With Americas Got Talent having recently returned from hiatus due to the 2016 Rio Olympics, now is a good time to look back at the Second Live Show, which was the last to air before the Olympics started earlier this month. My apologies for not providing a post on this episode sooner. As with my overview of the Judges Cuts First Live Show, I will reveal the results in this post.
The Second Live Show featured twelve more acts competing for a place in the Semifinals. This lineup included THREE magic acts - Mentalist Duo The Clairvoyants (Thommy & Amelie), Rubix Cube Magician Steven Brundage and Quick-Change Duo Sos & Victoria Petrosyan.
How Did The Clairvoyants Do?
The Clairvoyants impressed viewers in the Second Live Show with a performance themed around Jellybeans. These may seem like a strange item to centre a magic routine around, but then so is a Rubix Cube, and the use of mundane items in magic tricks can make an act seem even more unique and impressive. In this performance, The Clairvoyants managed to take their act in new directions whilst keeping everything which makes them stand out.
The Clairvoyants Live Show performance began with Amelie, who was standing in the middle of the stage, showing the audience a glimpse of a blackboard hidden beneath a red curtain, before it was hoisted into midair. Meanwhile, Thommy, who was standing in front of the Judges Table, showed the Judges a bowl of Jellybeans and talked about how he and Amelie regarded these as their favourite sweets "because they come in all flavours and colours". Thommy then instructed Simon to choose a Jellybean and give it to him. When Thommy ate the Jellybean, Amelie, who couldn't see which Jellybean he chose correctly guessed that Thommy ate a Purple Berry Jellybean. Thommy then asked Heidi to choose a Jellybean and eat it. Amelie correctly guessed that she had eaten a Pink Bubblegun Jellybean.
After this, Amelie and Thommy gave Mel B something different to do. She would take an ice-cream scoop, and use it to transfer some of the Jellybeans from the bowl into a glass. Meanwhile, Howie was asked to name his dream flavour of Jellybean, and he stated he would like a Spicy Chocolate Flavour. When Mel B had finished putting Jellybeans into the glass, she was asked to cover the glass with both her hands. Even though no-one knew exactly how many Jellybeans Mel B had transferred to the glass, Amelie guessed that there were 22 Jellybeans inside the glass. When all the Jellybeans in the glass were tipped in to a tray and counted, it was revealed that there had been exactly 22 Jellybeans inside. However, The Clairvoyants had not finished yet, as they revealed that they had not merely been reading the judges minds, they had been controlling their thoughts as well. They took down the blackboard, hidden behind the curtain for the entirety of the routine, and removed the curtain to reveal that they had correctly predicted all the decisions made by the judges during the routine before it had even started.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable routine. I liked the theme, and Thommy and Amelie have a strong stage presence. Their signature object-based brand of mentalism remains impressive, and the decision to incorporate more conventional mentalism, involving the correct prediction in full view throughout the routine, did not harm the act as it was performed very well. When Amelie showed a glimpse of the blackboard at the beginning of the routine, the part she showed remained unchanged even when the blackboard was fully revealed. This made the routine harder to figure out, and thus more impressive.
The Judges were full of praise for The Clairvoyants. Simon claimed that they were "aliens from another planet" and stated that their act was "more than magic". Howie called the act "amazing" and wondered if The Clairvoyants were able to influence the minds of viewers to get people to vote for them. Mel B said that the duo were "mesmerising" and she could watch them "time and time again". Given the quality of their performance, and the positive feedback they received from the judges, it was no surprise that The Clairvoyants received enough votes to make it through to the Semifinals. I have a feeling that they will provide another excellent performance in the Semifianls, but I'm not sure whether they will make it to the final.
How Did Steven Brundage Do?
Whilst Steven's performance at Judges Cuts emphasised his versatility by showing that he could use his signature Rubix Cube as part of a Card Trick, he chose to focus on providing increased levels of spectacle for his Live Shows performance. Steven's performance began with him showing Simon a giant Rubix Cube and asking him to hold it throughout the routine. He then gave Heidi a dice, which had the six colours of a Rubix Cube on its side instead of numbers, Heidi was asked to roll it, choose a colour and keep her choice secret. Mel B was asked to look at the dice as well, and name a different colour from the one chosen by Heidi. Mel B chose the colour Red, so Steven asked her to imagine the "Red Stickers" disappearing off a Rubix Cube. He then took out a Rubix Cube out of a paper bag, and showed that all nine of the Red Pieces were on the bottom of the cube, with none of them on the top or sides. Steven followed this by asking Heidi to think of her chosen colour (which was Blue). He then took a second Rubix Cube out of the Paper bag, and revealed that there were no pieces with the chosen colour on the top or sides, because all nine of the blue pieces were on the bottom.
