(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)
The Judges' Cuts stage of Americas Got Talent is in its third week, with comedian, actor and TV host Marlon Wayans joining Howard, Heidi, Mel B and Howie as the week's "Guest Judge", This week, 20 more acts competed to gain seven more spots in the Live Shows, which will contain 36 acts. Among this group of 20 competitors were two magicians, Comedy Magician Dana Daniels and Mentalist Oz Pearlman. How Did Dana Daniels Fare?
Dana Daniels, whose audition was not televised, performed a routine involving his pet parrot Luigi, in which he used Howie as a volunteer. Dana begun by getting Howie to sign a $20 bill, then folded it and appeared to place it in a paper beak which he placed over Howie's forehead (Due to bad editing, he wasn't actually shown "placing" the bill in it, but it's highly likely that he used the beak as his alternative to a conventional envelope) . He appeared to make the bill vanish from the beak, before producing an egg from beneath Luigi, making it seem as if the parrot had laid it, and cracking it open to reveal the signed bill inside. Dana's performance was creative enough to justify his presence in the Judges' Cuts round, and there were few major mistakes, but it was nowhere near the high standard that the judges and viewers expect at this point. The judges were critical, with Howard saying that that his act was like a performance at "a kids birthday party", and Marlon saying it wasn't splashy enough, and Dana was unsurprisingly eliminated from the competition. How Did Oz Pearlman Fare?
After reading the minds of the female judges in his audition, Oz Pearlman chose to focus on the male judges for his Judges' Cuts performance. He began by giving Howard a notebook containing the names of female celebrities, and instructed him to choose one at random, then throw the book away. After this, he gave Howie a second notebook, which contained the names of male movie stars, and told him to choose an actor. Oz then instructed Howie to think of a movie featuring the chosen actor, and wrote down a prediction of both the actor (Tom Cruise) and the movie (Top Gun), which he showed to the audience. He then told Howie to name the actor and movie he had chosen, and both of his predictions turned out to be correct. He then went back to Howard and told him to imagine his chosen celebrity (Oprah Winfrey) and cut a piece of folded paper with scissors. He then opened the paper to reveal a very accurate of cut-out of Oprah's face. I liked the theme, and the way in which Oz revealed both his correct predictions (He showed the Tom Cruise prediction to everyone except Howie, before asking him to reveal his chosen actor) was clever, but Oz has to be compared to AGT's most successful mentalist, Series 7's Eric Dittleman, and although they're both great mentalists, I personally prefer Dittelman's persona. However, the judges loved Oz, with Marlon calling his performance "Really Incredible" and Howard saying it was "A-Plus", and he made it through to the Live Shows. I look forward to seeing what he can do in his next performance, and I hope that he can win over the viewers. Who Made It Through To The Live Shows?
In addition to Oz Pearlman, six more acts made the Live Shows. They were:
Dance Quintet Animation Crew
Singer and Guitarist Benton Blount
Bluegrass Group Mountain Faith Band
Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin
Vocal Trio Triple Threat
Dancer and Contortionist Vita Radionova
I wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows.
Next Week: The last week of Judges Cuts looks like it will be the most competitive, as former AGT judge Piers Morgan joins the panel as the "Guest Judge". The final group of 20 acts competing for the final seven spots in the Live Shows include Magicians Derek Hughes and Xavier Mortimer and "Professional Regurgitator" Stevie Starr.
In the third episode of the new series of Penn and Teller:
Fool Us, four more magic acts competed to fool Penn and Teller and win the
opportunity to open for them at their Las Vegas show. They Were:
Brian Brushwood –
Noted for his work on the YouTube series Scam
School, Brian Brushwood provided
a very memorable routine with “a guy from the audience who’s willing to do
absolutely anything” as his volunteer. He got the volunteer to pick a stack of
dollar bills from a case containing several of them, before taking the bill at
the top of his chosen stack. Brian then instructed the volunteer to sign his
name on the dollar bill and read the serial number on it to the audience. From
this point, what seemed like a conventional trick became far more shocking and
interesting. Brian burnt the dollar bill with a blowtorch and mixed the ashes
with Chocolate Sauce, before telling the volunteer to eat it. When the
volunteer had done this, Brian made him lie down on a table and expose his
chest. He then appeared to reach into the volunteer’s chest in a very gory
fashion, removing a deflated, transparent, latex balloon from it. The balloon
contained the signed dollar bill inside. This was a very shocking but enjoyable
routine, and I liked Brian’s energetic and amusing presentation and use of his
volunteer. Penn and Teller enjoyed the performance, but Brian did not fool
them, as Penn noticed he was using techniques associated with “Physic Surgery”
to carry out his trick, although he added that Brian’s spin on the routine was
better than a version he and Teller had performed in the past.
Simon Pierro – “Technical
Magician” Simon Pierro did a number
of tricks involving an iPad, most of which featured him pulling images off the
screen and into real life. He began by turning the home screen into a paper
image, then producing a cord and pulling down on it to create a new home screen.
Following this, Simon printed pictures by magic, made a tennis ball appear from
the screen, blew wind at a video of a weather lady, and produced real beer from
the screen through the use of a specially created tap attachment. He finished
by teleporting a “Selfie” of himself and the audience taken on the iPad into a
picture frame, then removing a physical copy. Tricks involving bringing virtual
items to life are nothing new, but are fun to watch. Magicians need to be
incredibly precise in order to perform virtual routines properly, and Simon
succeeded in matching his movements with the action on the screen. Unfortunately,
Simon did not fool Penn and Teller, but Penn did say that his climactic trick “fooled
us three weeks ago, but not today”.
Handsome Jack – “Male Model” Handsome Jack (real name John
Lovick) aimed to beat Penn and Teller at their own game by performing a routine
in which he appeared to expose his secrets. After claiming that he could perform only one
trick in his time slot, he chose to do a routine with his specially-created “Handsome
Jack Experience” handbills. Handsome Jack begun his routine by tearing up one
of the handbills into pieces, before restoring it to its original state. He
then revealed the method behind this simple trick by showing a “Grappler”
hidden up his sleeve. Handsome Jack demonstrated the device, claiming that he
had used it to switch the torn pieces of the handbill with a folded duplicate,
then removed the torn pieces and showed that they were completely separate. In
spite of this, he managed to rejoin the pieces, returning this second handbill
to its original state. Handsome Jack
started by emphasising comedy, and his routine was amusing throughout. The trick appeared to be too conventional at first, but the final twist was very impressive. When giving the verdict,
Penn stated that if the pieces of paper had been shown as clearly separate during
the final restoration, then Handsome Jack had fooled both him and Teller.
Handsome Jack was able to confirm that he had clearly shown that the pieces were
separate, so Penn and Teller announced that he had fooled them, and thus won
the opportunity to open their show at Vegas.
Kyle Knight and
Mistie – Husband-and-wife illusionists Kyle
Knight and Mistie performed a routine involving several metal hoops, all of
which had been examined by the audience. Kyle then got Mistie to stand in front
of a post, and restrained her with the rings, which covered Mistie from her feet to the top of
her head. Kyle then brought host Johnathan
Ross on stage as a volunteer. The two covered Mistie with a sheet for a
few seconds, and moved away from the rings to reveal that Mistie was no longer
trapped by them. Instead, she appeared underneath the sheet, having even
performed a magical costume change whilst underneath it. It was hardly an
original trick, but it was performed well. Although Penn praised the decision to
present an escape-themed illusion as a “Topological Mystery” instead of making
it seem dangerous, Kyle and Mistie did not fool Penn and Teller. It seems to me that a stage illusionist relying on big boxes
and unusual props will never fool the duo, as most Grand Illusions rely
on the same key elements, and this ensures that their secrets are too widely
known and visible. However, this does not make any illusionist who performs on
Penn and Teller: Fool Us less enjoyable to watch.
Penn and Teller finished the show by performing their spin on the Bullet Catch, a trick that
was declared the greatest magic trick of all time on Channel 5’s show 50 Greatest Magic Tricks in 2011. They
got two gun experts from the audience to join them on stage, and choose a
bullet each from two different rifle purses. The volunteers were instructed to
sign the tip of their bullets and draw a picture of their choice on the casing.
