America's Got Talent 11 Judges Cuts - Episode 4: Sos & Victoria Petrosyan, The Amazing Armando and The Clairvoyants

(For British Viewers, the Following May Contain Spoilers)

The fourth and final episode of the Judges Cuts round aired last week. Louis Tomlinson, one of the members of boyband One Direction, was the episode's "Guest Judge", helping regular judges Howie, Mel B, Heidi and Simon choose which seven acts would make the Live Shows out the final group of 20. This set of competitors included Quick-Change Illusionists Sos & Victoria Petrosyan, Comedic Magician The Amazing Armando and Mentalist Duo The Clairvoyants.

How Did Sos & Victorian Petrosyan Do?

Sos & Victoria Petrosyan are the second magic act in AGT history to focus on Quick-Change magic, following David and Dania, whose audition went viral during the First Season. For their audition (above), Sos & Victoria marked themselves out from other Quick-Change acts through their use of upbeat pop music and their desicion to perform with clothes they had made themselves, ensuring that their magical costume changes did not only highlight their skills as magicians, but their abilities as costume designers. However, they needed to avoid the two flaws which ruined David and Dania's act - a reliance on repeating the same costume changes in every performance, and a refusal to listen to criticism.

Fortunately, in their Judges Cuts performance (below), Sos & Victoria avoided these two errors, but their efforts  to show off their range and please Simon (who had previously criticised Sos' dance moves during their audition) almost undermined their act. Sos & Victoria's Judges Cuts routine, set to OneRepublic's anthem "Love Runs Out", began with Sos making a box float into the air, before making Victoria appear from that box. Sos turned the box, and Victoria, upside down, before restoring it to its normal position. When Victoria re-emerged from the box, she was wearing a new costume. After this trick, Sos & Victoria performed a set of their signature costume changes, which included Sos transforming his black suit into a red one, and Victoria's costume changing whilst she stood in the middle of a circle of sparks. The routine finished with Sos changing Victoria's dress into a red one in a shower of confetti.

I personally liked Sos & Victoria's decision to mix things up a little bit. The illusion with the levitating box is a standard of magic (Landon Swank performed a particularly memorable version on Season 6 on AGT), but Sos & Victoria performed it quickly and effectively, and their desicion to use costume changes allowed them to transition perfectly from this trick to the quick-changes which define their act. Like Steven Brundage in Episode 2 of the Judges Cuts, Sos & Victoria managed to introduce another style of magic to their act whilst retaining their signature approach, both demonstrating their versatility and highlighting their unique features at the same time. The Quick-Changes were also performed well. Although there are only a certain number of ways you can conceal a costume change (most of which involve covering the performer with a large bag for a few seconds), only the final costume change felt like it had been recycled from the first audition. Overall, this was a strong second performance, and demonstrated that Sos & Victoria have the potential to ensure their act feels fresh and exciting over multiple performances.

The judges generally focused on praising the speed with which Sos & Victoria performed their costume changes. However, Simon was critical of the performance, pointing out that the duo did not provide enough costume changes compared to their audition. In spite of this, the judges went on to put Sos & Victoria through to the Live Shows at the end of the episode. Ultimately, Sos & Victoria deserved their place in the next round, but they really need to provide a spectacular performance, especially with so many magic acts already through to the live shows.

How Did The Amazing Armando Do?

With so many great magicians competing at the Judges Cuts this year, it was only inevitable that we'd get a couple of bad ones, but The Amazing Armando made even Cecile & Mighty seem impressive. The Amazing Armando's audition went untelevised, but his signature shtick (according to his website and Facebook page, neither of which provide much information) is to portray himself as a magician from a fictional third-world country. In the hands of a professional, this approach could generate intelligent and amusing comedy, but, judging from what little we saw of him, Armando relied on an overly exaggerated delivery, making the act seem a little creepy and detracting from the magic instead of enchancing it.

