America’s Got Talent Season 8 – Week 2 – Rank the Contestants
More contestants struggle with the scope of Radio City Music hall, who will continue on this week?
12) Marty Brown – Marty is a hardworking man, but his performance tanked completely. He looked like the drunk uncle who got up during a wedding and sang something to his wife. He was flat throughout the performance and pitchy when he tried to hit higher notes. I like his passion and commitment to country music, but this night was not his. My Grade: D
11) Ciana Pelekai – There are tons of singers on this show and Ciana got lost in the shuffle of the children singer category. She chose a song that lacked any pow and proceeded to perform with a laid back Hawaiian style. Great for Hawaii, bad for Radio City Music Hall. The key change that was made in hopes to give the song extra oomph made her look bad as she originally struggled to find the new key. My Grade: C+
10) Alexandr Magala – This danger act had the unfortunate luck of being placed on a night with a danger act that was not only better looking (with shirt removal comparisons), but has more charisma and flair (or actual flares in this case). Alex started off with the really truth or dare tongue to fan stunt which I thought wasted time. The ATV over a bed of nails was cool, but lacked the right amount of staging. My Grade: C-
9) Dave Shirley – With tellAvision not advancing last week the “monitors as innovative stage” took a nosedive with Dave. He lacked comedy elements as you also saw that his body didn’t match the body on the screen. The concept is still innovative, but he needed to be sharper. My Grade: C-
8) Kid the Wiz – In this case everyone can beat the wiz. Our home-grown representative missed one hat trick after promising that he wouldn’t make any mistakes after Vegas. He staged the performance well and covered the whole stage, but it wasn’t enough for me. Good for him for his perseverance and not getting into drugs or gangs, but his performance got repetitive and gimmicky for me. My Grade: D+
7) Brad Byers – There were definitely flaws with Brad’s performance, the flare felt unnecessary and while it was interesting, his whole spitting fire section caused him to slip later on while he was on a handstand with the sword in his mouth. He then was clearly in pain when he attempted a backflip with the sword. I’d like to give him another chance. My Grade: C+
6) Forte – Forte did an amazing job, but after Branden James survived last week, I hope that Forte doesn’t make it. Just imagine a night of popera in a few weeks if Jonathan Allen makes it as well. It’ll be a night of smoke machines and choirs popping up from behind them. My Grade: B+
5) Tone the Chiefrocca – In all fairness, I can’t place Tone in my top four. While I think he did a great job with his performance, what does he have if he comes back during the quarterfinals, semifinals, or finals? B-double O-T-Y. He’s satisfied with his one song, so let him have the glory of this episode. Have people replay it on YouTube. The “music video” section was poorly made, but the live performance fit the song perfectly. My Grade: A-
4) Angela Hoover – Angela has a special place in my heart because she has an act that’s very hard to get up and do. I thought that she should have been more rapid-fire with her imitations so she could fit more than just Mel B, Heidi, and Christina Aguilera. While I doubt she’ll make it through, I hope she either gets a chance in the wildcards. My Grade: B-
3) The Aquanauts – This group is amazing to watch, but I still don’t understand how exactly they will perform in Vegas or on a road tour. I for some odd reason can see them getting a contract with a cruise ship to do a few performances. They are great at what they do and like all synchronized swim teams are sharp and make good shapes. Once in a while I’d wish they had a bit more height in their flips, but I understand the difficulty of swimming and lifting. My Grade: A-
2) Struck Boyz – Personally, I hate this group. I think that the Iconic Boyz from America’s Best Dance Crew a few seasons back did what they do better, cleaner, and with innovative choreography. I’m also with Howard Stern that this group is oversexualizing 8-11 year-olds. They can do good choreography without resorting to ab flashing. Fresh Faces last week deserves the spot much more than the Struck Boyz, but I think they have enough fans (or people that like the phrase “Jersey Strong”) to advance them. My Grade: D
1) Innovative Force – A group like Innovative Force could fit a Vegas stage or even a touring stage really well. There was the right amount of danger and creative movements. My biggest issue with the performance was that they blended in with the background. It was a great opening performance, but with a two hour show and fan-favorites performing after them, I fear they got lost in the shuffle. My Grade: A