(6) Quarter-Finals Round 5 [YouTube] REVIEW

TNC Elite

I thought their performance was pretty good, but I was hoping it would be better. I felt like the clogging was a little off with the music, or as Sharon put it, was 'fighting' the music. Considering how fast their clogging was, I think they should have chosen a faster song. It was much better when the music stopped and they clogged on their own. (Click for YouTube Link)

Illusionist Brett Daniels

In terms of the magic, I must say I was very impressed by the actual trick in the act, particularly at the end when the girl disappeared. In terms of the presentation, I thought it was very modern but could have been executed better. I agree with Piers that the middle part was too boring and too slow. I definitely think this guy has potential but maybe should have done something filled with more action. (Click for YouTube Link)

Gabe Rocks

I must admit my first thought was 'oh no, not another animal act, they never go far'. After watching this performance I can see that I was basically right. Yeah he's cute, yeah it was funny when he pissed on Piers, yeah he did some cool-ish things, but no, this act is not worth a million dollars. His performance wasn't perfect (she had to help him a couple times) and I just don't think it he can beat out some of the other acts on the show. (Click for YouTube Link)

Aeon

I really have to agree with Sharon on this one: it was just too repetitive. What they do is definitely very cool and looks like it takes a lot of skill, but I honestly just thought it was boring after a while. The guy on the hoola-hoop was probably the best part, and I already saw some guy do that as part of a professional act during one of the results shows. I just don't think I could watch them flip over and over again for much longer than those 90 seconds. (Click for YouTube Link)

Breena Bell

I did enjoy the performance, but I just don't think it's right for this show. If this were a children's competition then maybe, but on America's Got Talent I just don't think it works. Maybe it would be better if there were four or five girls all doing it together, but she's just one person. She is definitely a very cute girl, though, and has a unique ability. (Click for YouTube Link)

Kevin Colis

How refreshing! It's nice to see something like this after the last few performances. It was a good song choice and his voice is pretty good too. It's not spectacular, but it's definitely good. Considering the other singers in the competition and what America tends to like, I think he definitely has a chance of advancing. (Click for YouTube Link)

Beth Ann Robinson

I don't think they've had a solo dancer on the show in a while, so this was nice to see. I must say it was surprisingly entertaining for a solo dancer, considering that group dancing tends to be more popular, particularly modern group dancing. She is very graceful for someone her age. Her style of dance definitely puts her at a disadvantage but America did vote Steven Retchless through so anything is really possible. (Click for YouTube Link)

Gymkana

That was probably the most well put together act of the night. It was very professional and unique. The stuff they did on that ladder was very cool. I also loved how they tumbled in sync with each other. Overall, it was a very slick performance that I personally think even beats out Zuma Zuma. I agree that it was a little repetitive at some points, but I was overall impressed and entertained. (Click for YouTube Link)

Kalani Basketball Freestyle

His tricks are definitely cool, and I've never seen anybody do some of that stuff with a basketball before. Overall, however, I wasn't overly impressed. His act is a lot like the juggler and the yoyo-er from the previous rounds who did cool tricks, messed up once or twice, and then didn't make it through. I'm afraid that is likely going to be the case for this guy. He is no doubt talented, but just not good enough I don't think. (Click for YouTube Link)

West Springfield Dance Team

They definitely add a different twist by being all 'creepy' and whatever. When it comes to the dancing, I was definitely impressed. They were very tight and together have the advantage of there being a lot of them. I held them to the same level as Fatally Unique, and I must say they really delivered. They were nearly as good as Fatally Unique and honestly were more 'Unique' by being all creepy and whatnot. Overall, very good act. (Click for YouTube Link)

Matt Wilhelm

It is definitely an interesting idea, but I honestly found it kind of boring. I was just expecting something more and found it kind of repetitive. It was like a mash-up of Fighting Gravity and Jeremy VanSchoonhoven, but I found it less entertaining then both. Maybe I am missing something, but I wasn't particularly impressed. (Click for YouTube Link)

