he should have kept the mysterious approach that has defined him so far in the competition, his trick was undoubtedly impressive. His prospects of advancing depend on whether or not America is willing to put two magicians into the final.
No comments:
Post a Comment