The two signed bullets were loaded into two rifles (which had laser sight),
with Penn taking one rifle and Teller using the other. Penn and Teller stood
behind a pane of glass each, pointed their guns at each other and fired. They
managed to catch the signed bullets in their mouths, suffering no injuries
whatsoever, and finished the routine by demonstrating that the bullets had been
fired for real and shattered the protective panes of glass. The Bullet Catch
routine is famous for its high levels of risk, which means that successful versions
are nearly always impressive, but what makes Penn and Teller’s version special,
in addition to the use of two guns instead of one, is their showmanship, as
they manage to make the trick seem as genuine and dangerous as possible without
losing their signature comedic style. Penn and Teller’s performances on this
show always seem to provide lessons for the magicians who watch, and their
ability to balance both the dangerous and humorous aspects of their act should
be an inspiration to any magician trying to find a distinctive approach.
(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)
In the second week of Judges' Cuts on Americas Got Talent, 20 more acts competed to win seven places in the Live Shows, with Jazz/Swing singer Michael Bublé joining the four regular judges as the week's "Guest Judge". The 20 competitors included not one but three magic acts: Ex-con magician Aiden Sinclair, "Stunt Magician" Wes Barker and hypnotist Chris Jones.
How Did Aiden Sinclair Do?
Aiden Sinclair was the first of the 20 acts to perform, and was thus under pressure to set a high standard for the acts who followed him. Fortunately, he provided a simple but striking trick that impressed both the audience and the judges. He wrapped the deck in a rubber band and gave it to the judges, instructing Howard to look at a card and remember it without removing it from the rest of the deck, before passing it to the other four judges, who would each do the same. When Howie, based at the other end of the table, had memorised his card, he was instructed to throw the deck back to Aiden, but it did not reach him. However, Aiden didn't need the cards anyway, and instead managed to name from memory the cards chosen by the five judges. This was a very interesting trick, and I particularly enjoyed the conclusion, but the one problem I had with it was the fact that it was a little too simplistic. As with his audition, Aiden provided a routine that required little, if any, sleight of hand to accomplish. Whilst this doesn't detract from his skills as a showman and his ability to make his tricks seem impressive, it does make Aiden seem less professional The judges gave him standing ovations, with Howie calling his performance "truly amazing" and Mel B saying she was "mind-boggled" by it. In spite of the praise he received from the judges, Aiden was ultimately eliminated. However, it is likely that several acts eliminated at the Judges' Cuts will come back as Wild Cards, and Aiden has marked himself out as a favourite to make it through in this manner. If he does return to the competition, I would like Aiden to show more of the technical skill that has defined other great AGT magic acts such as Mat Franco and Piff the Magic Dragon, as this would ensure that there is more to him than his showmanship and his story.
How Did Wes Barker Do?
Wes Barker, a Canadian "Stunt Magician" whose audition was not televised, chose not to perform any magic, but instead did a comedic escapology routine. He was tied into a straitjacket and had 75 seconds to escape from it. As Wes did so, the censor bar was slowly removed from a giant naked picture of himself projected behind him. If Wes did not escape in time, the censor bar would be completely removed, exposing his private parts in an embarrassing fashion. However, he succeeded in getting out of the straitjacket before this could happen. It was an amusing and creative escape, but unlike other AGT escapologists such as Spencer Horsman and Alexandria the Great, Wes was risking only his pride, ensuring that he merely seemed like an entertaining novelty instead of a serious competitor. Although the judges enjoyed his performance, with Michael saying it was "a blast" to watch, it was not a surprise when he was eliminated.
How Did Chris Jones Do?
Chris Jones suffered an incredibly embarrassing failure during his Judges' Cuts performance. Recruiting Mel B and Michael as volunteers, he promised to teach them how hypnosis worked. Unfortunately, hypnotism only works with willing volunteers, and Mel B and Michael were less than co-operative. After a failed attempt to get Mel B to stay asleep, he had to send her back to the judges table. He then tried to put Michael into a trance, only for Michael to open his eyes and speak as Chris returned to the stage, ruining the performance. Howard gave Chris an X, and Chris was evidently disappointed with his failure, backtracking on an earlier claim to love hockey which he had made in an attempt to please Michael. Chris seemed resigned to his elimination as soon as his performance finished, telling Howie to contact him if he wanted to get over his fear of germs. When Chris was formally eliminated in favour of ladder acrobat Uzeyer Novruzov, he instantly went to congratulate Uzeyer on his victory.
Who Made It Through To The Live Shows?
With all three magic acts being eliminated, the seven acts who made the Live Shows were:
Blind Dancer Benjamin Yonattan
Opera Singer Daniella Mass
Dance Crew DM Nation
Puppet Act Ira and Miriam Fennelbloom
Gospel Choir Selected of God Choir
R&B Duo The CraigLewis Band
Ladder Acrobat Uzeyer Novruzov
I wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows.
Next Week: Comedian and TV Host Marlon Wayans joins the panel as the "Guest Judge", and 20 more acts, including mentalist Oz Pearlman and comedy magician Dana Daniels, compete for seven more spots in the Live Shows.
After a season première full of impressive tricks, the
second season of Penn and Teller: Fool
Us is in full swing, with Johnathan
Ross still hosting and Penn and
Teller still trying to figure out the secrets behind the performances they
see. This week, another four magicians competed to fool Penn and Teller and
thus win the opportunity to be the opening act at one of their Las Vegas shows.
They were:
Leon & Romy -
Leon & Romy were previously on America's Got Talent in 2013, where
they reached the Semifinals. Whilst they were energetic and enjoyable to watch,
they relied too heavily on traditional illusions that were easy to figure out
(their most unique performance was a version of Lance Burton’sBackstage
illusion) and I wrote in my countdown of Americas Got Talent magicians that “I
would have liked to see them take a few more risks, even if those risks didn't
pay off.” Fortunately, the trick they performed for Penn and Teller was definitely
risky in more ways than one. Leon & Romy got Johnathan to choose one of 20
different decks of cards (with Teller’s help), pick a chosen card from his chosen
deck, and sign it. They then promised to find the cards in a unique and
dangerous way. After a joke about getting Johnathan to wear a Vegas-style
showgirl headdress as a safety helmet, Leon & Romy lay underneath a ramp
and got a local skateboarder to jump over them. They threw the chosen deck into
the air whilst the skateboarder was directly above them, claiming he would
catch the signed card in midair, but he wasn’t able to do this. Instead, the
signed card was found attached to the bottom of the skateboard. It goes without
saying that if they had performed a trick like this on Americas Got Talent,
Leon & Romy would have fared much better on that show. Penn initially
believed that Romy’s skills at misdirection were key to the trick, but when
Leon stated that this was incorrect, Penn and Teller admitted that Leon &
Romy had fooled them.
Mike Hammer – Mike Hammer promised a trick that was “brand
new, unless you’ve seen me before”. He showed a volunteer a line drawing of a woman,
then told him to choose five markers to colour it in. After blindfolding
himself with duct tape, he told the volunteer to pick one of his markers and
colour in the woman’s shirt, before discarding it and using up the other four
markers on the belt, hair, skirt and socks. After the volunteer had done this, Mike
had removed the tape from his eyes and then unveiled his blind date, a blow-up
doll. He inflated it with a bicycle pump to reveal that its clothing and hair
were in the exact colours chosen by the volunteer. Mike had some good lines,
but I wasn’t a fan of his “Pick-up Artist” persona, and I’ve seen a version of
this trick on America’s Got Talent in the past, where it was performed by Eric Dittelman. Due to the fact that he
was doing a relatively conventional mentalism routine, and the only twists he
put on it were based on presentation, Mike did
not fool Penn and Teller.
Shin Lim – A former
concert pianist with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Shin Lim performed a dazzling array of card tricks without speaking
once during the entire routine. Using two random audience members as
volunteers, Shin got one of them to pick a card and sign it before vanishing
the pen and making the face of the chosen card disappear in a puff of smoke. He
then made the chosen card appear in his mouth before putting it in a clear
plastic bag. The second volunteer was then instructed to pick and sign another
card (it is worth mentioning again that he did not speak AT ALL when doing
this, and instead used miming and visual indicators to aid his volunteers).
Shin then made the deck vanish from his hands and reappear inside the pack, and
swapped the deck and card between his hands before making the card appear in
his pocket, then behind his back. Shin then switched the signed card with a
blank one, and made it vanish and reappear in his mouth again. After switching
the second signed card with the one in the plastic bag, he finished by making
both cards vanish from the plastic bag, then vanishing the deck in a puff of
smoke (if you find it hard to follow my outline of the routine, you can watch
it here). The only problem with this
routine was that it was a little too long. If it was a few seconds shorter, it
would probably be the greatest card routine I have ever seen. As it was, Shin’s
performance was brilliant, and Penn hit the nail on the head when he said it
was “sincerely beautiful”. Although they were able to figure out certain parts
of the routine, Penn and Teller had no idea how other tricks were done, so they
decided that overall, Shin had fooled
them.
