# America's Got Talent - Season 10 - Spoilers Possible from shows aired to date...



## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

I just got around to watching the first two 'episodes' and wanted to see what the general feeling was re: the Howie being hypnotized act. To my surprise, there wasn't even a thread yet.

I'm not on Twitter, so have no idea what he may have Tweeted about it, but I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any mention of it after he was able to watch the first week's show. Does anyone know what his reaction was to it?

I liked the stuttering comedian's jokes, but it was a little painful to watch after a while. Oh - and his girlfriend is very cute!


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

I saw Howie on Ellen on Friday. He talked about getting hypnotized and swore it was real. He said he had no idea why everyone was laughing but he knew he was shaking people's hands.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

We're watching again this season.. my favorite act so far has to be Piff the Magic Dragon.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

The downside is that Piff had already appeared on Penn & Teller's "Fool Us." The act was better in that (smaller) setting, and included a dog, "Mr Piffles."

I don't think Vimeo clips can be embedded here, but here's that performance:





But what is it with the non-US acts? Isn't this supposed to be _America's _Got Talent?


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

I'm baffled by the Regurgitator. Not how he does it, but the fact that I've seen his act numerous times. I can't imagine the AGT judges haven't seen it as well.


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## headroll (Jan 20, 2003)

loubob57 said:


> I'm baffled by the Regurgitator. Not how he does it, but the fact that I've seen his act numerous times. I can't imagine the AGT judges haven't seen it as well.


I remember him on Letterman years ago. I think at that time he had more (better) teeth. Considering that all the focus is on his mouth, you'd think he'd take better care.

Roll


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

loubob57 said:


> I'm baffled by the Regurgitator. Not how he does it, but the fact that I've seen his act numerous times. I can't imagine the AGT judges haven't seen it as well.


EWW EWW EWW! :down::down: So gross! I couldn't watch! I had to FF through that act! GROSS!

I loved Piff, he was hilarious...I also loved the stuttering comic-loved that Howie gave him the golden buzzer...

That act with the dancing couple and the water and CGI ... very cool, IIRC they got the golden buzzer from Howard. Well deserved!

Every year this show sucks me in. I do love it!


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

pdhenry said:


> The downside is that Piff had already appeared on Penn & Teller's "Fool Us." The act was better in that (smaller) setting, and included a dog, "Mr Piffles."
> 
> But what is it with the non-US acts? Isn't this supposed to be _America's _Got Talent?


Almost all the acts which make it to the live shows are recruited by AGT talent scouts. The kids who won Live to Dance made it to the AGT live shows a year or two later. You can google any of the featured acts. One of the comedians on AGT was a finalist on Last Comic Standing.

Piff currently lives in Las Vegas, I guess that's good enough for AGT.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

That dance number with the mapping was awesome.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

So they have adjusted the mid rounds. 20 acts perform for the judges, a guest judge, and a studio audience. The guest judge gets a Golden Buzzer. 7 acts total go through to Radio City Music Hall after the 5 judges deliberate.

NPH was the first guest judge and he put Piff through with the golden buzzer, after suffering a from a bit of premature buzzering at the start of the show. Mr Piffles made an appearance and was more then just eye candy.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

I'm glad Piff got the Golden Buzzer. Much better presentation than the other magician.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

MarkofT said:


> So they have adjusted the mid rounds. 20 acts perform for the judges, a guest judge, and a studio audience. The guest judge gets a Golden Buzzer. 7 acts total go through to Radio City Music Hall after the 5 judges deliberate.


We know that there will be 36 in the live shows, and there are four "judges' cuts" rounds, so that's 28 from these four rounds, plus the four permanent judges' earlier Golden Buzzers, which leaves what I am guessing will be four judges' Wild Cards. (The guest judge Golden Buzzers are counted in the seven that advance from each show.)


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

loubob57 said:


> I'm glad Piff got the Golden Buzzer. Much better presentation than the other magician.


Yeah, he pretty much destroyed the other guy.

I find the golden buzzer to be enormously pointless though. It almost always goes to people who would have gone through anyway. Piff is yet another example. He was a sure thing.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

smbaker said:


> Yeah, he pretty much destroyed the other guy.
> 
> I find the golden buzzer to be enormously pointless though. It almost always goes to people who would have gone through anyway. Piff is yet another example. He was a sure thing.


It's a way to tell the audience the act is one of the best. I wonder if the judge is told in advance which act gets the buzzer.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

lew said:


> I wonder if the judge is told in advance which act gets the buzzer.


My hunch has always been that the acts are viewed ahead of time and the judges are reading scripted comments.

I've felt this way ever since Paula Abdul mistakenly read the critique for a performance she hadn't seen yet (in an ep where singers performed twice) on Idol.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Yes their dialog with the acts is all scripted.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

lew said:


> It's a way to tell the audience the act is one of the best. I wonder if the judge is told in advance which act gets the buzzer.


I seriously doubt anybody tells the judges which acts to give the Golden Buzzer; Standards and Practices would have a field day with this. (Then again, technically, there's no law against rigging a reality show, as the post-scandal laws deal only with "contests of intellectual skill.")

