‘America’s Got Talent’ Auditions Week 4: From The Risky To The Risqué
NBC Reading Time: 5 minutes
Just when we start thinking we surely must have seen it all on America’s Got Talent, someone comes out and surprises us. This week’s crop of auditions brought us fresh takes on some of our favorite types of acts.
Voices of Hope Children’s Choir
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This group of 70 young singers from Orange County sang “This Is Me” which has quickly become a reality competition staple in the roughly six months it’s been out. The performance was nice – the soloists were particularly talented – but I have to agree with Mel that they need to “up their game” a bit if they want to be competitive in the later rounds. Despite Mel’s comments, Howie was the only one of the four to turn them down, so they advanced.
Quin and Misha
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I have to say, these May-December ballroom partners had some pretty cute chemistry (even though they aren’t together in real life). They also brought a lot of heat to the stage with their spicy Latin routine! I was impressed by how much they were able to do given Quin is well past the age dancers usually hang up their shoes, but to be honest I’m having trouble seeing where they could go from here. Mel expressed the same concern, but they assured her they are quite versatile and have some more tricks up their sleeve. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what they do next, because all four judges sent them forward!
Lioz Shem
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This Israeli magician claimed to have telekinetic powers…and then proceeded to play around with various toys and household items. It turned out he wasn’t really trying to create any illusions, instead putting on a fun comedy act! The juxtaposition between his serious character and the absurdity and randomness of the items he was using made this so intriguing to watch. And the cherry on top was his commitment to the character, who insisted the act wasn’t supposed to be humorous. Howie and Mel were cracking up the whole time, but Heidi and Simon were less than amused, both giving him red buzzers. However, Simon eventually relented, removing his ‘X’ and passing him through to the next round.
Jeffrey Li
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There was more on the line for the Torontonian singer than just a spot in the next round: Simon agreed to get Jeffrey a dog if his performance impressed him. Jeffrey gave us a lovely rendition of “You Raise Me Up”; his voice was youthful but also had a certain power to it most vocalists don’t develop until they get older. All four judges loved it, and he made it through with four yeses and possibly a new canine companion!
UDI
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Usually when we see a blacklight act on AGT it involves dancing, but this was a short play that told the story of a battle between two warriors. There was also a puppeteering element involved which was used to set the scene as the background and “flying” items. I thought it was cool to see an act like this that used practical props instead of light-up and screen-based technology. All four judges loved it and sent them forward in the competition!
Daniel Emmet
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AGT must have read some of our Talent Recap articles about how The Four has been great for showcasing such a wide variety of music, because they one-upped them this episode with a classical singer! He started by singing an original song, but Simon stopped him partway through and gave him a different one to go learn. After about an hour, he returned to the stage. The new song was definitely a stronger showcase of the dynamics, range, and power of his voice, and the judges unanimously sent him through.
Wesbie
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Wesbie came to AGT to present a “tradional Japanese tablecloth act” that involved him stripping, for some reason. Howie was the only judge who enjoyed it, while the other three rejected him.
Duo Transcend
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Married couple Mary and Tyce auditioned with an amazing trapeze routine with lots of twirling and flips! Sometimes this type of act can be very “stop and go” with dull pauses in between the main action, but what made this one stand out was the chemistry between the performers; most of the transitions were interesting to watch and oozed with sensuality and passion. The performance itself was even more risky than your average trapeze act because of Tyce’s vision-affecting eye condition, but thankfully, everything went smoothly. It was clearly a very emotional performance for the duo, and Simon told them he thought they were the first act of the genre that could potentially make the finals. I hope he was right in his assessment, because this was truly incredible! He, Howie, and Heidi all voted to send them through to the next round.
Annaliese Nock
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A female daredevil? YES! Annaliese is the daughter of Season 12 contestant Bello Nock (who was eliminated far too early in my opinion) but said she wanted to forge her own path on the show and in the industry in general. The feat she performed fer her audition was the “Exploding Coffin” and yes, it certainly was explosive! All four judges said yes, and there was some hinting Simon might be involved in her next performance…
Amanda Mena
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Amanda sang “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” for her audition. She definitely showed some nice stage presence and wonderful vocal chops, but I have to admit I always get concerned about the young singers pushing their voices too far, since it can be detrimental to their overall vocal health, even if they do sound great. Amanda definitely has star quality, and Mel B was so moved by her performance and story about being bullied after moving to America from the Domincan Republic she hit her Golden Buzzer for Amanda!