Peter Boie – Peter Boie performed a
spiritualist-themed routine with two volunteers, one female and one male. He
begun by getting the female volunteer to sit down whilst holding two slate
boards sandwiched together in her hands, with a piece of chalk between them.
Peter then told the volunteer to close her eyes and remember any sensations she
would experience over the next minute. He then tapped the male volunteer, who
was sitting on the other side of the stage, twice on the right shoulder, before
telling the female volunteer to reveal what she had felt. She stated that she
had felt two taps on her right shoulder, in spite of the fact that Peter had
not touched her. Peter finished his routine by separating the slate boards to
reveal that a message (“I’m Here”) had appeared on them. It was hard to figure
out and interesting to watch, but I prefer more spectacular types of paranormal
magic. Although Penn and Teller enjoyed the routine, Penn noted that Peter was
performing an effect they referred to the “Invisible Touch”, also done by the
mentalist Steve Shaw. Though he was praised
for not using a gimmick in the method, Peter did not fool Penn and Teller.
For Penn and Teller’s performance, we went from “Invisible Touch”
to “Invisible Thread” as Penn introduced their routine by openly revealing the
secret behind it, saying “The next trick is done with a piece of thread”. The
ensuing performance was conducted almost entirely by Teller, as he performed a
number of tricks centred on a beach ball which appeared to have a life of its
own. During the routine, it appeared to move up and down a table of its own
accord, fly through the air, get stuck to Teller’s fingers, and leap through a
hoop twice. The performance concluded with Penn appearing to cut off the thread
used throughout the trick, returning the beach ball to normal. This trick
epitomises the way in which Penn and Teller are able to expose tricks without
ruining them for a second, because most levitation effects (and other tricks
involving inanimate objects appearing to move by magic) rely on similar methods,
and if you know the secrets behind them, the emphasis is not on how the trick
was done, but how skilfully the magician is able to conceal the method, how
creative the performance is, and how entertaining it is to watch. When Penn and Teller reveal secrets during a
routine, they shift the focus from the trick itself to how well it is
performed, and this demonstrates just how talented and innovative they are.
(P.S – Sorry I’ve
put this overview up late, but overviews of the remaining episodes will arrive
far closer to the initial broadcast)
Four years after the original series finished airing in Britain,
Penn and Teller: Fool Us has
returned on the American cable network The CW. The series is now filmed in
America instead of Britain, with the participating magicians being mostly
American as a result. However, iconic illusionists Penn and Teller and original host Johnathan Ross are still on the show, and, most importantly, the
format remains unchanged. Every week, four magicians perform for Penn and
Teller, and the two will try and figure out the secrets behind the magical
routines they see. If Penn and Teller are “Fooled” by their performance, the lucky
magician wins the opportunity to open for them in Vegas.
The four magicians who performed in this episode were:
Jon Armstrong – A
magician inspired by his love of comic books, Jon Armstrong did a routine involving a small toy plunger that
could allegedly read minds. It was supposed to pick up one card at a time, but
Jon used it to pick up the entire deck, then to pick up a randomly chosen
number of cards. He then did a trick in which he used the plunger to cut to a
card chosen by Penn, then to one chosen by Teller. Although there was a minor
(possibly intentional) misstep when Jon had to instruct Teller to change his
selection because he hadn’t covered up the plunger when Teller was showing his initial
selection to the audience, Jon was fun to watch and his routine was very clever.
Penn loved Jon’s trick, calling it “the only original card trick I’ve ever seen”,
but he acknowledged that Teller had performed a similar routine in the past,
and this meant that Jon did not fool
the two magicians.
Xavier Mortimer –
Also seen on Americas Got Talent the
day after this episode aired, French magician Xavier Mortimer provided an enjoyable routine in which he took on
his own reflection. It was made up of several smaller tricks, including the
reflection appearing to touch and rip sheets from a newspaper held by Xavier
and stealing his phone, hat and wallet. Xavier responded by putting his hand in
the reflection and taking the items back, and the routine climaxed with Xavier
and the reflection switching heads, with Xavier trapping the reflection in the
mirror and making him vanish. The routine was inspired by the silent movies of
iconic French director and magician George
Meliés, and managed to update their style without losing sight of the charm
and precise timing that made them so memorable. However, whilst Penn and Teller
admired the performance, they were able to recognize the equipment Xavier used
in the trick, and therefore he did not
fool them.
Greg Dow AKA “The
Shocker” – Greg Dow performed
under the alter-ego of The Shocker,
with a look and performance style combining magic and wrestling. After producing
streamers in his hands and making a low-brow joke about Spider-Man, The Shocker performed a mentalism trick in which he
made not one, but three predictions. He began his routine by throwing a
wrestler’s mask to an audience member, and asked him to think of a female
friend (Donna), before writing down a prediction of the chosen name and placing
it in a sealed envelope. The Shocker then instructed the first volunteer to
hand the mask to the woman behind him, told her to think of an activity she
enjoyed doing with a man (Wrestling) and wrote down his prediction of this in the same
way. Finally, he got Teller to pick a card (which resulted in an enjoyable piece
of comedy as Teller was instructed to name his card in spite of his signature
mute persona, so Penn had to reveal the relevant information instead) and put
his prediction in the third and final envelope. The first two envelopes were
then opened, revealing that The Shocker had correctly predicted the woman
chosen by the first volunteer and the activity chosen by the second. He then
opened the third prediction to reveal that it was incorrect. Instead of showing
the name of Teller’s chosen card (the Three of Clubs), it actually showed the
name of a different one (the Eight of Diamonds). The Shocker responded to this by
first revealing that all the cards in the deck were the Eight of Diamonds
except for the chosen one, before changing the initial prediction, in full view
of the audience, into a correct prediction of the initial chosen card. I wasn’t
really into The Shocker at first, but he grew on me – I liked some of his jokes
and enjoyed the climax of the routine. However, his tricks were relatively easy
to figure out compared to the other magicians in this episode. As a result, The
Shocker did not fool Penn and
Teller, and his attempts to get them to choose him as an opening act anyway
were in vain.
Steve Brundage – Steve Brundage performed a routine centred
on two Rubik’s Cubes. He began by mixing up one and getting Penn to mix up the
other. Teller chose one of the two cubes, and after a failed attempt to solve
it in Teller’s hand, Steve did a series of tricks involving solving his Rubik’s
Cube in a number of magical ways. First, he gradually solved a thoroughly mixed
Cube by returning it to increasingly early states before fully restoring it to
its original state. He then reshuffled it before making it transform into a
solved cube inside an empty bag. Steve followed these tricks with one where he
shuffled the cube and changed it into a solved cube in plain sight- three times in a row. Finally, he changed his cube to perfectly match
Teller’s on all six sides. It was a baffling routine, and Penn and Teller
wasted no time in saying that Steve had fooled
them. As a result, he won the Fool Us trophy and the chance to open for
Penn and Teller in their Vegas Show.
As was the case in the previous series, Penn and Teller end every
episode by performing one of their signature routines. For this episode, they
did their classic Phone in Fish trick.
Penn and Teller got a volunteer to hand them their phone, put it into a paper
cup, and made it vanish. They then revealed that a sealed polystyrene box had
been hidden underneath a random seat the entire evening, and a large fish was inside
it. Penn and Teller then cut open the fish, and found the missing phone inside
it. I’ve had the privilege of seeing Penn and Teller perform this trick live,
and though the presentation was mostly unchanged, there were a couple of new
touches, such as testing the phone’s video camera by taking a video of the
volunteer next to a life-sized cardboard cutout of fellow Vegas mainstay Criss Angel. Penn and Teller were as
brilliant as ever, and I can’t wait to see if they will show off any new or
unfamiliar routines on this show.
(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)
The Judges' Cuts round of Americas Got Talent started this week, with 20 acts competing for seven places in the Live Shows, due to start in August. Among these acts were two magicians: Michael John and Piff the Magic Dragon. In each week of Judges' Cuts, the four regular Judges (Howard, Heidi, Mel B and Howie) will be joined by a "Guest Judge", and this week, the guest judge was Neil Patrick Harris. In addition to his roles on sitcoms such as Doogie Howser, M.D and How I Met Your Mother, Neil is noted for his love of magic, so Michael and Piff needed to provide a memorable performance in order to impress him.
How Did Michael John Do?