However, I think:
(a) The first four Golden Buzzers were decided on in advance by the judges in conference, presumably like the "Wild Card" acts are each year, just in case two judges want to give it to the same act (Heidi may have hinted at this when she said that she wanted to give it toe act that got it from Howard) - those mean something as the acts don't have to run the risk of having to perform again and possibly crash and burn their way out of the competition;

(b) The guest judges' Golden Buzzers are fairly meaningless, as I doubt any act not otherwise in the top 7 of that show would get one.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

smbaker said:


> My hunch has always been that the acts are viewed ahead of time and the judges are reading scripted comments.


I always assumed they watch the dress rehearsal.
If the judges responses are scripted - they got some pretty bad writers.


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

That was the company line on the Paula Abdul thing: she was reading her notes from the dress rehearsal. Though I have a hard time believing the judges sit through these acts twice.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

I'm torn on Piff.

I like him. I saw him perform last year in Las Vegas. His act was funny. He had Mr. Piffles with him in it. Funny stuff. Won't spoil the act/trick in case he does it at some point in the show.

But he is an established act. Dunno how 8 feel about that. Even if he is great and I like him


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> I'm torn on Piff.
> 
> I like him. I saw him perform last year in Las Vegas. His act was funny. He had Mr. Piffles with him in it. Funny stuff. Won't spoil the act/trick in case he does it at some point in the show.
> 
> But he is an established act. Dunno how 8 feel about that. Even if he is great and I like him


I would say for all the comedians that are any good, they are established acts. Same for most of the magicians that do more than street magic. I would call Piff more comedian than magic.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

jsmeeker said:


> I'm torn on Piff.
> 
> I like him. I saw him perform last year in Las Vegas. His act was funny. He had Mr. Piffles with him in it. Funny stuff. Won't spoil the act/trick in case he does it at some point in the show.
> 
> But he is an established act. Dunno how 8 feel about that. Even if he is great and I like him


And some of the singers on this show have already released albums you can buy on Amazon. There really aren't too many real amateurs on the show at least not in the later rounds.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> I seriously doubt anybody tells the judges which acts to give the Golden Buzzer; Standards and Practices would have a field day with this. (Then again, technically, there's no law against rigging a reality show, as the post-scandal laws deal only with "contests of intellectual skill.")


The 45 page agreement contestants have to sign was posted online. The producers reserve the right to advance anyone they want. They don't have to give a reason. If they give a reason it doesn't have to be accurate. Any back story shown on tv doesn't have to be accurate.

Baseball drops millions of all star ballots. You don't want the winner to be whichever contestant has a better system for generating excess votes.



jsmeeker said:


> I'm torn on Piff.
> 
> I like him. I saw him perform last year in Las Vegas. His act was funny. He had Mr. Piffles with him in it. Funny stuff. Won't spoil the act/trick in case he does it at some point in the show.
> 
> But he is an established act. Dunno how 8 feel about that. Even if he is great and I like him


Almost all the acts which make it to the live shows were recruited by AGT talent scouts. AGT doesn't claim the contestants are amateurs. They hope to discover acts which aren't, currently, stars. Some of the finalists are more known then Mr. Piff. I wonder if some of the recruited acts are guaranteed a spot at Radio City. Mr. Piff has already performed at Radio City.

Mr. Piff fits that description. He's a talented performer who isn't nationally known.

I was at the taping for tonight's cut show. Live audience reaction shots were "pre-taped". The warm up comedian had us practicing standing ovations, "put him through" chants etc until we got it right. We were cheering for acts we didn't see.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

lew said:


> The 45 page agreement contestants have to sign was posted online. The producers reserve the right to advance anyone they want. They don't have to give a reason. If they give a reason it doesn't have to be accurate. Any back story shown on tv doesn't have to be accurate.


That's right. It also says that the producer can decide after the season ends to give the million dollars to someone else - it even says, "Producer may make misrepresentations to me regarding any prize and the rules and conditions for receipts of any prize." That doesn't mean that it's going to happen.



lew said:


> Baseball drops millions of all star ballots. You don't want the winner to be whichever contestant has a better system for generating excess votes.


Nothing new about this; back around 1950, I think, one team (I want to say the Cardinals) stuffed the ballot boxes and ended up getting all eight non-pitcher starters, after which the voting was taken away from the fans (until the late 1960s) and given to the players.

The rules allow the producers to choose the winners if there is tampering with the voting system, which is what I assume you mean by "generating excess votes." They're not going to go against a legitimate phone vote result; they couldn't take the chance of that information getting out. You never think you're going to get caught, until you do. (Remember the McDonald's Monopoly contest rigging, which went on for a number of years?)

Then again, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they had all of the acts perform without giving anybody a Golden Buzzer, then brought the Golden Buzzer act out again, either to perform or just for the shot of the guest judge giving the Golden Buzzer.


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

Personal note. I just saw the Gospel Chior on Sunday. They were part of the closing service at the ELCA National Youth Gathering in Detroit. They were really good in person as well glad to see them advance.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I thought this was a pretty talented line up this week.
I dunno why I was surprised to see so many of the singing acts lumped together in the same cut night - I guess it is to keep it from turning into a singing competition.
I also knew DM Nation was going through given how much more air time they were given vs some of the other dance acts.
I felt bad for Scott the bearded drag queen. Nerves really got the best of him.


