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.
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