The best part of The Amzing Armando's Judges Cuts routine (Below) occurred at the beginning, when he tricked Mel B into joining him on stage as a volunteer. After that, things went downhill rapidly. Armando performed a comedic trick where he promised to use sleight of hand to make a Chicken Nugget vanish from a handkerchief in front of her eyes, but actually made it vanish by throwing it over her head. This can be an amusing effect when performed by the right magician, but merely seemed silly and annoying when Armando performed it. Simon and Howie gave Armando an X, with Louis pressing Mel B's buzzer for her. Armando finished his performance by making a small black bird appear from within the handkerchief. However, this trick proved another failure, as Mel B saw Armando performing the sleights which allowed him to make the bird appear. As soon as the performance ended, Heidi gave Armando a fourth X, officially eliminating him from the competition on the spot.

Overall, The Amazing Armando's performance was a complete mess, and probably the worst performance from a magician in this entire season of AGT. The tricks which formed the routine were too small and generic to be impressive. Furthermore, Armando performed them badly, with a very annoying delivery and a number of errors. Things got even worse for Armando after his performance, as the pet bird emptied it's bladder on stage whilst the Judges were providing their comments (Heidi, who said that the performance was inferior to Armando's audition, was the only judge shown giving proper feedback). It was an appropriately embarrassing conclusion to what had been a very poor performance.

How Did The Clairvoyants Do?

The Clairvoyants are not the first magicians on AGT to specialise in mentalism. last year, Oz Pearlman proved to be the most successful of the magicians in Season 10, finishing in third place, and Eric Dittelman from Season 7 also made great use of his apparent ability to read the judges minds. However, The Clairvoyants, a duo consisting of Austrian mentalists Thommy and Amelie, represent an old-fashioned but fascinating type of mentalism that seems totally unique to AGT. In their audition (above), The Clairvoyants performed a number of tricks in which a completely blindfolded Amelie correctly identified small items, such as a tube of lipstick, an iPhone, and a Bottle of Ear Drops, and revealed information about them (such as the brand of lipstick and the expiry date on the ear drops) which she could not have possibly seen even without a blindfold. The Clairvoyants had one of the best auditions from a magic act this season, but like Sos & Victoria, they needed to prove that their genre of magic could remain interesting once the novelty of their audition had worn off.

The Clairvoyants provided the last performance in the last episode of the Judges Cuts, and this meant that they were under pressure to bring the round to a memorable conclusion. Fortunately, they succeeded in doing this, as their Judges Cuts performance (below) allowed Amelie another opportunity to show off her unique abilities. Amelie was seated at the centre of the stage, some distance away from the Judges Table, where Thommy promised to "bring Las Vegas" to the Judges. Thommy gave Howie a dice, and asked him to roll it, then cover it. Even though Amelie was at the centre of the stage, and wouldn't have been able to read the number on the dice even if it wasn't covered, she correctly guessed that Howie had rolled the number "one". After this, Amelie put on a blindfold, which Louis had tested earlier, before Thommy gave the judges a deck of cards. He instructed Mel B to shuffle them and Louis to choose one. After Louis put his chosen card face-down in Thommy's had, Amelie was able to correctly reveal that Louis had chosen the Five of Hearts. For the final trick in the routine, Thommy promised to provide an even more impressive prediction. He asked Heidi to choose one banknote out of a set of bills provided by Simon. Thommy then pointed out that to correctly predict the serial number on that banknote would be "more impossible than winning a million in Vegas". However, Amelie was able to correctly guess all eight digits in the serial number, as well as the letter at the end of it. Overall, this was a solid performance. I liked the use of a theme to tie the routine together, and the manner in which the predictions became increasingly impressive. Furthermore, the mentalism performed by The Clairvoyants is always impressive to watch, and Amelie's often hesitant delivery makes her abilities stand out even more. However, The Clairvoyants Judges Cuts routine was probably less impressive than their audition, as the mentalism they performed felt a bit more conventional. Correctly guessing a chosen card, or the serial number on a banknote, doesn't feel as unique or spectacular as the mentalism they performed in their audition. In spite of this, The Clairvoyants performance in the Judges Cuts was still fun to watch, and they are probably one of the best magic acts in this season of AGT.

The judges had nothing but praise for The Clairvoyants. Heidi praised the "mysterious" experience they provided, Louis called their act "mindblowing", and both Simon and Howie claimed that they had "never seen anything like it". Therefore, it was no surprise when, at the end of the episode, the judges put The Clairvoyants through to the Live Shows. Hopefully, they'll provide even more incredible feats of mentalism in the next round. 

