This year, a record three magic acts competed in the first live show. They were: Colins Key, Special Head and Alexanderia the Great. But how did they fare?
What Did Special Head Do?
In his intro video, Special Head promised that he would "Physically alter the matter of [his] body". Based on this claim, I assumed his performance would incorporate some sort of transformation. What we got instead was a modified version of his audition, albeit with a few twists. As in his audition, Special Head levitated into the air in a lotus posture (Although he didn't use a stick to support his body this time) whilst throat singing. He then vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing on the roof of Radio City Music Hall. I was disappointed by the performance, as I would have liked to see him do something different. Furthermore, the trick was not executed perfectly- We can briefly see his head after he "Disappears". In short, Special Head failed to shake off his image as a novelty act, and gave easily the weakest of his three performances.
What Did Colins Key Do?
As I hoped, Colins Key came up with a trick that "Played big", but stayed within his comfort zone. For it, he had each of the judges tweet a word or name on AGT's Twitter account. Howie Mandel was asked to choose an activity, Mel B was asked to name a city, Heidi Klum was asked to name a celebrity who wasn't present in the room, and Howard Stern was asked to choose a body part. After the judges had tweeted their selections, Colins took down a box that had been hanging in view of the audience throughout and opened it, revealing a scroll. This scroll outlined a dream which incorporated all the chosen elements. As with his previous performances, Colins updated a popular old trick, and did so in a creative and original way. In his intro video, Colins stated that he wanted to be the first magician to win AGT. If he keeps up the momentum, he might just fulfill that aim.
What Did Alexanderia The Great Do?
In her intro video, Alexanderia the Great claimed that "Houdini himself" would not have attempted the escape she was about to do. Unfortunately, she failed to surpass the master of escapology. For her performance, Alexanderia was placed in a straitjacket, bound in chain, and locked inside a tank of water, getting out of the tank after seventy seconds. However, her escape seemed to be far too easy. She was out of the chains within twenty seconds, and didn't take very long to get out of the straitjacket either. I think that the escape was difficult, but it didn't appear that way on screen, which is why Alexanderia's husband did a running commentary throughout,. Spencer Horsman did a similar escape in Vegas last year, and his was far more exciting and professional. I don't think that Alexanderia had done enough to win over AGT's viewers.
What was the Competition Like?
Out of all the nine other acts, only two received unreserved praise from all four judges. The two standouts were The KriStef Brothers, whose comedy balancing was silly but surprisingly graceful, and Branden James, who sang "You Raise Me Up" with the power of someone twice his age. Hype are good dancers, but failed to up their game enough. American Hitmen were very good, but younger viewers may struggle to appreciate them and vote for flashier acts instead. Anna Christine has a great voice, but made a number of mistakes. Four acts are guaranteed to be going home: Fresh Faces were bland and forgettable. TellAVision were more creative, but they were technically weak, and their routine lacked energy. Kevin Downey Jr. was too vulgar and annoying for my tastes, and Aaralyn and Izzy did a death metal song about stepping in dog poo. Yes, really.
What are their chances?
Special Head's chances of making it through are very slim. He has talent, but his Live performance was a disappointment, and his act is too quirky to gain votes.
Colins Key has an incredibly high chance of making the next round. Most viewers regard him as one of the star performers of the night, and the weak competition makes it even easier for him.
Alexanderia the Great has little chance of getting through. Spenser Horsman didn't make it out of the first round last year, and he was easily better than Alexanderia.
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