After this, Steven went to Howie, who hadn't been used as a volunteer in the previous two performances. He showed Howie two Rubix Cubes, and asked him to choose one. Steven kept the other cube, and as Howie mixed his chosen cube, Steven mixed the other cube behind his back until Howie stopped. When Howie stopped, Steven took Howie's Cube, and revealed that both his cube and Howie's cube had been arranged into exactly identical configurations. If that wasn't enough, Steven took the Giant Rubix Cube which Simon had been holding the entire routine, and revealed that the arrangement on this cube exactly matched the other two.
Overall, Steven's Live Shows performance demonstrated both the strengths and flaws of his act. The tricks he performed were unique and very hard to figure out, He demonstrated an increased sense of showmanship, and he certainly deserves his place in the Live Shows. However, I'm not sure whether Steven's act can sustain the hour-long show which the winner of Americas Got Talent is expected to headline. His tricks have generally centred around changing the configuration of Rubix Cubes, or making them perfectly match a randomly-mixed cube. In order to respond to this issue, Steven needs to either do something unusual with his Rubix Cubes, as he did in the Judges Cuts, or make his act even more spectacular. However, I still enjoy watching him perform.
The judges all loved Steven's performance. Heidi called the act "fantastic". Simon took credit for reinstating Steven into the competition. Howie said Steven "blew me away", and Mel B called the act "astonishing". Due to the combination of his online fanbase, the quality of his performance, and the praise he received from the judges, it was no surprise that Steven received enough votes to automatically advance into the Semifinals. At the very least, he looks like a real Dark Horse in this competition
How Did Sos & Victoria Do?
Sos & Victoria's Live Show performance began with Sos appearing from within a giant Grandfather Clock whilst wearing flaming gloves. He then made Victoria appear inside a mirror, before the duo began performing their signature Quick Changes. During the routine, Sos & Victoria performed a total of 13 Quick-Changes, with Victoria carrying out 12 of them. She performed Quick-Changes in front of a mirror, behind a wall of sparks and beneath a shower of Confetti. However, the highlight of the routine was when Victoria changed her costume five times in quick succession inside a small, curtain-covered booth.
Quick-Change routines are generally fun to watch, but Sos & Victoria's routine was ruined by poor presentation. I liked their use of uptempo pop music in their previous two performances, but I disliked the song choice for this routine - Meghan Trainor's bubblegum pop hit "Me Too". It was a little too annoying for my tastes, and distracted from the performance instead of enhancing it. In addition, the old-fashioned staging, with the giant mirror and Grandfather Clock on stage and the image of a clock in the background, clashed too much with the bright, modern theme suggested by the music and some of the costumes. This seemingly minor issue is actually pretty serious, as it demonstrates that Sos & Victoria did not put sufficient thought into their making their routine more memorable and impressive. However, the greatest problem with Sos & Victoria's routine was that they made a number of errors. During a couple of Quick-Changes late in the performance, it was possible to see how Victoria carried them out. Another particularly problematic moment occurred when Victoria tore off one of her dresses to reveal a smaller one underneath. I'm not sure whether it was deliberate or accidental, but it made it easier to figure out how the other Quick-Changes were performed, making the whole routine seem less impressive. Overall, Sos & Victoria's Live Show routine was the weakest performance by a magician in this season's Live Shows to date.
The Judges Comments towards Sos & Victoria were generally negative. Simon said that their act was "clever", but believed that Sos was "annoying" and added that "I should have liked it, but for some reason, I didn't". Heidi was the most complimentary towards the duo, praising the speed of the act, and the number of Quick-Changes Sos & Victoria performed. Mel B noted the mistakes in the performance, and claimed that Victoria wasn't smiling enough. Howie praised the manner in which the act blended magic and fashion, but felt that the clothing upstaged the performance. Ultimately, Sos & Victoria were voted out of the competition, ensuring that they became the first magic act since Season 8 to be eliminated in the first round of the Live Shows without qualifying for the Judges Choice. The fact Sos & Victoria gained so few votes, in spite of the fact they should have stood out as the last act to perform during the heat, demonstrates how much of a failure their Live Show performance was.
Who Else Made It Through?
In addition to The Clairvoyants and Steven Brundage, the following five acts made it through to the Semifinals. They were:
- Teenage Pop Singer Calysta Bevier
- Child Country Singer Kadie Lynn Roberson
- Jazz/Swing Singer Sal Valentinetti
- Teenage Contortionist/Acrobat Sofie Dossi
- Juggler Viktor Kee
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