Which Acts Made It Through?

In addition to Sos & Victoria Petrosyan and The Clairvoyants, five other acts made it through Episode 4 of the Judges Cuts. They Were:

• Teenage Jazz/Soul Singer Jayna Brown
• Pop Choir Musicality
• Hip-Hop Dance Quintet Outlawz
• Acrobatics Duo ThroWings
• Juggler Viktor Kee

I Wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows.

P.S - With 28 acts making it through to the Live Shows via the Judges Cuts, and five acts gaining a spot in the Live Shows by earning a Golden Buzzer at the audition stage, three extra acts were needed to ensure that the Live Shows would feature 36 acts. One of the extra acts is Rubix Cube Magician Steven Brundage, eliminated the the Judges Cuts, but reinstated into the competition as a Wild Card act. I'm pleased to see Steven in the Live Shows, and he has gained a very passionate fanbase who should allow him to do very well in this competition.

Later this Week: The Live Shows begin, and we'll see how many of magic acts who made it through to the Live Shows can advance to the Semifinals. 

Americas Got Talent 11 - Judges Cuts Episode 3: Blake Vogt

(For British Viewers, The Following May Contain Spoilers)

The third episode of the Judges Cuts round of Americas Got Talent aired earlier this week. Actor and comedian George Lopez was the "Guest Judge", helping Howie, Heidi, Mel B and Simon choose seven more acts to make it through to the Live Shows

In this episode, Blake Vogt was the only magician competing for a place in the next round. This meant that he didn't have to be compared with any other magic acts, but he still had to provide an impressive performance in order to stand out.

How Did Blake Vogt Do?

Blake Vogt's audition went untelevised, which generally tends to be a bad sign. As a rule of thumb, if an act is introduced to us at the Judges Cuts stage, it usually implies that they are less interesting than other acts and thus not worth following. However, before Blake's Judges Cut's performance, they showed a brief clip of his audition, which featured him correctly revealing the allergies which affected Heidi and two audience members. This footage revealed that Blake was a creative magician, and proved that the people editing the Audition stages had made a mistake by not showing his performance.

For his Judges Cuts performance (Below), Blake switched from the mentalism of his audition to perform a close-up routine. He went to the judges table, and asked for two dollar bills of "widely different" value. George provided a $100 Bill and Howie provided a $1 Bill.  Blake then asked George and Howie to sign their bills, before instructing Mel B to tear off a corner of Howie's Bill. George was then asked to tear off a corner of his Bill, and the two torn corners were given to Blake. When Blake received the pieces, he put them in his mouth and appeared to swallow them. After this, Blake promised to do something "no-one has ever done before in the history of magic". Blake put the $100 Bill in his mouth, and revealed that the corner of the $1 Bill was now attached to the torn end. He then put the $1 Bill in his mouth and the corner of the $100 Bill appeared, attached to the torn end. Blake finished the performance by getting the judges to verify that the switched corners were firmly attached to their new bills. Overall, I enjoyed the performance, but did not find it spectacular. The trick was impressive, and I especially liked the way in which Blake used the judges. They tore off the corners themselves, and were holding the bills whilst Blake switched the torn corners. Their increased involvement made it harder to figure out how Blake carried out the central switch. However, I thought that Blake lacked showmanship, and I think that a softer, more relaxed style of presentation might have made the performance seem even more impressive. Ultimately, in spite of my issues with his performance style, Blake should be primarily judged based on the trick he performed, and that trick was excellent.

The judges gave Blake highly positive feedback. George claimed that the central trick was "unbelievable", Heidi praised the "original magic" which Blake provided, and Simon called the performance a "great, great second audition". At the end of the episode, the judges chose to put Blake into the Live Shows, making him the fourth magician to get through the Judges Cuts this year. Hopefully, he will be able to match, or even surpass, the high standards set by Jon Dorenbos, Hara and Kadan Bart Rockett.

Who Made It Through To The Live Shows?

In addition to Blake Vogt, six other acts made it through Episode 3 of the Judges Cuts. They were:

• Mother and Son Dance Duo Alla & Daniel Novikov
• Pop/Rock Singer Brian Justin Crum
• Jazz/Swing Singer Daniel Joyner
• Drumming/Tap Dancing Group Malevo
• Sideshow Performers Ryan Stock and AmberLynn
• Mime/Physical Comedian Tape Face

I wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows. 