Powerhouse

I'm actually surprised that they've never really had a show choir on America's Got Talent before, but I think it comes down to the fact that it's not for everyone, as Howie confirms. I personally love show choirs, so I definitely enjoyed the performance. It wasn't great I don't think, but it was good. I'm just not sure, however, that it is right for this show. Overall, a good performance. (Click for YouTube Link)

MY RANKING:

(from best act to worst)

1. West Springfield Dance Team

2. Beth Ann Robinson

3. Gymkana

4. Kevin Colis

5. Powerhouse

6. Illusionist Brett Daniels

7. TNC Elite

8. Matt Wilhelm

9. Kalani Basketball Freestyle

10. Breena Bell

11. Aeon

12. Gabe Rocks

(6) My Wild Card Picks / Official Wild Card Picks

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***CLICK HERE FOR MY "WILD CARD SHOW" REVIEW***

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Here are my 12 Picks for the Wild Card Show this season:
(in no particular order)

Deserved to move on originally:
1. Charles Peachock
2. Summerwind Skippers
3. Landon Swank
4. Yellow Designs Stunt Team

Deserve a second chance:
5. The Kinetic King
6. The Rhinestone Ropers
7. Dani Shay
8. Thomas John

Other acts I liked:
9. Captain & Maybelle
10. Seth Grabel
11. Attack Dance Crew
12. The Sh'Boss Boys

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Official Wild Card Picks from the Judges:

1. West Springfield Dance Team (Sharon's Choice)

2. Landon Swank (Piers's Choice)

3. The Kinetic King (Piers's Choice)

4. Summerwind Skippers (Piers's Choice)

5. Charles Peachock (Piers's Choice)

6. Yellow Designs Stunt Team (Sharon's Choice)

7. Shevone (Sharon's Choice)

8. J Chris Newberg (Howie's Choice)

9. Those Funny Little People (Howie's Choice)

10. Seth Grabel (Howie's Choice)

11. The Fiddleheads (Howie's Choice)

12. Avery and the Calico Hearts (Sharon's Choice)

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My Picks vs. The Judges':

I chose 6 / 12 acts that the judges picked, although I would have picked West Springfield Dance Team too if that had been an option. Overall I am happy with the judges' selections, although I have no idea who Shevone is and am upset to see Those Funny Little People taking up someone else's spot. I'm iffy on J Chris Newberg and Avery, but I think the Fiddleheads were a good choice even though I didn't pick them.

(6) Quarter-Finals Round 4 RESULTS

RESULT #1
Fatally Unique vs. Frank Miles vs. Avery and the Calico Hearts vs. Taylor Davis
MY GUESS: This is an interesting one. I'm guessing probably not Frank Miles and the Sh'Boss Boys didn't get through so probably not Avery. Maybe Fatally Unique? The judges gave them lots of praise last night. But America does love its singers...
RESULT: Fatally Unique
MY THOUGHTS: Yay! I'm actually sort of surprised because usually America doesn't like dance groups, but this was definitely a good pick.

RESULT #2
Zuma Zuma vs. Yellow Designs Stunt Team
MY GUESS: This is a very tough one to call, because they are both good acts and involve some danger, so it's hard to pick but if I had to I would guess Yellow Designs because the judges really liked them last night and America is usually greatly influenced by the judges. The only reason I know it's not both is because that would mean Team iLuminate was not in the Top 3 which I know they were.
RESULT: Zuma Zuma
MY THOUGHTS: They are a good group with lots of unique tricks and a hint of danger.

RESULT #3
Scott Alexander vs. Team iLuminate vs. Sam B
MY GUESS: Team iLuminate. There's no doubt in my mind.
RESULT: Team iLuminate
MY THOUGHTS: No shock there. They remind me a lot of Fighting Gravity from last year so they will probably ending up making it to the Finals and could probably win if they keep improving.

RESULT #4
Charles Peachock vs. The Kinetic King vs. Melissa Villasenor
MY GUESS: The Kinetic King will be eliminated. He screwed up too badly last night.
RESULT: The Kinetic King
MY THOUGHTS: If you screw up like that, you're going home. Even America can figure that out.