For his Judges' Cuts performance, Michael decided to continue with the Street Magic style of his audition by doing a coin trick. He got Howard and Mel B to sign both sides of a coin, then appeared to make it pass though the bottom of a closed Soda can. He opened the can, pouring out the Soda, then revealed the coin inside it. The trick is a familiar one, but Michael performed it without making the secrets obvious. In spite of this, it was a disappointing performance. Although Michael's main weakness was his quiet personality, there is a difference between taking a soft-spoken approach, a la David Blaine, and being nervous, and it was easy to see that Michael was struggling with nerves. He also made some mistakes in his presentation, causing too much of a mess when he opened the can and taking a long time to get the coin out at the climax. As a a result of these problems, Michael received an X from Howard, who noted after the performance that it was "very hard to get worked up about what you're doing", because his approach did not translate to a large stage. Although magicians such as Collins Key and Smoothini have done well on AGT with Street Magic, one key reason for their success has been their sense of showmanship, which Michael lacked. Therefore, it was not a surprise when he was eliminated at the end of the show.
How Did Piff the Magic Dragon Do?
For his Judges' Cuts performance, Piff introduced the judges to his pet chihuahua, Mr. Piffles . Inviting Heidi on stage as his volunteer for a second time, he told her to pick a card, sign it and return it to the deck. He then promised that Mr. Piffles would find the card with his sense of smell, and would receive a can of dog food, which he gave to Heidi for safekeeping, as a reward if he did so. Piff then claimed that Mr. Piffles would throw the cards into the air, with the chosen card in a special position for him to catch. The cards were thrown into the air through a card fountain, but instead of the chosen card, Piff caught a different one. Claiming that Mr. Piffles would not do the trick until he got to eat, he then opened the can of dog food to reveal that the signed card was inside. Piff succeeded in the difficult challenge of providing everything that made his audition stand out whilst simultaneously upgrading his act. Whilst he did another signed card trick with Heidi, it was different enough to demonstrate that Piff's act will continue to develop as the competition progresses. He also repeated a memorable moment from his audition where he ate his lunch after the performance, but this time, he prepared and ate a ham and cheese sandwich, which was more extravagant and therefore funnier. However, Piff also did a number of new comedic bits, including listing the prices of his props at the start of his routine, and explaining his failure to find Heidi's card by saying that Mr Piffles had changed the chosen card into an indifferent one and removed the signature. Neil spoke for the judges by saying he "loved all of it", then pressed his Golden Buzzer, putting Piff through to the Live Shows without any need for further deliberation from the panel. Piff definitely deserved his spot in the Live Shows, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Who Made It Through To The Live Shows?
In addition to Piff the Magic Dragon, six other acts made the Live Shows. They were:
Videomapping Dance Group Freelusion Dance Company
Crossbow Artist Silvia Silvia
Dance Troupe Chapkis Dance Family
Stand-Up Comedian Myq Kaplan
Pop-Rock Group 3 Shades of Blue
Soul Singer Samantha Johnson
I wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows.
Next Week: Jazz/Swing singer Michael Bublé joins the judges, and more magic acts compete to join the Live Shows.
(A Note For British Viewers - In contrast to previous series, which took a year to arrive in Britain, the current series of America's Got Talent will start airing on the cable channel TruTV later this week. If you do not want to see any spoilers, find another article on this blog to look at)
The auditions stage of America's Got Talent is over, and this week sees the start of the Judges Cuts, where the judges will select acts to compete at the Live Shows, which will be held once again at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The successful auditions of 111 acts have been shown during the last seven weeks. This collection of acts includes a record 10 magicians (not including those whose auditions went untelevised), all hoping to emulate Mat Franco's victory last year.
Which Magicians Are Competing at the Judges Cuts?
The 10 magicians who were shown making it through to the next round are:
Chris Jones
Chris Jones is not really a magician. He's actually a hypnotist, but many notable magicians, such as Derren Brown, have used hypnotism in their routine, so I'm including him on this blog. Chris used judge Howie Mandel as his volunteer. Howie is noted for his fear of germs, so Chris hypnotised him into thinking that he was wearing gloves, and Howie was able to shake Chris' bare hand. On the judges' request, he hypnotised Howie a second time, causing him to be able to shake hands with the other judges. This type of act has never been seen on Americas Got Talent before, and Chris was certainly a skilled hypnotist. However, there were two problems with the audition. The first was the slow build-up at the beginning of the act. This caused judge Howard Stern to hit his X (although he took it back after the performance), and if Chris takes too much time in subsequent performances, he may alienate viewers. The second problem is the of staging and airing a hypnotism routine. At the start of the audition, host Nick Cannon had to tell audience members to leave if they did not want to watch the routine, and the cameras had to cut to Nick whilst Chris was putting Howie into a trance for the first time. Chris will have to deal with both skeptics and viewers uncomfortable with his act, and this makes things even harder for him. Overall, Chris will find it difficult to win over viewers, but if he uses his skills carefully, he can generate another memorable performance.
Piff the Magic Dragon
A comedic magician from Britain dressed as a dragon, Piff the Magic Dragon will be familiar to many viewers of Penn and Teller: Fool Us, having appeared on the show in 2011. In his AGT audition, he performed his most iconic trick. After getting judge Heidi Klum to sign a chosen card, he revealed a prediction he had made at the start of the routine, only to demonstrate that the two were different. However, he was able to change Heidi's card, quarter by quarter, to match the prediction, with her signature still remaining on the card throughout. Whilst the trick was creative and hard to figure out, it was Piff's personality that stood out, as he made a number of amusing jokes and did some wonderfully bizarre things, such as going up to the judges table to drink from their branded cups whilst they gave their verdict. Piff could easily be seen as a novelty act, but if his tricks remain impressive and his antics continue to be enjoyable, he might stand out for all the right reasons.
Wayne Hoffman
Like Rogue from last year, Wayne Hoffman provided a unique and scary variation on Russian Roulette. He began his performance by revealing three firecrackers. Two of them were duds, but the third would explode when the fuse burnt out. Wearing a steel blindfold that covered his eyes, Wayne picked two of the firecrackers, which had been switched around by Howie, at random and an assistant placed them in his mouth and lit them. Fortunately, the two firecrackers that Wayne chose were the duds, and he was unharmed. Wayne had a strong sense of showmanship, and his cleverest idea was basing his choices on observations he made whilst watching Howie. I would like to see what else he can do, but he may have trouble delivering a more impressive performance.
Stevie Starr "The Regurgitator"
Stevie Starr is another example of an act whose classification as a magician is highly debatable. However, regurgitation is a skill commonly used by escapologists, and Stevie uses a number of techniques that are similar to ones used by magicians, so I will classify him as a magic act. Stevie has appeared on numerous editions of the Got Talent franchise across Europe, such as Britian's Got Talent, the German version, Das Supertalent, and, more recently, the French version, Incroyable Talent. Anyone who has seen him in those saw him perform both of the tricks he did on Americas Got Talent, in which he swallowed coins and regurgitated them to order, swallowed and regurgitated a light-bulb, and finally ate powdered sugar and drank water simultaneously, before regurgitating the sugar, which was completely dry. Stevie's act is very unique and interesting, but it's also uncomfortable to watch, and a bit limited. Therefore, I am not sure if he will have the wide appeal a magician on AGT needs in order to go far in the viewer's vote.
Xakary the Magician
Stage illusionists focusing on tricks with big boxes used to dominate Americas Got Talent, but have become increasingly rare. Last year, the only illusionists to pass the audition rounds, failed to make it out of Judgement Week, whilst three of the four unconventional magic acts put through instead made the Final 12. This year, Xakary the Magician was the only illusionist whose successful audition was televised. For his audition trick, Xakary did a version of Sawing A Lady in Half, with one notable twist. He did not use an assistant, and appeared to saw Heidi in half instead. The idea of using a volunteer was clever, because it removed the possibility of her being involved in the secret, and Heidi's panicked reactions were pretty amusing. However, Heidi's involvement in the performance was the most notable aspect of it. Whilst Xarkary had a couple of good lines, he is not as funny as Piff the Magic Dragon or Derek Hughes, and doesn't have the showmanship of Aiden Sinclair or Oz Pearlman. Therefore, he is unlikely to make it through the Judges Cuts, assuming that he even appears during that stage.
Derek Hughes
Like Piff the Magic Dragon, Derek Hughes blended both magic and comedy for his audition. He began by catching a ping-pong ball on his nose, then did a trick in which he got the judges to choose a card. He then made the deck vanish and appear in his trousers, with the exception of the chosen card, which appeared folded up between his butt-cheeks. Both his tricks have been performed at the auditions before by less competent magicians who failed to make it through. However, Derek's versions were far better, and he delivered some great lines, such as likening Howardto the rock guitarist Slash and taking off his watch after saying "Look! Watch" several times during the climax of the trick so that the audience wouldn't think he was referring to the watch by mistake. With an entertaining personality and an appealing back-story (he's a father of two who got into magic as a child whilst dealing with heart surgery), Derek could be really popular with AGT viewers, but he needs to provide more original and spectacular tricks.