Americas Got Talent 11 Judges Cuts - Episode 2: Kadan Bart Rockett, Cecile & Mighty and Steven Brundage

(For British Viewers, The Following May Contain Spoilers)

In the Second Episode of the Judges Cuts on Americas Got Talent, which aired last week, 20 more acts competed for seven places in the Live Shows. They had to impress the four regular judges and Country Singer Reba McEntire, who was the "Guest Judge" in this episode.

The 20 competitors included three magic acts: Child Illusionist Kadan Bart Rockett, Singer/Magician Duo Cecile & Mighty and Rubix Cube Magician Steven Brundage.

How Did Kadan Bart Rockett Do?

Child Acts have always been a defining feature of AGT, but they generally tend to be singers or dancers. However, Kadan Bart Rockett is the first Child Magician to appear on AGT in its 11-year history. Kadan is only 10 years old, but specialises in performing the elaborate and spectacular illusions associated with far older magicians. In his audition (Above), Kadan performed what was essentially a homemade version of David Copperfield's iconic Death Saw Illusion  He sawed his younger sister Brooklyn Rockett in half inside a cardboard box, then opened the box to show that both her upper body and legs were clearly visible and still moving.Though the the routine had a rather amateurish feel, it was still fun to watch, and I admired Kadan's ambition in performing such a spectacular trick.

However, Kadan's performance for Judges Cuts (Below) was even more elaborate. In a routine set to the B.O.B Song "Magic", Kadan began by laying a large suitcase on a table. He then opened it and took out a basic magicians costume consisting of a black cape, top hat and Groucho Glasses. Kadan then took a suitcase from the side of the stage, and used it as an impromptu step to climb on top of the table. When Kadan appeared on top of the table, he made not one, not two but SIX girls appear from the suitcase, one at a time. The girls then surrounded Kadan and ripped off his disguise to reveal that he had been replaced by Brooklyn, with Kadan reappearing beside the Judges Desk with an air horn.

It is fairly easy to figure out how this routine was done, but Kadan performed all the key moves smoothly and confidently. I especially liked the reveal of Brooklyn, particularly as Kadan had earlier said that she was "still recovering" from the audition. In spite of his youth, Kadan provided a routine which was impressive even by adult standards, and overall, I really enjoyed watching it.

The Judges all praised Kadan's performance. Mel B called it "very, very entertaining" and Heidi Klum praised Kadan's stage presence. At the end of the episode, the judges put Kadan through to the Live Shows. Kadan deserved his place in the Live Shows, and I hope that his next performance will be as spectacular as this one.

How Did Cecile & Mighty Do?

Cecile and Mighty are a duo consisting of singer Cecile and Magician/hand balancer Mighty. Their audition was untelevised, but it was implied that not all the judges liked it, as Cecile complained about the fact she "didn't get a vote from everybody". This meant that Cecile & Mighty had to provide a spectacular performance to stand out, but they instead turned out to be one of the worst acts in the episode.

Cecile & Mighty's Judges Cuts Performance (Below) consisted of Cecile singing "Holding Out For A Hero" whilst Mighty performed some basic magic tricks, such as making a rose appear inside a handkerchief, and did some hand balancing on two sets of blocks. However, Cecile was not a good singer, and her voice was unpleasant to listen to. The small stunts which Mighty performed complemented the song choice well, but in a heat with numerous superior magicians and acrobats, he seemed really amateurish in comparison. The entire act felt messy, and Mighty seemed like a mere backing performer, ensuring that his talents were wasted.

If Cecile & Mighty's aim was to win over the judges, they did not succeed, as Simon Cowell gave the duo an X. The judges did not appear to spend much time commenting on the act, although Reba said that it looked like Cecile & Mighty were "having a blast." However, just because two performers are having a good time, it doesn't mean that they're talented, and it was no surprise to see Cecile & Mighty get eliminated at the end of the episode.

How Did Steven Brundage Do?