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## MauriAnne (Sep 21, 2002)

I wish I had some idea how the magician named the 5 cards. I watched it a couple times and have no clue.

I liked Michael Buble as a judge.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> That's right. It also says that the producer can decide after the season ends to give the million dollars to someone else - it even says, "Producer may make misrepresentations to me regarding any prize and the rules and conditions for receipts of any prize." That doesn't mean that it's going to happen.


I wondered about judges "coordinating" with the producers. You made a comment about network standard and practices. We agree that isn't an issue. I suspect, but obviously can't prove, the producers decided only one singer would be going through.


> Nothing new about this; back around 1950, I think, one team (I want to say the Cardinals) stuffed the ballot boxes and ended up getting all eight non-pitcher starters, after which the voting was taken away from the fans (until the late 1960s) and given to the players.


Not new but getting bigger.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/06/roy...cancel-65-million-votes-for-the-all-star-game


MauriAnne said:


> I wish I had some idea how the magician named the 5 cards. I watched it a couple times and have no clue.
> 
> I liked Michael Buble as a judge.


Howard Stern Knew how it was done. He said it was pretty obvious. He wasn't very impressed with this performance. I'll speculate there was a deck swap. The deck given to the judges only had those 5 cards.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

lew said:


> Howard Stern Knew how it was done. He said it was pretty obvious. He wasn't very impressed with this performance. I'll speculate there was a deck swap. The deck given to the judges only had those 5 cards.


I'll put my thoughts in a spoiler:


Spoiler



The fact that they riffled through the cards to get one has "Svengali-style deck" written all over it, but even then, it would be really hard to get each one to stop in a section of the deck where a different card was located. Also, when they riffled, didn't they look at the face-up card? That would make it even harder, as you would have "blocks" of identical cards.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

why do they bother with these "stunt" acts? Guys riding motorcycles through fire or jumping busses and stuff?


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> I'll put my thoughts in a spoiler:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


JMO, I don't see any reason to spoilerize speculation as to how a trick was done. How the trick was done was obvious to Howard Stern. Remember he read the cards quickly. It's possible more then one celebrity had the same card but delayed 1/2 a second before raising a hand.

edited to add I was at the taping. Howard's initial comment, suggesting he knew exactly how the trick was done, didn't seem to make it on air.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

The hypnotist act was baffling. I am usually skeptical but I am almost positive he really had Howie out during his first routine a few weeks ago. This time he brought up the guest judge and Mel B. He let Mel B leave the stage quickly, and Michael Bublé faked being out. That seemed to really piss off the guy so he basically left after what seemed like 2 seconds of him trying to get them under. Just a weird act that seemed like they didn't show on TV enough for it to make sense.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

lew said:


> JMO, I don't see any reason to spoilerize speculation as to how a trick was done.


Just in case I'm at least partially right and somebody who doesn't want to know anything about it doesn't stumble onto a possible answer. I can only imagine how many people will never be able to watch the "milk can escape" again after seeing the episode of _The Simpsons_ where it was revealed.


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## MauriAnne (Sep 21, 2002)

Now that it's moved on to the live shows, I was underwhelmed. It seemed like a number of acts did better at the auditions. The only one that stood out to me was the ventriloquist; he was charming, funny and good.

And once again this year, I thought the over-production with all the lights and backup dancers was unnecessary and distracting.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

Yeah, the over-production was out in force. I felt bad for the Triple Threat guys. They were told by Piers Morgan that the grunge look wasn't good, so they went totally the other direction and also threw in the backup dancers. It just didn't work for them.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

loubob57 said:


> Yeah, the over-production was out in force. I felt bad for the Triple Threat guys. They were told by Piers Morgan that the grunge look wasn't good, so they went totally the other direction and also threw in the backup dancers. It just didn't work for them.


I don't think that was the same act. I really don't think most of the groups are doing their own production. This is done by the show producers and can really screw the acts. I doubt for instance the mariachi girl had any say in the set or dancers or choreography.


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

jdfs said:


> I don't think that was the same act. I really don't think most of the groups are doing their own production. This is done by the show producers and can really screw the acts. I doubt for instance the mariachi girl had any say in the set or dancers or choreography.


I agree, it is obvious that the show takes over production of some of the acts after the live shows start. Lots of acts suddenly get elaborate choreography and staging that they didn't have before, and some of them get totally farked by it.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

jdfs said:


> I doubt for instance the mariachi girl had any say in the set or dancers or choreography.


Speaking of the "mariachi girl," she mentioned pretty much in passing that "an opening came up" in the live shows. I wonder why they don't come out and call them "wild cards" any more. My best guess is, "wild cards" implies that the judges choose them, but I have a feeling the last four were chosen by the producers this time.