Michael John
Many of America's Got Talent's most successful magicians, such as Collins Key, Mat Franco and Smoothini, are incredibly easy on the eye, and Michael John is another example of a magician aiming to demonstrate that he's more than just a pretty face. In his audition, he performed a couple of tricks with judge Mel B as a volunteer. First, he did a card trick in which he and Mel B signed a card each, folded them up, and held them between their teeth. Michael leaned towards Mel B for a second, and when he moved back, the cards had switched places- Mel B's card was now between Michael's teeth and vice versa. He followed this with a trick in which he got Mel B to think of the initials of her first kiss and punch him in the chest. the chosen initials appeared imprinted on Michael's flesh. Michael does not have the showmanship of his fellow magicians, but he did provide two strong tricks performed well. If his performance at the Judges Cuts is good, he may become a favourite.
Aiden Sinclair
Americas Got Talent places a considerable amount of emphasis on contestant back-stories, and Aiden Sinclair has one of the most interesting of any contestant competing on this series. A former con-man who turned himself in and discovered magic whilst serving a five-year sentence, Aiden put the skills of his past life to a more positive use as he performed a version of the Invisible Deck trick. He turned over a random card in a deck which he gave to Howie, then got Howard to call a person of his choice and tell them to name a card. Howard called his mother, who named the Ten of Hearts. Aiden then re-opened the deck to reveal that the chosen card was the only face-down card in the deck. The Invisible Deck should be familiar to most magicians, and it's easy to figure out how the trick was done if you watch closely. However, I liked Aiden's showmanship, as he put a lot of effort into concealing the simplicity of the trick, and I would like to see if he can pull off a more elaborate performance.
Oz Pearlman
Like Eric Dittelman from Series 7, Oz Pearlman is a mentalist rather than a magician. He began his audition by correctly predicting a number chosen by Heidi, then told Mel B to think of a place where she had been on vacation (Fiji), a person she had been with (Geri Halliwell, her band-mate in The Spice Girls), and a year (1998). He then produced an envelope with staples sealing it around all sides, then told the judges to open it. It contained a correct prediction of the chosen place, person and year. In contrast to Dittelman's geeky persona, Oz had a slick approach, using several small touches to make his act seem more effective, such as correctly stating the decade in which the chosen year occurred and the gender of the chosen person before revealing the full prediction. Dittelman reached the Semifinals when he competed on AGT. He should have got further, but mentalists find it harder to win over viewers than regular magic acts because they are focused on winning over skeptics by making their act seem genuine. If Oz increases his level of showmanship whilst continuing to provide baffling mentalism feats, he will be able to match or even surpass Dittelman.
Xavier Mortimer
French magician Xavier Mortimer is not stranger to television, having reached the final of Incroyable Talent four years ago, and participated in the season première of the U.S version of Penn and Teller: Fool Us, which aired last week. His act blends magic, music and physical comedy, and all three aspects were apparent in his audition, where he made a large stack of money appear between two cymbals, followed by a cloth and an upright glass and bottle. It was a clever idea, because the shaking of the cymbals made it seem less likely that anything was hidden behind them. Xavier is a very creative magician, and if he continues to provide unique performances, he could easily become one of the most successful magic acts in the series.
What Will Happen in the Judges Cuts?
Unlike previous seasons, where the "Bootcamp" round between the auditions and the Live Shows lasted for only one week, the Judges Cuts will be spread out over four weeks, Each week, a group of roughly 20 acts will perform for not only the four regular judges, but an additional Guest Judge who changes every week. The Guest Judges will be:
Week 1 - Actor, TV Host and magic enthusiast Neil Patrick Harris
Week 2 - Jazz/Swing singer Michael Bublé
Week 3 - Comedian, Actor and TV Host Marlon Wayans
Week 4 - Former AGT judge Piers Morgan
Of the 20 acts competing every week, only seven will make it through to the Live Shows (although there are rumours that acts eliminated at the Judges Cuts may come back as Wild Cards). The seven acts that go through each week will include one put through on the spot by the Guest Judge, using the "Golden Buzzer" in front of them on the judge's table. If the regular judges dislike a performance, they can still use their Red X's to end it early, so there's no room for error.
I wish all the best of luck to all the magicians competing in the Judges' Cuts. If you want to see how they fared, keep visiting this blog!
It's now time for the conclusion of this countdown, as I reveal who I think are the best magicians to have appeared on Americas Got Talent in the past nine years.
Part 3 (The Top 10)
10. Smoothini (Series 9)
There have been several mentions on this countdown of the shift from illusions to close-up and mentalism in more recent series of AGT, with several more to come as magicians representing the latter two styles appear in the Top 10. However, the magician that most epitomises this major change is Smoothini. Named because of his aspiration to be the "Ghetto Houdini", Smoothini performed basic close-up magic at the judges' table during his audition, using sponge balls, cards and a saltshaker. It was mostly beginners magic, but performed like a true pro. The performance went viral, and the official video of it on the Americas Got Talent YouTube channel has almost 26 million views, compared to the 3 million views for the official video of Mat Franco's first audition. Therefore, it was no surprise that Smoothini was put through to the Live Shows automatically. If he was able to blend his "Old-School" style and fast-paced close-up approach with more unique and creative tricks, then Smoothini could have easily won. However, in the Live Shows, he lost focus on what made his act stand out by performing close-up tricks (generally involving dollar bills) on stage. This reduced the connection with the judges and audience that Smoothini had demonstrated in his audition, and made his performance less impressive. However, he still got through due to the fanbase he had accumulated as a result of his audition. In the Semifinal, Smoothini returned to the judges table, and performed some tricks with a ring and shoelace that were pretty strong, and emphasised his speed and energy. Unfortunately, Smoothini was in the same Semifinal as Mat Franco, and was overshadowed by a rival who could provide routines that were far more spectacular and original. Therefore, Smoothini became the only magician in the Live Shows of Series 9 not to make the Final 12, although he was only eliminated after losing the Judge's Choice. This level of success demonstrates how amazing all the magicians from Series 9 were, and even though Smoothini was probably the weakest magician in the Live Shows that year, he has still earnt the tenth spot on this countdown.
9. David & Leeman (Series 9)
In their audition, David & Leeman provided a trick that was funny, clever and completely unique to AGT. They got judge Howie Mandel to join them on stage, and appeared to take away his ability to read cue cards by using "Pressure Phrenology". The performance was so good that they got to bypass Judgement Week and go through to the Live Shows automatically. However, David & Leeman's subsequent performances did not quite live up to the standard of their audition. Their Live Show performance was a selfie-themed book trick in a style similar to that of Collins Key, and it was marred by mistakes, including one where David & Leeman appeared to be a bit too blatant in guiding Howie towards selecting the chosen word they wanted. Their Semifinal performance did not suffer from any of these problems, but their Spike Under Cup routine lasted too long, and did not provide enough twists on a frequently-performed trick. David & Leeman advanced to the Top 12 as a Judge's Choice, where they performed a lottery-themed mentalism trick. It was their best routine since their audition, but they were up against BOTH Mat Franco and Mike Super, and were unable to surpass two magicians who had been consistently impressive throughout the competition. Apart from their magic, David & Leeman were also defined by their energetic personalities, and they were easily the funniest magicians ever seen on AGT; In fact, they were probably funnier than most of the comedians who appear on the show. This ensured that they were always fun to watch and encouraged viewers to vote for them even when their performances were below-par. Though their tricks weren't always the strongest, David & Leeman were consistently entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
8. Murray Sawchuck (Series 5)
It takes more than a grand illusion for a magician to make their audience notice them, as Scott Alexander and Taylor Reed found out the hard way, and showmanship and energy are needed to excite the viewer as well. Murray Sawchuck provided some of the most impressive illusions AGT had seen at this point, and did so with a unique look, involving messy blond hair and Armani sunglasses, and a charismatic personality. His audition, an amusing spin on the Bo-Staff illusion, was only shown briefly on TV, but he broke through in Vegas Week by making a sports car appear. From this point, Murray provided a number of memorable Grand Illusions. In the Live Shows, he made an assistant vanish from a box, with a tiger appearing in her place. However, the assistant, wearing judge Piers Morgan's jacket as a means of identification, reappeared behind the judges. In the Semifinals, Murray came up against fellow illusionist Michael Grasso in a highly competitive Semifinal. He chose to perform a routine paying tribute to his family, but unlike Drew Thomas, did not compromise on the quality of his magic, instead making an old-fashioned steel train vanish in midair. The trick was great, but unfortunately, so was Michael's, and the judges and viewers believed that Murray's performance was a little too slow in comparison to Michael's more energetic routine. Therefore, Murray missed out on a place in the Top 10, but he still stands out as one of AGT's most memorable illusionists.