Magic fans will recognise Steven Brundage from his appearance on Penn and Teller: Fool Us, where he succeeded in fooling Penn and Teller with a number of tricks involving a Rubix Cube. For his AGT audition (Above), Steven performed two of the tricks he had performed on Penn and Teller: Fool Us, as he managed to magically solve a Rubix Cube inside and empty bag, and changed it to perfectly match a second Cube mixed up by Simon.  However, whilst Steven's audition was impressive, I was worried that his focus on one item would lose its novelty in subsequent rounds.

Fortunately, for his Judges Cuts performance (Below), Steven managed to do something creative and original with his signature Rubix Cube. He began by mixing up the cube, before magically solving it in plain sight - twice in a row. Steven then gave the cube to Reba and told her to hold it on her palm, before getting out a deck of cards and asking Heidi to choose one. Heidi chose the Six of Diamonds, and Steven tore a piece from the card. He placed this piece in his hand, and made it vanish. After doing this, Steven promised to make the piece appear underneath the Rubix Cube in Reba's hand. However, when the piece did not appear underneath the Rubix Cube. Steven claimed that it  was actually inside the Cube, He took Reba's Rubix Cube and broke off one of the pieces. Steven then opened this piece to reveal a folded-up corner of a card inside. This piece turned out to be the one which Steven had torn from Heidi's chosen card.

Steven's central trick was rather conventional, but by incorporating his Rubix Cube into it, Steven made it seem unique and harder to figure out . Steven also showed that he's able to adapt almost any Close-Up trick to suit his style, proving that he has enough range to sustain a full show in Las Vegas. The Judges generally gave Steven positive feedback, with Simon describing his performance as "true magic". However, whilst Howie Mandel found Steven "charming", he felt that he lacked showmanship. Ultimately, Steven was eliminated at the end of the episode. I can understand the judges desire to only put through one magic act from this episode, but in the first episode of the Judges Cuts, the judges found places in the Live Shows for both the Grand Illusionist (Hara) and the Close-Up Magician (Jon Dorenbos), and I think that they should have made the same decision this time and put both Kadan and Steven through.

Who Made It Through To The Live Shows?

In addition to Kadan Bart Rockett, six other acts made it through Episode 2 of the Judges Cuts. They were:

• Knife-Throwing Duo Deadly Games
• Transgender Stand-Up Comedienne Julia Scotti
• Child Country Singer Kadie Lynn Roberson
• Rock/Soul Singer Moya Angela
• Teenage Contortionist/ Acrobat Sofie Dossi 
• Contortionist Vello Vaher

I wish all of them the best of luck in the Live Shows. 

Americas Got Talent 11 Judges Cuts - Episode 1: Hara and Jon Dorenbos

(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)

Americas Got Talent has returned for an Eleventh Season, with numerous magicians competing to emulate the success of Season 9 Winner Mat Franco, and past finalists such as Oz Pearlman and Collins Key. Britain's Got Talent head judge Simon Cowell has replaced Howard Stern on the AGT judging panel,but the quality of talent has been as impressive as ever, with several great acts making it through the auditions and advancing to the Judges Cuts stage.

This year, the Judges Cuts are being aired over two weeks, with two episodes being aired each week. The first two episodes were aired last week, and the last two will be aired later this week.The Judges Cuts have the same format as last year, taking place over four episodes. Each episode features 20 acts competing for 7 places in the Live Shows, with a different "Guest Judge" arriving to help the regular judges choose which acts make it through.

In the first episode of the Judges Cuts, RnB/Soul singer Ne-Yo joined the judging panel as the "Guest Judge". The 20 acts competing for a place in the Live Shows included two magicians - Japanese Illusionist Hara and Close-up Magician Jon Dorenbos.

How Did Hara Do?

In the audition stage, Hara wowed the judges and audience with a routine which made use of Videomapping technology (Above).  The magic tricks which Hara performed in this routine (including Dove tricks and Card Productions) were enhanced by some beautiful visuals, which made the performance feel completely unique and exciting. As the first act to perform in the first episode of the Judges Cuts, Hara was under significant pressure to provide another impressive performance.