For that matter, I wonder why three of the four wild cards appeared on the first live acts show, rather than making it 2-1-1. There is also talk that there will be three more wild cards moved from this round to the semi-finals, as it doesn't make much sense to advance an odd number of acts to an even number of semi-final shows.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> Speaking of the "mariachi girl," she mentioned pretty much in passing that "an opening came up" in the live shows. I wonder why they don't come out and call them "wild cards" any more. My best guess is, "wild cards" implies that the judges choose them, but I have a feeling the last four were chosen by the producers this time.
> 
> For that matter, I wonder why three of the four wild cards appeared on the first live acts show, rather than making it 2-1-1. There is also talk that there will be three more wild cards moved from this round to the semi-finals, as it doesn't make much sense to advance an odd number of acts to an even number of semi-final shows.


Two of the acts which made it through the judges cut round withdrew. That means we have a total of 6 acts.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Please help me understand. I like AGT but I don't need to watch the same act twice. My DVR keeps recording them, some eps have names like "judges cut" or whatever. So I'll start watching an ep and realize I have seen the acts before. My DVR does not record reruns. So I'm to the point now where I have no idea what shows are really new and which arent' I was reading above where someone mentioned the dragon guy had been on twice already. I only saw him once so I must have missed his second performance. 

So my question is by looking at the episode titles, how can I tell that an episode is totally new acts, not something repackaged? Thx


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> Please help me understand. I like AGT but I don't need to watch the same act twice. My DVR keeps recording them, some eps have names like "judges cut" or whatever. So I'll start watching an ep and realize I have seen the acts before. My DVR does not record reruns. So I'm to the point now where I have no idea what shows are really new and which arent' I was reading above where someone mentioned the dragon guy had been on twice already. I only saw him once so I must have missed his second performance.
> 
> So my question is by looking at the episode titles, how can I tell that an episode is totally new acts, not something repackaged? Thx


 The acts perform live on Tuesday. Wednesday is the results show. Other nights are repackaged highlight shows. Technically not a rerun


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## Zephyr (Sep 16, 2005)

loubob57 said:


> I agree, it is obvious that the show takes over production of some of the acts after the live shows start. Lots of acts suddenly get elaborate choreography and staging that they didn't have before, and some of them get totally farked by it.


Ditto this! Except for the ventriloquist, I would not vote any of the acts. This show is beginning to strike me as highly manipulated by the producers.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

lew said:


> Two of the acts which made it through the judges cut round withdrew. That means we have a total of 6 acts.


Which ones withdrew?


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> Please help me understand. I like AGT but I don't need to watch the same act twice. My DVR keeps recording them, some eps have names like "judges cut" or whatever. So I'll start watching an ep and realize I have seen the acts before. My DVR does not record reruns. So I'm to the point now where I have no idea what shows are really new and which arent' I was reading above where someone mentioned the dragon guy had been on twice already. I only saw him once so I must have missed his second performance.
> 
> So my question is by looking at the episode titles, how can I tell that an episode is totally new acts, not something repackaged? Thx


You need to read the episode description and it is pretty obvious which are repackaged shows.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

lew said:


> The acts perform live on Tuesday. Wednesday is the results show. Other nights are repackaged highlight shows. Technically not a rerun


Thanks, so to be clear, if it records on Tuesday evening its all new acts, otherwise its repackaged?


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## 702 (Feb 9, 2003)

#1 Which acts withdrew?
#2. Piff the dragon. That trick sucked. Liked the first two much better


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

The 60 year old lady with the crossbow, Sylvia Sylvia? The "couple" who split up a fee months before the auditions. Something duoa. I'll look it up later and edit this post
edited to add
Silvia Silvia and Duo Volta


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## 702 (Feb 9, 2003)

smbaker said:


> My hunch has always been that the acts are viewed ahead of time and the judges are reading scripted comments.
> 
> I've felt this way ever since Paula Abdul mistakenly read the critique for a performance she hadn't seen yet (in an ep where singers performed twice) on Idol.


lol. Have a clip for that?


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

702 said:


> #2. Piff the dragon. That trick sucked. Liked the first two much better


Agree with this 100%. I LOVED him in previous episodes. So freakin' funny, but this last show? It wasn't him, at all. Magic isn't just about cool tricks. It is entertainment. Piff lost that in his last act.

I did just watch some magician who won last year, do a trick with wine bottles and a wine glass, and that was awesome. No idea how he did that. Piff's performance was just long and boring. I wonder how much was due to the producers influencing/coaching/guiding/coercing his trick.


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## 702 (Feb 9, 2003)

I think I was expecting the dog to be in the wood chipper. I don't know. Hope he makes it want to see more.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

Sorry, the comedian who stutters was awful. I thought that set was unwatchable. 

Sidebar, I think I have been watching these shows too much and have seen too many of these magicians and the same tricks done over and over. Especially after watching the Penn and teller show. Puff was on season one. The regurgitator had been on TV for years (and he is doing a trick despite what Heidi thinks). That writing down what people are thinking has been done a million times and is pretty obvious now how it is done. piffs trick has been done over and over too just with different theatrics. Pretty easy to just pull a dog out of that chair.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

"Looks like #3 is swaying." Awesome Piff... groan.



jdfs said:


> Sorry, the comedian who stutters was awful. I thought that set was unwatchable.


Totally agreed. He's atrocious and I hate to sound crass but there's only one reason he's on this show at this point.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Odds Bodkins said:


> Totally agreed. He's atrocious and I hate to sound crass but there's only one reason he's on this show at this point.