7. Eric Dittelman (Series 7)
(Note: Eric Dittelman was simply credited as "Dittelman" during the Semifinals, so he shall be referred to as "Dittelman" throughout this entry.)
In the first six Series of Americas Got Talent, almost all the magicians who competed were stage illusionists, relying on big boxes and impressive appearances or disappearances. This began to change in Series 7, as the best and most successful magician of the series represented a type of magic not seen on AGT before. Eric Dittelman was a mentalist, and began his time on the show with a routine where he correctly guessed the items that the judges had drawn whilst blindfolded. He then performed a routine at Vegas Week where he correctly guessed a significant name chosen by judge Sharon Osbourne. In the Live Shows, Dittelman shifted from the small-scale, intimate approach of his first two performances to a style of mentalism that was suited for large audiences, as he did a lavish mentalism trick themed around Howie Mandel's show Deal or No Deal. He made it through as a Judges Choice (the three acts above him would all make the Grand Final that year) and returned to his audition routine with his Semifinal performance, as he told judge Howard Stern to colour in the self-portrait he had drawn as part of that audition, and correctly predicted which colours he would use on each part of the portrait. Though Dittelman's mind-reading tricks seem a little simplistic compared to those done by the likes of Collins Key, Mike Super and David & Leeman, they were performed cleanly and with enough showmanship to stand out. Dittelman's success demonstrated that it was not the illusions that made the previous magicians on AGT great, but their performance skills and originality. This cleared the way for smaller-scale magicians to take over AGT by providing levels of skill and showmanship that the grand illusionists couldn't match.
6. Nathan Burton (Series 1 and 4)
Nathan Burton was the first ever magician to appear at the audition stage of Americas Got Talent, and it is a real indication of his talent that he is so high up on this countdown almost a decade afterwards. In his audition, Nathan performed his signature routine, the Microwave of Death, in which he got into the titular device and was replaced by a dark-skinned assistant, creating the illusion that he had been badly burnt by the microwave, The assistant did some dancing and a magical costume change, then got back into the microwave and vanished from the box as Nathan reappeared in his place. Although Piers dismissed the audition as "a one-gag act" centred around a basic box trick, fellow judges Brandy and David Hasselhoff were far more impressed, and Nathan made the Live Shows. There, he won over Piers with a routine featuring tricks where he made four women appear in a glass box, was turned into a life-sized sticker of himself before reappearing behind the judges. It retained a great deal of the creativity and energy of Nathan's audition whilst providing more impressive tricks, and he didn't waste a single second of the routine on the comedic dancing that had featured too much in his audition. Although Nathan didn't get through, he qualified for the Wild Card round, and provided a winter-themed routine which featured both the famously beautiful Snowstorm trick, and a final illusion in which he made a snowmobile appear. The fact that Nathan missed out on a place in the finals to David & Dania is still one of the great travesties in AGT history. Between a magic act who kept performing the same routine over and over and one who provided creative and spectacular illusions every time, I know which of them would have been the better finalist. Nathan returned to audition in Series 4, but did not make the Live Shows. Nonetheless, he had already secured his status as the best magician of AGT's early seasons.
5. Mike Super (Series 9)
Calling himself a "Mystifier" rather than a magician, Mike Super aimed to bring the paranormal to the AGT stage. In his audition, he brought along his "Spirit Energy", named Desmond, and performed a trick in which he used Desmond to make a glass pitcher shatter. This performance demonstrated both the strengths and weaknesses of Mike's approach. On one hand, the presence of a "Spirit Energy" is a creative gimmick, and could generate quite an impact if used well. However, if overused or not applied to an appropriate trick, the imaginary friends stop being convincing, and the tricks done with them are less impressive. Unfortunately, Mike used Desmond again at Judgement Week for a slightly convoluted trick involving a magic square that was too far removed from the simple, striking approach of the auditions. His Live Show performance, in which Desmond was used in a Voodoo-Doll themed routine, was better, but by that point, Desmond was a liability that was damaging Mike's act. Mike lost the Judges Choice in his heat, but returned to the Semifinals as a Wild Card. At that point, he changed his act, dropping Desmond whilst providing a spectacular routine blending both illusion and mentalism. The performance was impressive enough for him to make it to the Top 12. However, Mike changed his act again, generally dropping the paranormal aspect (save for a mention of how playing cards were related to Tarot cards) in favour of a routine that could have easily been performed by any other AGT mentalist. Whilst his trick, which involved using playing cards to predict the serial number of a randomly-chosen dollar bill, was impressive and performed well, Mike lost the approach that made his act unique. Therefore, it wasn't much of a surprise when viewers decided that Mat Franco would be the only magician in the Grand Final. In spite of this, Mike was still an excellent performer, and managed to stand out in a season full of brilliant magic acts.
4. Collins Key (Series 8)
16 years old at the time of his audition, Collins Key is the youngest magician ever to appear on AGT, but also proved to be one of the most successful. His decision to style himself as "The Justin Bieber of Magic" (around the time the former teen idol was starting to go off the rails) seemed risky on paper, given that the adolescent males who hate Bieber most of all also have a very cynical opinion of magic acts and are a key viewing demographic for AGT. However, the tricks Collins performed were creative and impressive enough for him to not only impress teenage girls, but win the support of the general American public. At the auditions, Collins provided a piece of close-up magic in which he made a dollar bill vanish and reappear inside a sealed bag of popcorn, then wowed at Vegas Week with a trick where a chosen page from Howie Mandel's book vanished from it and reappeared inside a sealed envelope. However, his best routine was in the Live Shows, where he correctly predicted random Twitter Hashtags chosen by the judges using a scroll held in a sealed box above the stage. It was a routine with a wonderfully modern theme, and proved that Collins could switch from the street magic-type tricks he had performed earlier to stage magic without losing sight of what made him stand out. After these successful performances, Collins seemed like a real contender, but underwhelmed in the Semifinals. His routine, in which he correctly predicted the items of clothing randomly chosen by the judges by choosing an audience member whose clothes matched those selected, was a little too elaborate, with a lot of time being wasted on crowd control. However, with half the acts in the Semifinals making it through, the quality of Collins' first three performances carried him through to the Top 12. There, he tried to provide a simpler performance, doing a spin on the Spike Under Cup trick involving putting host Nick Cannon's watch inside one of three bags, and smashing two of them with a sledgehammer. However, in contrast to other versions of the Spike Under Cup (such as the one performed by David & Leeman, and a version performed in AGT during Series 6 by Frank Miles, who, as a daredevil rather than a magician, is excluded from this countdown), there was no risk to Collins health and safety, and the unusually small number of options was probably intended to reduce the length of the routine. However, this did not work because the judges, rarely the most co-operative volunteers, caused the routine to overrun by spending too long attempting to read the time on Howie's watch (the climax of Collins' routine involved setting Nick's watch to match the chosen time). In spite of the fact he provided another disappointing performance, Collins made the Grand Final, where he performed twice in an attempt to win. His two performances were a Close-up routine, in which he merged two playing cards held between the mouths of judges Heidi Klum and Mel B,and a mentalism routine in which he used a YouTube video to correctly predict photos of volunteers randomly chosen by the judges. These were his best performances since the Live Show Heats, but not quite polished enough for him to earn AGT's million-dollar prize. In the final results show, he came fifth, but not before performing one last trick for Today Show hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, in which he combined elements of his first two performances to create a new trick. A particularly revealing moment came at the beginning of this routine, as Collins stated that he chose to use his Audition and Vegas Week tricks because they were the most popular with his fans on Twitter. Although I think it is misleading to say that those two were his best performances, Collins owes his success on AGT, and his high placement on this countdown, to the skill he showed in the earlier stages of the competition.
