(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.
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