Hara's Judges Cuts routine (Below) began with him appearing in a demonic mask. After lighting the top of the mask on fire, Hara removed it, before performing a quick-change where he transformed a red outfit into a black one. After these two smaller effects, Hara moved onto his main trick. He was locked in a box, with his hands being chained together outside it. Two sets of knives were suspended over the box, held in place by a rope which was lit on fire by two assistants. Hara had to escape from the box before the rope burned through and the knives fell on him. Although Hara manged to free his hands, the knives appeared to impale him before he could get out of the box. However, when the assistants opened the box, they revealed that Hara had vanished. Seconds later, he suddenly reappeared directly in front of the judges.

Overall, Hara's Judges Cuts performance was not quite as good as his audition. The central illusion was rather conventional, and it was disappointing that Hara did not use any of the technology which allowed his audition to stand out. However, the staging was effective, with Hara's final reappearance being particularly memorable. I also like the fact that even without Videomapping effects, Hara has managed to develop a distinctive identity. Whatever he does next, it's clear that he will maintain a mysterious and exciting approach, which makes me look forward to seeing further performances from him.

The judges were full of praise for Hara's performance. Mel B and Howie Mandel praised the fact that Hara managed to scare them, particularly at the end of his performance, Ne-Yo said he could " completely see [Hara] in Vegas right now", and Simon said Hara had "done two brilliant auditions". At the end of the episode, the judges put Hara through to the Live Shows. I can't wait to see what he does in his next performance, and I think he has the potential to do really well in this series.

How Did Jon Dorenbos Do?

Over the years, many people have complained about competitors on Americas Got Talent being "Pros", as their history of success and experience is seen to go against AGT's focus on finding "the best new act in America". However, Jon Dorenbos is not your average AGT "Pro". In addition to performing magic, Jon is a prominent American Football player, who is currently playing in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. For his audition, Jon performed a series of card tricks (Above) in which he managed to detect all the Diamonds in a deck of cards and correctly predict a card chosen by Simon at the start of the routine. Jon performed the routine with the speed and flair needed to make it seem impressive, but his close-up approach could have easily led to him being overshadowed by more spectacular acts at the Judges Cuts

Fortunately, for his Judges Cuts performance, Jon Dorenbos provided a standout  routine (Below). Jon began by showing the judges a giant deck of cards which he had brought in order to make his routine "bigger". He told Ne-Yo to touch one of the cards at random. After changing his choice once, Ne-Yo took one of the cards (The Five of Clubs) and showed it to the audience. Jon instructed the audience to think of the chosen card, whilst he drew it on a pad of paper. However, the card that Jon drew was the Ace of Clubs. When he was told that this was not the chosen card, Jon responded by changing the drawing so that it showed a deck of cards with the Ace of Clubs on top. He then asked Ne-Yo to name his card, and when he had done this, Jon promised to change the Ace of Clubs into the chosen card. Jon didn't do this, but instead appeared to make a drawing of the Five of Clubs rise out from the centre of the deck which he had drawn a few moments before. To conclude his routine, Jon tore the sheet of paper he had used away from the pad, confirming that the chosen card was now part of the drawing. I've seen this trick before, but it's not been performed on Americas Got Talent until now, and it's very impressive and hard to figure out. In addition, Jon is charismatic and likeable, with his casual demeanour providing an interesting contrast with his elaborate magic,

The judges loved Jon's performance, with Howie and Heidi Klum calling the routine "Amazing" and Simon calling Jon a "Wizard". When the time came for Ne-Yo to deliver his verdict, he took one more look at the sheet of paper Jon had used, and almost immediately afterwards, pressed his Golden Buzzer, sending Jon through to the Live Shows immediately. After doing this, Ne-Yo said that Jon had "potential" and praised his act for "what it could be".  Jon deserved his spot in the Live Shows, and I wholeheartedly agree with Ne-Yo's claims that he has the ability to provide even more impressive performances.

Who Made It Through To The Live Shows? 

In addition to Hara and Jon Dorenbos, five other acts made it through Episode 1 of the Judges Cuts. They were:

• Family Country Trio Edgar
• Vocal Quartet Linkin' Bridge
• Teenage Stand-up Comedienne Lori Mae Hernandez
• Soul Singer Ronee Martin
• Comedic Juggling Duo/ Danger Act The Passing Zone

I wish them all the best of luck in the Live Shows.