20 acts will audition for the “AGT” judges and guest adviser Neil Patrick Harris but only seven acts will advance to the Radio City Music Hall! (Photo property of NBC, SYCO TV & FremantleMedia North America)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
America’s Got Talent (AGT) just wrapped up their 10th Anniversary auditions!
Now, the game really begins.
All of the acts have gathered in New York City for the most dreaded and tension-filled part of AGT…. the Judges’ Cuts!
Because it is the tenth anniversary each judge got to invite a special guest to advise him or her in narrowing down the acts.
This week, the King of All Media invited an iconic superstar to assist the panel…Neil Patrick Harris!
The future Best Time Ever host will also have the power to use the Golden Buzzer to select one act that will join comedian Drew Lynch, dance duo Freckled Sky, soul singer Sharon Irving and 11-year-old opera phenom Arielle Baril at the Radio City Live Shows.
Which act did he chose? Whose dreams came crashing down? Read on to find out!
As the acts got ready to face the judges and the studio audience, they introduced the crowd to guest judge Neil Patrick Harris! His goal: look for talent that he could not see anywhere else on television. NPH got too excited and hit his Golden Buzzer too soon.
Once, the “AGT” crew cleaned up the confetti and Howard demanded that NPH apologized to the audience…it was time for Freelusion Dance Company to perform. They kicked off their encore performance with the second chapter of their story, which was a spectacular battle between good and evil. They received standing ovations from Howie, Heidi and NPH. Howard stated that their performance was perfect and called them contenders; Neil also loved it and did not press his buzzer because he knew that they were going to Radio City Music Hall.
Up next to face the quintet was jugular Paul Ponce and his mother, crossbow archer Silvia Silvia! Using just a soccer ball and a jump rope, Paul impressed Heidi…but Howard was not impressed and the audience promptly booed him. Neil predicted an interesting deliberation would be in the future. As Paul left the stage, his mom and dad took the stage. Her stunts left everyone on the edge of their seats. The definite highlight was seeing Silvia risking her life to earn the right to move on to the next round. She received a standing ovation from Howard, Heidi and Mel B!
The first dance company of the evening was the Chapkis Dance Family! There were nearly three dozen dancers on stage and I was in awe with their choreography. NPH loved their high energy, while Howard stated was “too busy and too much.” Heidi disagreed with Howard and loved their choreography.
Professional cuddler Samantha Hess returned to the America’s Got Talent stage, after she successfully transformed them into a judges’ sandwich. While she provided the jokes, I thought she was a waste of screen time. She even brought Neil Patrick Harris up on stage as her assistant. Samantha became the first act of the night to be eliminated from the competition due to receiving all four Xs from the judges.
Back stage, NPH confided to the judges that he was worried about being harsh with the younger acts. It was going to be put to the test with young mariachi singer Alondra Santos. Wearing a hybrid of a Sweet Sixteen and mariachi dress, Alondra beautifully brilliantly belted out a lovely ballad. Luckily, Neil was in a good mood as he praised her singing. Howie used the word “beautiful” multiple times in his feedback and Howard said that he would not forget her when they go back to deliberation.
In addition to being an actor, dancer and singer, Neil Patrick Harris is also a brilliant magician! Both magicians Michael John and Piff the Magic Dragon were going to be put under a microscope with Neil in the judges’ seat. For Michael’s act, he used close-up magic with a can of soda and a coin with both Howard and Mel B’s signatures. Howard buzzed Michael because of the presentation and Neil was very disappointed with the performance.
34-year-old Piff the Magic Dragon brought his secret weapon into the Judges’ cuts audition: his dog-Mr. Piffles. He asked Heidi to revive her role as his reluctant assistant and signed her name on an Ace of Spades. He also tricked her into giving him a hug. While Mr. Piffles failed to find the autograph card in the luggage, Piff found the card in a can of dog food. Neil loved his act so much that he gave Piff the Magic Dragon—his Golden Buzzer!
With the Golden Buzzer safety net removed, every remaining act needed to step up their game! Comedian Myq Kaplan knocked the crowd over with his jokes about failed relationships and college. Neil loved Myq’s rapid-fire jokes and responses, while Mel B added that she belly-laughed all throughout his set and Howie stated he could be on a sitcom in the future.
Philadelphia rock band 3 Shades of Blue dropped out of college to pursue music full-time. While I did not know the Twenty One Pilots song they performed, I loved the band’s sound and was very satisfied with their performance. Howard thought their move to drop out of college was very wise and he stated that he loved the music. Mel B did not like the song, but was a fan of them. Howie advised them to pick the right songs in the future, so that fans would vote if they made it to Radio City Music Hall.
After a difficult deliberation, the judges decided that these acts were worthy to join Piff the Magic Dragon at Radio City Music Hall live shows: the Chapkis Dance Family, Myq Kaplan, Freelusion Dance Company, 3 Shades of Blue, Silvia Silvia and Samantha Johnson!
Next week, 20 more acts duel for a spot at the Radio City Music Hall live shows! Plus, Michael Buble joins the panel.