3. Michael Grasso (Series 5)
When Michael Grasso auditioned with a version of the Suspended Animation trick, it was certainly impressive, but cynical viewers believed he would continue the tradition of illusionists disappointing on AGT. He initially proved these doubts correct when he was eliminated in Vegas Week after doing a sleight-of-hand routine. Like Shimshi's card trick in Series 3, it wasn't a bad performance, but it was not right for AGT at the time. However, when Sharon Osbourne chose Michael to return to the competition in the Wild Card round, he began one of the most impressive comebacks in Americas Got Talent history. For his Wild Card performance, he did a version of the Spiker illusion and established his trademark style, which was old-fashioned yet energetic and exciting to watch. Once he got to the Semifinals, Michael went up against Murray Sawchuck for the chance to make the Top 10. He did a trick in which he made an assistant vanish from a cage and take his place beneath it, before finishing his performance by appearing behind the judges. In contrast to Murray's performance, he proved that a magic act could have a retro style whilst retaining a fast pace. Therefore, Michael earned a place in the Top 10, where he performed his third transposition trick of the competition. This time, he appeared to trap an assistant in a glass box full of swords to restrict her movement. He then appeared to switch places with the assistant as she escaped from the box, but the person inside was not Michael, but another assistant. Ultimately, Michael was revealed in the costume of one of his masked helpers. It was an incredible illusion, and, like many involving a lot of transpositions in a very short time, is far more impressive to watch than it is to describe. However, only four acts could make the Grand Final, and Michael narrowly missed out. That doesn't take away from the fact that he was the first magic act on AGT to really inspire and impress viewers throughout his period competing on the Live Shows, and he deserves his status as an AGT icon.
2. Landon Swank (Series 6)
Landon Swank auditioned with a rather interesting spin on a conventional Shadowbox trick by appearing to fold up the shadow of his assistant when he made her vanish.He then impressed in Vegas Week with a trick involving making an assistant appear from a levitating cardboard box. After these performances, Landon seemed like a favourite to go far in the competition. However, his Live Show performance was only mediocre, as he did a trick where he walked through an autographed mirror with no real twists or unique touches, and lost the judges choice as a result. In spite of this, Piers Morgan, Landon's most vocal supporter, brought him back for the Wild Card round, where he faced off against Seth Grabel. In the Wild Card round, he performed the Aquarian Illusion, previously performed by Anthony Reed in Series 2. Whilst Landon's version took a little longer, it was definitely more exciting to watch, due to his decision to focus on the escape aspects rather than the climactic transposition. Landon's performance was easily better than Seth's, because the trick was more impressive, and the long set-up was more relevant and exciting to watch. Landon performed another dangerous, showmanship-heavy trick in the Semifinals, where he did a Russian Roulette-type effect where he hid inside one of four giant boxes, and the judges were told to blow up three of them with dynamite. Again, Landon made this trick stand out by providing a sense of danger, and he earned a place in the Top 10. There, he chose to do something different, and did a routine which began with some fish-themed sleight-of-hand and finished with him passing his hand through a fish-tank. Though this climactic trick was not performed flawlessly (some of the water leaked out towards the end), it was a creative spin on the mirror trick that Landon had already performed earlier in the competition. Like Michael Grasso before him, Landon only missed out on the Grand Final due to the quality of his opposition, coming within 1% of making it through in the viewer's vote. Landon's creative illusions and strong showmanship marked him out as everything an AGT magician should be. However, even he cannot compare to the act above him. 1. Mat Franco (Series 9)
The number one spot on this countdown could not have gone to anyone else. As the first magician ever to win Americas Got Talent, and the third to win a Got Talent series anywhere in the world, (After Charlie Caper from Sweden and Christian Gog from Romania) Mat Franco has become the hero of magic fans not just in America, but all over the globe. In his audition, Mat did a storytelling trick with cards, in the vein of Steve the Bellhop or 673 King Street, but with a unique story tailored to his appearance on AGT. After doing another unusual but creative card trick in Judgement Week, in which he used a picture of Howie Mandel to correctly predict a chosen card , he was under pressure to make ensure his act remained impressive when performing for a far larger audience at the Live Shows. Mat's first performance in the Live Shows was not as technically impressive as his previous two, but it proved that he could make his act suitable for a giant stage. However, it was not until the Semifinals that Mat emerged as a potential winner. Instead of focusing on card tricks, he made cards into a secondary element of his performance. Mat did a routine with Mel B's phone, as he made it vanish and reappear inside a randomly-chosen seat. Whilst this trick is associated with Penn & Teller, Mat's version stood out, and his use of his signature cards allowed him to make his performance unique. In the Top 12, Mat performed the Ambitious Card routine. He did it well, but it was one of his weaker performances because of its relatively conventional nature. However, he still beat David & Leeman and Mike Super to become the only magician in the Grand Final, where, like Collins Key the previous year, he provided three performances, two during the main show and one during the last results show of the season. For the first, he applied his storytelling skills to a Cups and Balls routine, and for the second, he did a version of the classic card trick Out of This World. In both cases, he updated both popular tricks with a slick and energetic presentation. After doing a version of Cards Across in the final results show (with comedienne Rosie O'Donnell as his celebrity guest), Mat was crowned the winner of Series 9 of Americas Got Talent. Mat deserved his victory, and there is no doubting the fact that magicians competing on AGT in the future will have their work cut out emulating his success.
This concludes our countdown of AGT magicians. Come back soon for an overview of this year's magic acts, and a look at the return of Penn and Teller: Fool Us.
Out of all the magicians in Series 4, Jay Mattioli provided what was probably the best audition. The highlight of his routine was his opening effect, in which he made his microphone stand float around the stage, then performed a gravity-defying lean in the style of Michael Jackson whilst trying to control it. Based on this performance, Jay seemed like a favourite to do well in the series. Unfortunately, the judges eliminated him at Vegas Week. This led to a considerable outcry from AGT viewers, so when eight Wild Cards were added to the Top 40, it was great to find out that Jay was among them. Unfortunately, his Live Show routine was incredibly disappointing. Though Jay started well by making two assistants appear from a box, his remaining tricks were unimpressive and generic, and he ended up with two X's from the judges. In addition to the quality of his audition and his status as a Wild Card, what made Jay's failure so frustrating was the fact that he was capable of so much more. Anyone who has seen videos of his routines, such as Hair Salon, on YouTube knows that Jay is a excellent illusionist who can provide creative and funny performances. Therefore, Jay is low on the list because he chose to play it safe instead of showing Americas what he could really do.
20. Leon Etienne & Romy Low (Series 8)
During Series 7 and 8 of AGT, the magic acts became increasingly unconventional, and the stage illusionists who had previously dominated the art began to decline. The only traditional illusionists on AGT's Live Shows in Series 8 were Leon Etienne & Romy Low. Blending illusions and card tricks in their audition, and providing a spin on the Broomstick Levitation at Vegas Week, Leon & Romy demonstrated that they had plenty of showmanship, but were a bit too conventional.However, they did something different for their Live Show performance, and though it was heavily criticised by the judges, I quite liked it. In their Live Show performance, Leon & Romy did a version of Lance Burton's clever and creative Backstage illusion, in which the magician appears to let the audience in on his secrets. He shows the audience the view from behind as he performs a seemingly generic box trick, during which he leaves the box and hides under a nearby table. However, the magician soon vanishes from beneath the table and reappears in the box in time for the climax of the trick. It's very entertaining to watch, but the lengthy set-up for what is actually a pretty simple teleportation effect can annoy viewers, and Leon & Romy found this out the hard way. The judges found the performance confusing, and only enjoyed a final reveal, in which Nick Cannon appeared under the table that Leon had vanished from. Although Leon & Romy were initially eliminated following this routine, judge Howard Stern brought them back for the Semifinals as Wild Cards, in spite of the fact he gave them an X in the Live Shows. Their Semifinal performance was energetic, but all the tricks they performed during it have been seen on AGT before. Therefore, I personally thought it was their weakest performance. Overall, Leon & Romy were slick and energetic, but I would have liked to see them take a few more risks, even if those risks didn't pay off.
19. Jarret & Raja (Series 7)
Jarrett & Raja aimed to blend grand illusion with both comedy and classical music, with Jarret performing the tricks and Raja in the role of his piano-playing assistant. Their audition provided an amusing spin on Sawing A Person in Half, with Raja being bisected in clear view of the audience without a box covering his body. This was followed by an impressive Vegas Week trick in which Jarrett made an entire orchestra appear to accompany Raja. Unfortunately, Jarrett & Raja's performance in the Live Shows was such a failure that a large section of the audience booed them. The idea for their routine, a bathtime-themed spin on the Spirit Pyramid illusion, in which the magician produces spirits from beneath giant cloths, was goofy, but also unique and intriguing, but they performed it in a basic and incredibly amateurish manner. It's a relatively minor problem when the feet of the assistants are visible as the cloths are brought to life, because they are obviously playing the forms under the sheets, but the Spirit Pyramid stands out due to its climax, in which the magician vanishes from the cabinet and appears beneath the final cloth. Jarrett could be clearly seen beneath the final cloth when it came to life, thus ruining this pivotal part of the routine. Jarrett & Raja redeemed themselves somewhat in the Wild Card round, when they made a grand piano vanish in midair. Their performance was not strong enough for them to make it further, but they did go out with a trick that summed up their approach perfectly by being energetic, spectacular, and full of piano music.