Oh c'mon he's not THAT bad. He's charming and of course the disability is the selling point. Half the solo vocalists make it not on their talent but on their back story.



DouglasPHill said:


> Thanks, so to be clear, if it records on Tuesday evening its all new acts, otherwise its repackaged?


Yes but now that the shows are live, the one hour results show is on Wednesday night.

I got confused also early on this season with the repackaged clips show - I forget what they called it but I caught on after a couple of them.

As far as over production - OMG - the worst was the mariachi girl - at one point I think she got hit in the face by one of the back up male dancer's red handkerchiefs. The video behind the female singer was ridiculous.

And just goes to show you - I didn't even remember the mariachi girl was cut.
I wonder why the other acts dropped out - you would think after all they went through they would be there come hell or high water.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Cainebj said:


> Oh c'mon he's not THAT bad. He's charming and of course the disability is the selling point.


He was last night. I never came close to cracking a smile and I eat this show up. I thought his audition was decent enough but the other comedians that are in this blow him out of the water.

"Do you remember me? I remember me. Hee hee hee." Terrific opener.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I also agree that the stuttering comic sucked, big time! If the disability is the selling point, then I'd prefer to watch a narcoleptic comic who quickly doses off between punchlines or applause breaks but wakens with a startle and keeps the pace/rhythm otherwise unimpeded. 

I thought the magician with the wine bottles was a bit clumsy throughout his performance. I would also suggest that the multiple wine bottles were like stacking beer cups. He held the tubes in an odd way so that he coud release one of the "bottles" from one end or the wine glass from the other end. The tube in his right hand was always held vertically whenever he put the tube from his left hand under his right arm briefly.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Something was really wrong with the voting. That one singer, IMHO, stole the show. And she came out in the 3 that had to be voted on again. Something does not smell right. I thought the wine bottles were great. And finally, they need much more camera time on Heidi when she is dressed like that.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> Something was really wrong with the voting. That one singer, IMHO, stole the show. And she came out in the 3 that had to be voted on again. Something does not smell right. I thought the wine bottles were great. And finally, they need much more camera time on Heidi when she is dressed like that.


I didn't think the singer was that great despite their gushing over her. She sounded terribly off key, especially in the beginning.

Once the live shows start there is no reason to hear from the judges. Especially this crew who is hardly ever critical. I usually skip over them.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> Something was really wrong with the voting. That one singer, IMHO, stole the show. And she came out in the 3 that had to be voted on again. Something does not smell right. I thought the wine bottles were great. And finally, they need much more camera time on Heidi when she is dressed like that.


That's the reason AGT has the two saves. Contestants they want to put through can go through.

This year AGT allows voting before the show concludes. That may make it harder for the last few contestants.

I agree with the PP, I don't think stuttering comedian was good this time;


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

lew said:


> That's the reason AGT has the two saves. Contestants they want to put through can go through.
> 
> This year AGT allows voting before the show concludes. That may make it harder for the last few contestants.
> 
> I agree with the PP, I don't think stuttering comedian was good this time;


But, now the last few acts no longer have an advantage of being remembered better than the first acts. If you see an act you REALLY like, you can vote for them right away.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

TriBruin said:


> But, now the last few acts no longer have an advantage of being remembered better than the first acts. If you see an act you REALLY like, you can vote for them right away.


 AGT seems to spread out the "A" acts. One of the first acts, one of the last acts and an act which performs at about the one hour point tend to be the better acts.

A poster asked why the act he thought was the best was in danger of being eliminated. I think the new voting system is one reason. I don't completely agree with Douglas, I don't think she was the best...but she shouldn't have been near the bottom.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

lew said:


> The 60 year old lady with the crossbow, Sylvia Sylvia? The "couple" who split up a fee months before the auditions. Something duoa. I'll look it up later and edit this post
> edited to add
> Silvia Silvia and Duo Volta


Sylvia Sylvia withdrew because she had a contract to appear somewhere else and couldnt get out of it

Duo Volta withdrew because they decided to stop performing together and felt it was dumb to practice months and months for a routine they would do once. The guy is already performing with another group, not sure about the girl.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

KungFuCow said:


> ... Duo Volta withdrew because they decided to stop performing together and felt it was dumb to practice months and months for a routine they would do once. The guy is already performing with another group, not sure about the girl.


Awww ... I hope she doesn't start hoarding cats.  _(Calm down, it's a joke!)_ The other two guys they beat out for the spot in the semi-finals must be really choked to have their rivals drop out on their own.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Saw Piff's "Deal or No Deal" type trick. I actually thought it was kind of lame. Maybe because the setup was done backstage before they played his promo. Maybe it's because he tried to do an elaborate thing with fire and big set pieces and what not. Seems like he is better on a smaller stage. 

Still, he's funny. And I hope he goes farther. Would love to see Piff in an more extended live in person performance than I already have .


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Seriously? America saved the muppets?


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

MikeekiM said:


> Seriously? America saved the muppets?


I actually was happy they got saved. Their intro piece was far more entertaining than It's Not Unusual but I like Irv and his Mom Miriam.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I was hoping to see Freckled Sky get another chance...

