Americas Got Talent 10 Live Shows - Week 2: Derek Hughes

(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)

This week, twelve more acts performed in the second week of Live Shows at Radio City Music Hall, competing to win seven more spots in the Semifinals. This group of acts included Comedic Magician Derek Hughes.

How Did Derek Fare?

For the Live Shows, Derek promised to "break the magician's code" with a card routine in which he used judge Mel B as a volunteer. He told her to choose a card and sign it, before explaining that he would demonstrate how to cheat at cards. He then asked Mel B to name a card game, and she chose the popular children's game Snap. Derek then revealed how to cheat at Snap. He used a riffle to distract Mel B, before making the signed card appear in his pocket. He then did the trick in slow motion, showing the card to the audience as he placed it in his pocket. After these two versions of the trick, Derek appeared to repeat it, but as he did so, showed that he wasn't palming any of the cards. In spite of this, the signed card appeared in his pocket yet again. For the climax of the routine, Derek told Mel B to push the chosen card into the deck and riffle the side of it as he had done. However, instead of the signed card appearing in Derek's pocket and the other cards remaining in his hands, all of the cards in the deck appeared in his pocket except for the signed card, which remained in his hand. Generally, Derek's performance was better than his last two. He had some funny lines, such as saying he became a magician because "I suck at sports" and doing a decent impression of Mel B's accent, More importantly, the magic itself was pretty good, with a polished delivery and a strong climax However, the main issue with Derek remains. He specialises in the card tricks also performed by last year's winner Mat Franco and this year's favourite Piff the Magic Dragon, and has to be judged in comparison with those two acts. Whilst Derek's Live Show performance was probably better than Piff's, I still think that Piff is the superior magician overall, and Derek may get overshadowed by other acts as the competition gets increasingly competitive.

What Did The Judges Say?

The Judges did not have a bad word to say about Derek's performance. Howie claimed that he "fired on every cylinder". Howard likened Derek's routine to close-up magic performed by the iconic Illusionist Doug Henning, and said that Derek had improved with every performance. Both of them said that Derek should make it through to the next round. The female judges were also full of praise. Heidi called Derek "complex" for his blend of magic and comedy. Mel B said Derek hadn't "wowed" her in earlier rounds, but managed to win her over with this routine.

What Was The Competition Like?

Overall, this was a show full of surprises. Many acts expected to do well struggled, and acts who I was not initially keen on won me over. The first act to perform was Dance Crew DM Nation. Their performance was very impressive, but I'm worried that they are overusing their signature moves. Rock Band 3 Shades of Blue made use of a good song choice ("Chains" by Nick Jonas), but I doubt they will convince their critics. Dance Quintet Animation Crew were the big disappointments of the night, relying on a videogame theme that has already been used by better dance acts in the past. Preteen Opera Singer Arielle Baril sang well, but failed to step out of Jackie Evancho's shadow. Ladder Acrobat Uzeyer Novruzov made some mistakes early on, but was generally incredible to watch, especially when standing on top of an 18-foot ladder. Puppet Act Ira was fun to watch, but cemented their status as a novelty act rather than a genuine contender. Flyboarder Damone Rippy emphasised his performance skills, but his act feels more suited to a theme park stunt show than the AGT stage. Stand-Up Comedian Myq Kaplan had some amusing lines, but his routine failed to gain a strong reaction from the crowd at Radio City. RnB Vocal Duo The CraigLewis Band were probably the most improved act of the night. "Try A Little Tenderness" was the perfect song choice for them, and they sang it very well. Videomapping Dance Duo Freckled Sky are very expressive dancers and used some great visuals, but I disliked the decision to keep them apart for the entire routine, because they are better when dancing as a couple. Finally, Sharon Irving honoured her grandfather (Who had participated in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's) by singing "Glory", which featured in the soundtrack to the Martin Luther King biopic Selma.

What Are Derek's Chances?

In my preview, I said that Derek only had a Moderate chance of advancing, but a good performance would change that. On the whole, Derek's routine was generally strong enough to stand out. Combined with the praise he received from the Judges and the disappointing performances of some of his rivals (Especially Animation Crew and Myq Kaplan), Derek's successful performance ensures that he now has a Good chance of advancing, but I would not be surprised if he has to go through via the Dunkin' Save, an online vote that chooses the final act to go through automatically.