          Charles Peachock vs. Melissa Villasenor
          MY GUESS: Piers will choose Charles cause he had good things to say
          about him last night but also didn't care for Melissa too much. 
          Sharon and Howie will choose Melissa and she will move on.
          RESULT: Melissa Villasenor
          MY THOUGHTS: Called it! She is really great and really deserves
          this. Glad to see her moving on.

TOP 4:
Fatally Unique (my #2)
Zuma Zuma (my #5)
Team iLuminate (my #1)
Melissa Villasenor (my #4)

MY PICKS VS. AMERICA'S
3/4 : Pretty good! I picked the Top 5 acts anyways, but America chose my #5 instead of my #3. Overall I am very happy. Good job America!

(6) Quarter-Finals Round 4 REVIEW

The Kinetic King
How awful was that! It's so unfortunate that his act didn't work out. It looked like it could have been really cool if it did. What he does is definitely very cool, but in all honesty I don't think he would have moved on anyways or made it very far. That's just the risk you take with that kind of act; you can't be sure it's going to work, and if it doesn't, well, you're screwed. Too bad for him... (Click for YouTube Link)

Zuma Zuma
It took watching this performance a second time to really get me to enjoy it and appreciate the danger and excitement in it. My original and only critique is that it needed to flow together a little bit better. It was sort of all over the place. In general, through, they do things that I've never seen before and it is pretty cool to watch. (Click for YouTube Link)

Avery and the Calico Hearts
Avery can sing really well but I honestly just don't like the backup singers very much. There voices are not nearly as good as Avery's. I also think they should have done a more popular song to connect with the kids. This was definitely better than their previous performances but I agree with Piers that it is a little too early for them. Their voices are not as mature as they will eventually be. (Click for YouTube Link)

Charles Peachock
I actually really enjoyed his performance. I have never seen anyone play the piano before like that. I'm actually still sort of shocked that that was real; he hit almost every note perfectly and kept in time with the music. It was certainly different than his last performances but I think it was good for him to show this range of talents and things that he can do. (Click for YouTube Link)

Sam B
I'm sorry but he will never be more to me than a fat guy jumping around on stage. I like his energy and enthusiasm but it sort of insults the acts who didn't make it through to the live shows but who were clearly better than him. (Click for YouTube Link)

Taylor Davis
Meh. I was pretty unimpressed. He has a good voice but the song choice was not good. He had to sing too quietly which made his voice sound worse. It was just missing the WOW-factor that a lot of the other acts tonight had. (Click for YouTube Link)

Melissa Villasenor
This girl is so darn talented. I loved her Owen Wilson and Judy Garland impressions! I will admit that some of them were off/not that great such as Sharon Osbourne and the singing impressions, but there is no doubt that this girl is extremely talented and deserves to be recognized for being able to impersonate so many different people and be fairly good at it! (Click for YouTube Link)

Scott Alexander
The whole thing was very cute and showy but the trick itself wasn't that cool. I've definitely seen people/things disappear before and then show up in the audience. However, I have never seen a magic act presented in such a unique way. (Click for YouTube Link)

Fatally Unique
I thought this was an AWESOME performance. They had very tight, sharp moves. The whole army thing was little weird, especially with the costumes, but I really enjoyed their performance. They did a lot of cool dancing but also had some unique tricks in there to keep things interesting. (Click for YouTube Link)

Yellow Designs Stunt Team

I honestly found the whole Alice in Wonderland thing kind of weird, but I can see what the judges are getting at in saying that it is very Vegas. I honestly didn't see the guy fall (maybe the camera didn't show it or maybe I was too distracted by the creepy dancers) but they definitely do some cool tricks. I just wish it was more focused on those tricks rather than the whole wonderland thingy. (Click for YouTube Link)

Frank Miles

It doesn't really bother me that he never hit the donut but rather that the act did not seem as dangerous as his previous ones. It seems fairly simple to just set up a bunch of arrows so that they all aim at the right space so it goes over his head instead of through it. I definitely liked how he tried to add some humor to everything but the whole thing just didn't really work for me. (Click for YouTube Link)

Team iLuminate

No surprise here: this performance ROCKED! It was so cool how they put this together and made those monsters and everything. This performance was focused more on the 'tricks' rather than the dancing, which I think was really cool and interesting to see. It reminds me a lot of Fighting Gravity but I think this group has a better chance to win since they can dance also. And who doesn't love neon lights??? (Click for YouTube Link)

I started out a little disappointed in the performances, but things definitely got better as the night progressed.

