Dom Chamber Or Eric Chien, Who Will Go Further In AGT?
NBC Reading Time: 3 minutes
We hadn’t seen much magic on America’s Got Talent this season, but thankfully that changed this week when Eric Chien and Dom Chambers both had their first live performances in the last AGT Semi Finals.
These two guys have polar opposite performance styles – Eric is a close-up magician with a focus on technique while Dom is a stage magician with the scope and scale being the draw of his acts. But despite fan concern as to whether or not two magicians could both advance in the same week, there proved to be room for both of them in the top 5, meaning we’ll be seeing them in the semi-finals!
Eric and Dom won’t have to worry about going head-to-head in the semi-finals – Eric will perform again next week on September 3 while Dom’s next act is set for September 10 – but if they both make it to the finals, they won’t both be able to win. So, who has the better chance at taking home the grand prize?
Eric Chien on AGT
Eric was a frontrunner from the get-go; he was one of the stand-out acts from the season premiere and quickly became a fan-favorite. His style isn’t very grand or flashy, he mostly just sits at his table and does his stuff. Simple but effective; the lack of bells and whistles puts the focus on his pure skills, and his skills are GOOD. (There’s a reason he was the 2018 FISM Close Up Grand Prix champion, people!)
Eric may be getting compared to Dom a lot right now, but I think the contestant most likely to prevent him from winning isn’t even on this season; it’s Shin Lim. Viewers just saw Shin win both Season 13 and The Champions, and despite Eric’s attempts to avoid comparison to him (and he’s doing the best he can by using materials other than cards in most of his acts) it’s sadly inevitable. It is not about whether Eric is better or worse than Shin, it just seems likely that the audience will want a different type of performer to win this time around. It’s not the magic or Eric Cheins’ talent that’s a problem here; it’s the timing.
Dom Chambers on AGT
Dom started the season off strong, but didn’t really break out from the pack until the quarter-finals. He mostly broke away from his alcohol-themed shtick (which was fun but would soon have become overkill) got the audience involved in the trick, and included a fun surprise in the form of AGT fan-favorite Tape Face. What’s not to love?
The magic itself was nothing special; with the exception of the appearance of Tape Face himself at the end it was a simple math trick almost anyone could do. But with this act, Dom proved he can make an exciting show out of pretty much anything. Simon said what many viewers were thinking on Tuesday: he thought Eric would outshine Dom, but not only did the opposite happen, we suddenly might have a new contender to win Season 14 if he can keep it up.
Superb technical skills versus excellent performance quality…are you Team Eric or Team Dom? Let us know in the comments below!
Are you ready for AGT finals Tuesday and Wednesday 8/7 C?
Here is the line up for tomorrow: Kodi Lee, Eric Chein, Ansley Burns, Greg Morton, Light Balance Kids, Messoudi Brothers, Ndlowu Youth Choir, Robert Finely, Tyler Butler Figueroa, Benicio Brian and Jackie Fabulous.
Who are you most excited to see?