I am not unhappy that Irv and his mom went through... But I hope they do something involving their mother/son relationship with possibly some singing, versus all singing... I didn't think of Irv and his mom as a singing act... I thought it was much more of a comedy act...but this go-around there wasn't much comedy...


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> Seriously? America saved the muppets?


That's what I thought. Seems like a low grade version of the muppets.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> Seriously? America saved the muppets?


I told my wife that the dancer people were a sure thing, 'cuz nobody would save those stupid ****ing wannabe muppets. I was wrong.

I wonder if the dancers did something post-show to piss off the judges. They got much harsher criticism during the elimination than they did after their performance. While I admit I was not super impressed with their performance (seemed repetitive), it did combine dancers, video, and water.

I was very disappointed in the Earth Harp performance. He was one of my favorite contestants, and he was completed drowned out by that ****ty singer and her army of violinists. Seems like a bunch of effort to set up that Earth Harp for very little payoff.

I'm glad ladder guy made it, though if it was anyone else, they would have told him his act was too repetitive. To the contrary, when he does want to do something new, he's told to bring the ladder back again. 

I wish animation crew would have done better. I liked those guys.



Cainebj said:


> Their intro piece was far more entertaining than It's Not Unusual but I like Irv and his Mom Miriam.


It's as if they got to perform twice. Their intro piece was a performance (and as you point out, a better performance than their actual performance).

Thing I have against this group is I just don't see the talent. I mean, compare the level to talent to someone like Terry Fator, who can not only animate a dummy, but do it live without moving his lips. For all I know the muppet performances could be almost entirely prerecorded audio, except for the adlib part during the judge comments.


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> I was hoping to see Freckled Sky get another chance...


Question on Freckled Sky's performance (I am spoiling this because their was something unusual going on about their act).



Spoiler



A couple of times when the dancers would fade in to the background, I swore I saw two more dancers hidden in the shadows. That is how they appeared to switch sides so quickly.

Did anyone else see this? (I don't think it was just a reflection because it was the opposite dancer, a male dancer in the background on the female dancer's side and vis versa. )


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

The song the opera singer girl sang something "Requiem" - didn't Jackie Evanko do the same song?


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

Cainebj said:


> The song the opera singer girl sang something "Requiem" - didn't Jackie Evanko do the same song?


Yes, "Pie Jesu" is a very popular song for the opera singers.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

loubob57 said:


> Yes, "Pie Jesu" is a very popular song for the opera singers.


When Jackie Evanko did it, I kept thinking she was singing "Pea Soup"
I didn't get the punch on Pie Jesu with this girl.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

TriBruin said:


> Question on Freckled Sky's performance (I am spoiling this because their was something unusual going on about their act).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I saw the same thing, but I completely missed the male dancer falling due to his shoes slipping off.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

MarkofT said:


> I saw the same thing, but I completely missed the male dancer falling due to his shoes slipping off.


Live shows don't have to be flawless for me to enjoy the act...

In fact, a little imperfection is fine with me...this goes for live concerts, live airings of television shows, etc, etc...

It is the nature of the live show...


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

Wow, that Oz guy, "the mentalist" was TERRIBLE at hiding how that trick was done. I'm surprised that the judges thought it was so incredible.

Watch him pull an item out of his pocket with his rear hand, use it to "write" on the envelope with something which on an erasable wax board transmits it to the page inside, then he puts the writing instrument back into his pocket. All while Nick is asked to block him while taking off the sticker... huh, why must the sticker come off...oh yeah, to hide what he's doing, only it didn't. So incredible that his Instagram doesn't mention a number, just that it was 2 off of being "correct", so he writes a number 2 less than someone's guess. Also, a small receipt printer hidden inside the gumballs takes care of that part. Guy off stage sends the info via bluetooth and there's the amazing receipt.

I appreciate quality "magic", but this is rookie stuff. Starts at 3:27 with him fishing a writing instrument out of his upstage pocket.






Also, did anybody at home even smile when the comedian Gary Vider was performing? So incredibly lame, yet the judges wet their pants over him.

Perplexing.


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## unixadm (Jan 1, 2001)

Jayjoans said:


> Wow, that Oz guy, "the mentalist" was TERRIBLE at hiding how that trick was done. I'm surprised that the judges thought it was so incredible.
> 
> Watch him pull an item out of his pocket with his rear hand, use it to "write" on the envelope with something which on an erasable wax board transmits it to the page inside, then he puts the writing instrument back into his pocket. All while Nick is asked to block him while taking off the sticker... huh, why must the sticker come off...oh yeah, to hide what he's doing, only it didn't. So incredible that his Instagram doesn't mention a number, just that it was 2 off of being "correct", so he writes a number 2 less than someone's guess. Also, a small receipt printer hidden inside the gumballs takes care of that part. Guy off stage sends the info via bluetooth and there's the amazing receipt.
> 
> ...


Are you a Gambini?