18. Magic of Puck (Series 7)
Magic of Puck competed in the same YouTube heat as Rudy Coby, but managed to make it to the Semifinals. Whilst that heat was third-rate even by the reduced standards of AGT's YouTube heats, Puck's performance was one of the few highlights. Whilst Rudy had impressive illusions but an over-long routine, Puck livened up a mundane Dancing Handkerchief trick with a number of interesting touches (such as making the handkerchief fly out of a sealed bottle) and a slick presentation. Given the inauspicious circumstances under which he had qualified, Puck was expected to flop in the Semifinals as Dan Sperry had done previously, but he managed not to embarrass himself. He performed a trick in which he made an assistant levitate, vanish and reappear inside a box, and though he never really had a chance of making the final, Puck proved that he deserved to be in the AGT Semifinals. In spite of this, he was not unique or spectacular enough compared to AGT's best magicians.
17. Scott Alexander (Series 6)
In my opinion, Scott Alexander is one of AGT's most underrated illusionists. The tricks he did were very big and very impressive. After performing an enjoyable levitation trick in his audition, Scott provided his best performance in Vegas Week. He did a spin on the Eclipse illusion, in which an assistant appeared to vanish from one half of a circular box and appear in the other. The Eclipse is one of my favourite illusions because it is beautiful to watch and hard to figure out, and Scott did it justice. Scott then provided one of the most spectacular AGT tricks ever in the Live Shows, as he made an entire choir vanish from a box and reappear on the theatre balcony. Sadly, it was overlooked by the viewers, and Scott finished behind an act who had gained 2 X's. Maybe Scott failed due to his lack of stage presence, but I think he deserved to go further than he did.
16. Seth Grabel (Series 6)
Whilst some magicians emphasise technical skills, there are others who focus on showmanship and presentation. Seth Grabel was a great example of the latter type. Although his routines were relatively easy to figure out. he used an attention-grabbing approach that was both ostentatious and amusing. After a comedic teleportation routine at the auditions, and a more serious, "acrobatic" performance at Vegas Week, Seth blended the two styles for a memorable Live Show routine which began with him trying to escape from a straitjacket whilst dangling over a cauldron of boiling tar and apparently falling in, and ended with him getting shot out of a cannon and appearing inside a water tank. After losing the judge's vote, Seth was brought back as a Wild Card by Howie Mandel, going up against fellow magician Landon Swank. His central trick, in which he made a Deorlean car appear with children representing AGT's judges inside, was entertaining enough, but, as was the case with many disappointing magic routines on AGT, he spent too much time setting up the illusion, and not enough demonstrating his skills as a magician. Furthermore, Seth spent most of the introduction doing acrobatics inside a large hoop, which was little more than a distraction. Sometimes excessive showmanship can make an act great, but it can also ruin it, and Seth should have paid a bit more attention to the problems with his approach. Although I personally preferred Scott Alexander's tricks, Seth's superior presentation and greater levels of success put him higher on the countdown.
15. Spencer Horsman (Series 7)
Presenting himself as the "World's Youngest Escapologist", Spencer Horsman established his dangerous approach from his audition, where he escaped from a straitjacket upside down before a spike trap could close on him. In Vegas Week, he escaped from a tank of water in (roughly) 90 seconds. Although neither stunt is particularly original (Australia Got Talent runner-up Cosentino performed both of them during his time on that show the previous year), Spencer managed to play up the suspense and make his escapes seem genuinely difficult and impressive. However, when he reached the Live Shows, Spencer chose to switch from real escapology to conventional magic, merely doing a magic trick with an escapology theme. Furthermore, a prop malfunction ensured that the routine ended 13 seconds early. This led to Spencer's early elimination, but was brought back for the Wild Card round, and provided a unique, dangerous and memorable performance in which he escaped from a glass box as it was filled with cement. Unfortunately, viewers did not vote for Spencer, probably because they did not want to see him risk his life yet again, so the performance that showed off his full potential as an escapologist, and secured his placement in the top half of this countdown, was also his last on AGT.
14. Drew Thomas Magic (Series 4)
In his audition, Drew Thomas Magic performed the Spirit Pyramid trick later botched by Jarret and Raja, but his version was practically flawless. As a result, he was singled out as a "million dollar act" by the judges almost immediately, and his Live Show performance, which centred around female assistants switching places with male assistants from within a giant packing crate, reinforced their opinion and ensured that the audience voted him through to the next round. However, Drew's Semifinal performance, dedicated to his daughter, was a disappointment as immense as the failures of Jay Mattioli and Kevin James. It relied too heavily on generic box tricks, including one, in which he made an assistant pop out of a toolbox, that didn't feel like a proper trick at all because the box was never shown to be empty. The idea of doing a "sentimental" routine with a childhood theme is interesting enough, but Drew forgot one of the most important rule of magic - you should never assume that a good story can make up for substandard tricks. However, one weak performance does not detract from the fact that Drew was generally an effective illusionist.
13. Antonio Restivio (Series 5)
Magician and fire artist Antonio Restivio stood out at the audition stage, providing illusions with plenty of firepower, both literally and figuratively. In Vegas Week, he competed alongside the danger acts rather than the magicians. This turned out to be an advantage, as he performed a version of the Suspended Animation illusion, already performed by Michael Grasso at the audition stage in the same Series, which was affected by prop malfunctions. However, Antonio's Live Show performance was more successful, and he made it to the Semifinals as a Judge's Choice. In the Semifinals, Antonio performed his most dangerous routine, as he did an illusion in which he was trapped in a box as a row of burning spikes was dropped on it, but vanished from it and reappeared at the side of the stage, completely unharmed. This spectacular performance made up for Dan Sperry's failure in the same Semifinal heat, but did note win over enough viewers for Antonio to make Top 10. Although he never provided a truly great performance, Antonio's showmanship and love of danger ensured that he was memorable for the right reasons.
12. David & Dania: Quick Change (Series 1)
David and Dania's audition is one of the most iconic AGT auditions of all time. Their routine, which involved several "Quick Changes" (magical changes of costume) in a very short space of time, became an internet sensation. They were also the first magic act to make the Top 10 of Americas Got Talent, a feat that would not be repeated by a magician until Series 5. So why are they not higher on the countdown? The answer is simple; their act became repetitive. Whilst Quick-Change acts are generally limited to a single type of illusion, they can remain interesting if they provide different routines with a wide range of unique and exciting costume changes, as Australia's Got Talent's two-time finalists Soul Mystique did. However, David & Dania performed the same routine again and again throughout the competition, with only a couple of new costumes each time. In the Wild Card round, they memorably got into a heated argument with Piers Morgan when he called them out on their lack of range. Although Piers is famous for being obnoxious and unpleasant, he was generally a competent judge, and his critique of David & Dania was entirely correct. This did not prevent the AGT viewers from putting them through to the final at the expense of fellow magician Nathan Burton and, to no-one's surprise, David & Dania performed what was essentially the same routine again and received the same reaction from Piers. Based on their first audition alone, David & Dania would be in the top 5 of this countdown, but you can't perform the same routine four times in a row and expect viewers to be as impressed after the fourth performance as they were after the first.
11. Kevin James (Series 2)
In his audition, and especially his Vegas Week performance, Kevin James demonstrated why he is one of the most popular and influential magicians in the world today. His audition routine featured him putting together a dummy of Charlie Chaplin, then bringing it to life. The old-fashioned approach could have been boring, but Kevin's lively presentation made it enjoyable, and the trick itself was great. Kevin then followed this up with his iconic performance at Vegas Week. His creative and impressive spin on Sawing a Person in Half, where both halves developed a life of their own, was so good that he performed it again when he made a guest appearance as the head of The Illusionists last year. Unfortunately, Kevin followed one of the best ever magic performances on AGT with one of the worst. His Live Show routine featured him playing around with a disembodied hand, and even the lively presentation could not hide the fact that the routine was too small-scale and amateurish for AGT. Therefore, Kevin's time on AGT ended earlier than it should have, but he still managed to prove himself as a unique and innovative magician.
Come back tomorrow for the final part of this countdown to see the Top 10 and find out which Americas Got Talent magician I regard as the best.
