(N.B: I've been on holiday the last week, so instead of posting my review before the results show, I'm posting it afterwards. instead of providing a prediction of the results as I normally do, I'm going to reveal the results in the post as I did when reviewing the Judges Cuts)
Last week, twelve acts performed in the third and final heat of the Americas Got Talent Live Shows. They included Mentalist Oz Pearlman and "Professional Regurgitator" Stevie Starr (Now referred to as The Professional Regurgitator by the show).
What Did Oz Pearlman Do?
Having already read the judges' minds in his first two performances, Oz Pearlman got the judges to read his mind instead. He began his Live Show performance by showing the judges a glass jar full of gumballs. He then engaged the judges in a guessing game, telling them to guess the number of gumballs in the jar. Oz confirmed that there were more than 100 gumballs inside the jar and less than 1000, with the exact number written in an envelope given to host Nick Cannon at the beginning of the routine and held by him throughout. He told the judges to write down their guesses on small individual whiteboards and reveal them, with Howard having to change his guess to a different one because he had written the same number as Mel B. Nick finally opened the envelope to reveal that the exact number of gumballs in the jar was 327, two more than Mel B's prediction of 325. Oz then showed an Instagram video revealing that he had correctly predicted how close Mel B would come to getting the right amount. He then told Nick to reach into the jar and take out a small piece of paper buried beneath all the gumballs. This piece of paper was a receipt, with a twelve-digit item number made up of the four three-digit numbers chosen by the judges, with Howard's final prediction forming the first three numbers, Heidi's prediction forming the next three, Mel B's forming the third set of three, and Howie's prediction providing the last set of three numbers. Overall, this was a great routine. My main issue with Oz has been his overconfident performance style, but I enjoyed the more comedic approach he took this time, as he engaged in some amusing banter with Nick and the judges (Most notably, he told Heidi to stand and turn around in a circle in an attempt to read her mind, then revealed that he had done this because he was reading the minds of "all the men in America"). Furthermore, I loved the idea behind the trick, and thought that the climax was strong enough to justify the lengthy set-up. However, there was one problem with the performance, and that was the fact that some eagle-eyed viewers were able to see Oz pulling off a major move during his performance. I won't go into any further detail, but the viewers who noticed this were especially vocal in their attacks on Oz when using social media after his performance. Oz needs to consider this in the future and try to hide his secrets a little better, as even a few criticisms on sites like Facebook and Youtube will affect his popularity. However, that cannot detract from the fact that Oz's routine was highly enjoyable and he's generally a great mentalist.
What Did The Judges Say?
Due to the length of the performance, the judges had less time to deliver their critiques then usual (in fact, Heidi was unable to comment), but their opinions were all positive. Mel B called the performance "amazing". Howard praised Oz for "making him feel like an idiot" and praised his sense of showmanship. Finally, Howie described Oz as "The Wizard of Oz"
What Did The Professional Regurgitator Do?
After showcasing a number of smaller regurgitation tricks in his intro video, The Professional Regurgitator promised to "do something different" for his Live performance. He began by swallowing a ring belonging to Heidi (which was worth $500,000), then swallowed a closed lock, followed by the key used to close it. The Professional Regurgitator then promised to open the lock, place the ring inside, and close it again (all within this stomach), then regurgitate the lock with the ring locked inside. He managed to do this (with both the ring and lock remaining totally dry), but the key remained in his stomach. The Professional Regurgitator solved this problem in the same way as he had in his previous two performances. He swallowed an even larger object (in this case, a pool ball), which displaced the key, allowing him to regurgitate it. before regurgitating the pool ball. I've been unsure about whether or not The Professional Regurgitator should be classified as a magic act, but there was a strong element of magic to his performance - is it really possible to do all this with merely your stomach muscles? (This explains why Howard later linked The Professional Regurgitator to the magic category during his post-performance comments). Though I saw The Professional Regurgitator perform this trick on Britain's Got Talent in 2010 (The only major difference was the fact he did not use a pool ball to retrieve the key that time), but it is still highly impressive. However, most of the problems that I've had with The Professional Regurgitator since his audition remain. His act is not comfortable to watch, and also a bit limited - how many tricks can you perform in which you swallow objects and regurgitate them in an unusual fashion? Therefore, whilst he is likely to do very well on this show, I don't think that the Professional Regurgitator is a potential winner.
What Did The Judges Say?
Howard, Heidi and Howie gave The Professional Regurgitator standing ovations. Heidi, who has been an especially vocal fan, said that it was "Incredible" and called it "the most unique act that I've ever seen in my life". Mel B said she felt "Violated" by the act due to its disgusting nature, but called it "Exciting to watch" Howie called The Professional Regurgitator "The best act of the night", but then spoiled things when he said that The Professional Regurgitator "made Bulimia entertaining" (He apologised for this tasteless comment later in the show). Howard finished by calling The Professional Regurgitator a "rock star" and said he was at least "a top five act", if not a potential winner.
Who Made It Through?
Given the high levels of praise they received from the judges and viewers, it is not a surprise that both Oz and The Professional Regurgitator made it through. Apart from them, the acts who made it through to the Semifinals were:
- Jazz/Soul Singer Alicia Michilli
- Opera/Classical Singer Daniella Mass
- Videomapping Dance Trio Freelusion Dance Company
- Stand-up Comedian Gary Vider
- Bluegrass Band Mountain Faith Band
(N.B: Motocross Stunt Bikers Metal Mulisha Fitz's Army were initially eliminated from this heat, but will be returning as Wildcards to ensure that there are an even number of acts in the Semifinals)
This Week: Eleven acts will compete in the first Semifinal, fighting for five places in the Grand Final. Oz Pearlman and Derek Hughes will be representing the magic category, and will compete against the following acts:
- Arielle Baril (12 Year-Old Opera Singer)
- Benton Blount (Rock/Country Singer and Guitarist)
- Drew Lynch (Stuttering Stand-up Comedian)
- Ira (Singing Puppet Act)
- Metal Mulisha Fitz's Army
- Mountain Faith Band
- Samantha Johnson (Rnb/Soul Singer)
- Siro-A (Videomapping Dance Troupe)
- The CraigLewis Band (RnB/Soul Vocal Duo)
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