> The groom's brother was that guy Alakazam, the magician with the ponytail.
> Well, he did his act, and every time he made something disappear, Vinny jumped on him. I mean, he nailed him! It was like, "it's in his pocket", or "he's palming it", you know? Or, "there's a mirror under the table." I mean, he was like, he was like, "wait a second, wait a second, it's joined in the middle, and there's a spring around it, it pops it open when it's inside the tube." It was like Alakazam's worst nightmare. Vinny was just being Vinny. He was just being the quintessential Gambini.


I thought the Oz guy was good. Of course there is always a trick. No one is a real mentalist. None of us from our family noticed it and were impressed by the trick. Just like David Copperfield or any illusionist or mentalist trick, someone will always figure out how it's done.

I was disappointed in Piff The Magic Dragon's last "trick" a few weeks ago....that was SO easy to figure out...figured he was done and not moving forward...but he was still put through.



Jayjoans said:


> Also, did anybody at home even smile when the comedian Gary Vider was performing? So incredibly lame, yet the judges wet their pants over him.
> 
> Perplexing.


Yeah...I didn't think his stuff was as good this time. He is slow to deliver which can sometimes be funny, and was in his previous acts, but it just didn't work as well for me this time.


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

I can appreciate a quality trick, even if I know how it was done. My point on this Oz guy was that it wasn't even done well. It was so obvious as he was performing it. 

Some of the card guys have been fantastic. As it was happening I had no idea how it was done, for a *moment* you think that maybe there is some sort of magic going on.... The other magician, Derek Hughes, is great, he's very smooth and entertaining. Only after the trick is done and you spend a little time thinking about it can you figure it out. (at least for me). THAT'S magic.


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## unixadm (Jan 1, 2001)

And they both went through to the next round. 

Was really surprised the motocross guys didn't go through...I was really amazed at their stunts. I think the problem with that is that it is a stage show and to put the outdoor acts in just doesn't mix well with voting audiences.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Jayjoans said:


> Wow, that Oz guy, "the mentalist" was TERRIBLE at hiding how that trick was done. I'm surprised that the judges thought it was so incredible.
> 
> Watch him pull an item out of his pocket with his rear hand, use it to "write" on the envelope with something which on an erasable wax board transmits it to the page inside, then he puts the writing instrument back into his pocket. All while Nick is asked to block him while taking off the sticker... huh, why must the sticker come off...oh yeah, to hide what he's doing, only it didn't. So incredible that his Instagram doesn't mention a number, just that it was 2 off of being "correct", so he writes a number 2 less than someone's guess. Also, a small receipt printer hidden inside the gumballs takes care of that part. Guy off stage sends the info via bluetooth and there's the amazing receipt.
> 
> I appreciate quality "magic", but this is rookie stuff. Starts at 3:27 with him fishing a writing instrument out of his upstage pocket.


You can see him writing clear as day as well. His elbow is moving more than one of those inflatable car dealership guys.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Jayjoans said:


> ... Also, did anybody at home even smile when the comedian Gary Vider was performing? So incredibly lame, yet the judges wet their pants over him.
> 
> Perplexing.


Gary Vider is a doppelganger for Lee Harvey Oswald.

The regurgitator act is hard to stomach.


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## headroll (Jan 20, 2003)

At least they're FINALLY acknowledging that there are TONS of video projection/dancing teams now. Up until recently (even in this current season) they kept saying ... "This is so original' or "we've never seen anything like this before'.

-Roll


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

unixadm said:


> And they both went through to the next round.
> 
> Was really surprised the motocross guys didn't go through...I was really amazed at their stunts. I think the problem with that is that it is a stage show and to put the outdoor acts in just doesn't mix well with voting audiences.


The AGT winner could be a headliner act in Las Vegas. The outdoor acts wouldn't work as winners. I wouldn't be shocked if the "fine print" made them ineligible to move into the semis.


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

unixadm said:


> Was really surprised the motocross guys didn't go through...I was really amazed at their stunts. I think the problem with that is that it is a stage show and to put the outdoor acts in just doesn't mix well with voting audiences.


I also think that most people that are avid TV watchers have at some point or another stumbled on the X-Games on ESPN over the last decade or so. These guys did nothing you don't see at every X-Games, every year. The judges were so flabbergasted by what they could do, often repeating "I've never seen such an amazing thing!"..... My guess is the TV watching public has, repeatedly.

Same with the flyboarding guy. Once you've seen him do a double flip, you've seen his whole "act".


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## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

I thought the same thing about the regurgitator. I've seen his act several times over the years. But I never saw him do the lock, key and ring before. I still don't think he should win, but it was amazing.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

loubob57 said:


> I thought the same thing about the regurgitator. I've seen his act several times over the years. But I never saw him do the lock, key and ring before. I still don't think he should win, but it was amazing.


AGT is the 6th ____Got Talent show the regurgitator competed in. First was Britain's Got Talent in 2010. His highest finish was 4th place in the French version of the show.

Evidently he did the same routine in Britain's Got Talent in 2010:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8716203.stm



> In one apparent feat of gastric dexterity, he apparently swallowed Amanda Holden's engagement ring along with a locked padlock and its key, before regurgitating all three with the ring entwined within the lock.


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

So he's a Professional Re-regurgitator.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

My theory to explain the Regurgitator ...