MY RANKING:

(from best act to worse)

1. Team iLuminate

2. Fatally Unique

3. Charles Peachock

4. Melissa Villasenor

5. Zuma Zuma

6. Yellow Designs Stunt Team

7. Scott Alexander

8. Avery and the Calico Hearts

9. Frank Miles

10. Taylor Davis

11. Sam B.

12. The Kinetic King

and thus, 

MY PICKS FOR THE NEXT ROUND:

Charles Peachock

Melissa Villasenor

Fatally Unique

Team iLuminate

(6) Quarter-Finals Round 3 RESULTS

RESULT #1
Purrfect Angelz vs. Ian Johnson vs. Summerwind Skippers
MY GUESS: I am sort of surprised that any of them will make it but I will have to guess Summerwind Skippers
RESULT: No One
MY THOUGHTS: I am not surprised, but I am upset to see the Skippers go home, they were awesome!

RESULT #2
Poplyfe vs. Landou Eugene Murphy Jr.
MY GUESS: Since the last one was no one, this one has got to be both.
RESULT: Both
MY THOUGHTS: I certainly appreciate Landou Eugene and admit that he has a great voice. That one definitely doesn't surprise me. I guess after the praise that the judges gave Poplyfe last night I should have figured they would make it through. I am certainly not upset about it though, they were definitely in the top 6 last night.

RESULT #3
Mauricio Hererra vs. Captain & Maybelle vs. Lys Agnes vs. Monet
MY GUESS: Lys Agnes; America likes its opera singers
RESULT: Lys Agnes
MY THOUGHTS: She was one of my picks, so I am happy. I am not surprised that Monet and Mauricio didn't make it, and I guess Captain & Maybelle are just too gruesome for America, though I personally liked them.

RESULT #4
Seth Grabel vs. Sh'Boss Boys vs. Professor Splash
MY GUESS: Seth Grabel will be eliminated first; if not him then Professor Splash
RESULT: The Sh'Boss Boys
MY THOUGHTS: Wow, not what I expected; I thought America would find them too cute

          Seth Grabel vs. Professor Splash
          MY GUESS: I have a feeling the judges will choose Professor Splash
          (2 to 1, of course)
          RESULT: Professor Splash
          MY THOUGHTS: Doesn't surprise me, but I definitely don't see
          him winning, especially because his act is so limited to a ten
          second dive, regardless of if there's fire or not.

TOP 4:
Poplyfe
Landou Eugene Murphy, Jr.
Lys Agnes
Professor Splash

MY PICKS VS. AMERICA'S
1/4 : Not my best, but I didn't really expect America to agree with me this week. Overall I am content with the outcome, all the acts are decent enough. I am upset about the Summerwind Skippers though, they were really good and deserved to move on.

(6) Quarter-Finals Round 3 REVIEW

Another great night full of talent! There were some really great acts and I am very curious to see who America votes through.

Summerwind Skippers
Their performance tonight was very cool and very fun to watch. I've never seen anything like that before. It was fast-paced and full of action, and the tricks they did were very cool. Their choice of music, costumes, and set were all great and really added to their show. (Click for YouTube Video)

SH'Boss Boys
When they first started, I got nervous that they were going to sing ABC the whole time and weren't going to do their own music. I was very glad to see them switch over halfway through. I agree that they have the cuteness factor but I wasn't overly impressed by their performance. Their voices are kind of annoying sometimes and I'm not sure they could really do well in a Vegas show. (Click for YouTube Video)

Mauricio Herrera
His voice was not very good at a lot of points during his performance, and I just wasn't impressed. It's not worthy of a headline show. I see him as more of a bar entertainer or something like that. He is really just not up to par with the other acts on the show. (Click for YouTube Video)

Seth Grabel
At first I was concerned because his act was moving a little slow, but after he dropped into the pit it started moving more quickly. The trick definitely wasn't what I expected, and he surprised me in a good way, doing something more than just 'escaping from the jacket'. He expanded on this idea and did something very cool. (Click for YouTube Video)

Poplyfe
I know the judges loved their performance, but I wasn't all that impressed by them. I won't deny that her voice is amazing and worthy of doing well, but the arrangement of the song was a little strange and I the background voices were not very good. I don't see the point of the band yet, but won't dispute that girl's voice. (Click for YouTube Video)

Ian Johnson
Ignoring what he did for a second, I have to mention that I did not like the background dancers. They distracted from the yo-yoing and made it more difficult to focus on him. Now, I will admit that they yo-yoing is very cool, but I think it is more close up entertainment rather than something that is entertaining from a far distance, especially if you have far seats. (Click for YouTube Video)

Landou Eugene Murphy, Jr.
He has a great voice and I think he gave a great performance tonight. He reminds me a little bit of Kevin Skinner because he comes from poverty and has a voice that you wouldn't expect based on the way he looks. I personally didn't like Kevin Skinner but this guy is good. (Click for YouTube Video)

Purrfect Angelz
I have to say that I think Sharon was right in saying that they are more of an opening act, and not necessarily worthy of headlining a show. They are good dancers and whatnot, but it really just wasn't anything special. I like how they tried to incorporate aerial work but I don't think it was enough to make them worthy of moving on to the Semi-Finals. (Click for YouTube Video)

Monet
Her voice really did not sound that good tonight. She sounded off key in a lot of places and I honestly just don't think she is ready for this type of competition. I'm not even sure how she got to the live shows in the first place. (Click for YouTube Video)

Captain & Maybelle
I must say that I usually hate these types of side-show / danger acts, but I was actually very entertained by these two. Their 'stunts' were fairly simple and it was just so hard to watch that I literally screamed out loud, but I still found myself entertained by the things that they did. It was a cute little 'story' to go along with it and I really enjoyed their act. (Click for YouTube Video)

Lys Agnes
She has a really great voice and I could really tell that she was emotionally into the music. She reminds of Barbara Padilla because they both sang opera and had sad stories, so I wouldn't be surprised if she made it to the finale just because America seems to like opera singers and/or people with sad stories. And if this is what happens I can't complain because she is no doubt very talented. (Click for YouTube Video)

Professor Splash
I can't help but think his act just doesn't come off as amazing on TV as it does live in front of you. When I watched it I wasn't overly terrified or amazed, but when Piers talked about how he could look up and see him however many feet above, I sort of got the idea that in person this act is probably very amazing. Overall it is cool but I'm just not that impressed. (Click for YouTube Video)


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MY PICKS FOR THE NEXT ROUND:

Summerwind Skippers: very cool
Seth Grabel: I want to see more
Captain & Maybelle: gruesome but entertaining
Lys Agnes: great voice and very passionate

(6) Quarter-Finals Round 2 RESULTS

Silhouettes
A fantastic act that I'm sure will make it even into the Finals. They are one of my favorites in the whole competition so I'm very excited they made it through.

Daniel Joseph Baker
He is an amazing singer and has a great personality. I'm glad America is not turned off by his exuberant personality; he deserves much success.

Steven Retchless
I'm very shocked to see him go through, although he was one of my top 4. It's great that America is embracing his unique talent.

Smage Bros. Riding Shows
When I was choosing my Top 4 it came down to Landon Swank and them, just like it did with America's votes. So, although it is not Landon, I am happy to see them through. They are a fairly exciting act that I'm sure has much more to offer.

3/4! That's pretty awesome! I'm running at 7/8 so far! This is fantastic!!!