Spoiler



... is that he keeps objects hidden inside his mouth. Coins are placed into specific spots in the roof of his mouth and above the back of his teeth. All his slapping the chest and undulating his belly are all misdirections. He has a talented tongue and can hide light bulbs or billiard balls behind his tongue as he loosens coins from his upper palate. He selects the chosen numbered coin with the tip of his tongue and it drops out from the top of his mouth. It is not ejected from the back of his throat. Linking keychain rings or locking a piece of jewellery into a locked padlock involves sleight of hand where he misdirects the audience as he pulls an item from his rigged costume and slips it into his mouth (e.g., as he pretends to wipe his mouth or nose and slips the prepared item into his mouth). The dry sugar is inside a container in his mouth so that after he has consumed and swallowed water we expect the sugar to mix with it, but he then breaks open the hidden container of sugar at the roof of his mouth and lets it spill out, dry, into the hands of his disgusted assistant.

There is an old YT video of Stevie Starr with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, and it is really obvious when he pulls an item from his costume and sticks it into his mouth in preparation for his next trick.



I expect that his next trick on AGT will involve ...


Spoiler



... swallowing goldfish, and/or blowing smoke and butane gas into a soap bubble and getting an assistant (judge or Nick) to hold a lighter to the bubble for a climax of fire as the mixture ignites. He did that trick on Letterman's old show about 25 years ago (also on YT).


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

lew said:


> AGT is the 6th ____Got Talent show the regurgitator competed in. First was Britain's Got Talent in 2010. His highest finish was 4th place in the French version of the show.


That is interesting but not all that surprising - it is a franchise.

There were a couple of AGT seasons where several acts were identical to the British version. Not the same exact people but the popular acts had similar counterparts the same season in the US.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

I was wrong. Motocross guys are the judges wild card. Go figure


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Jayjoans said:


> WSo incredible that his Instagram doesn't mention a number, just that it was 2 off of being "correct", so he writes a number 2 less than someone's guess.


Could have been awkward if Mel wrote 101 on her board though...

There's no way that the jar has 99 or 103 gumballs...


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Please God, no more Drew Lynch. PLEASE


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

Amen. 

So incredibly terrible.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

Jayjoans said:


> Amen.
> 
> So incredibly terrible.


He was a little better this week but still terrible. And somehow America has voted him in!


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

He could be the worst finalist in the shows history. I'm at least glad Stern told him to knock off all the laughing at himself he does.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

I'm convinced the way they have the voting setup causes some weird outcomes. It allows you to give up to 10 votes for each contestant. It should just be vote for the top 5 or rank all contestants from best to worse. The Craig Lewis band should have been one of the top finishers, not 5th. Lynch should have been out. That multimedia dance crew should have been in easily. I didn't think the magician was any good. The trick he did was one of the oldest tricks in the book.


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## jdfs (Oct 21, 2002)

I was thinking of going to the show tonight but am glad I didn't. It was a snooze fest like all result shows and I would have rioted after those results.


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

In my opinion the voting on all these shows is completely screwed up in one way or another. To me, that's a given.

What I can't understand is when the judges fawn all over an obviously terrible act. With the stuttering comedian, you can't even say "well, you had to be there in the room to understand how great it was", which could POSSIBLY be an argument for some acts. He's just not funny. At all. When a comedian pisses you off more than makes you smile, that's a pretty good indicator. Then when the judges talk about how amazing he is, it becomes flat out infuriating. Seems to me that Stern was holding back for some reason, as if he was told to hold his tongue so the "worst" he could say is for the kid not to laugh so much. Stern buzzed acts that were more entertaining than this guy, yet he tells him he did great but maybe ease up on the chuckles.

We whip through Last Comic Standing and my wife and I have paused the show because we were laughing so much. There are some real comedians on that show and they're actually funny. Like "make you laugh" funny---what comedians are supposed to do.

(yeah, I know, bunch of hyperbole in there, I'm not infuriated)


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I agree with you guys. The stuttering comedian sob story is old and NOT entertaining. I cringe the entire time he is on screen. Everybody on the show bends over backwards trying to be gentle and encouraging to him and it already seems to have gone straight to his head/ego. Ugh! :down:

The magician and the mentalist acts were both weak, yet they have been cast to the finals?  I think the producers are tinkering with the results. I like the magician for his range of tricks, but the tearing the paper and restoring it is a standard oldie. The mentalist does not command the stage and I do not find him to be anything beyond a child's birthday party performer.

I felt that the duo singers and the hot chick singer should have easily been in the finals, but at least the two guys made it -- they were amazing.

The asian dance group were also amazing, but this show just proves that you need to vote if you care about your favorites remaining (or does it really?), and I can't be bothered to vote for tv shows. 

But I DO vote in every political election because that actually affects ME!


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

Okay, someone explain to me the ginormous robot in last night's freelusion performance. 

It didn't look like projection to me. It looked real (it had a three dimensional appearance and parts looked like they overlapped the radio city audience), but it obviously either wasn't real or wasn't that size, because it disappeared faster than its large size would have permitted.

My best guess is that it was a small robot placed in front of the camera that was filming the scene. A camera trick done for the audience at home.


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

Didn't the Regurgitator screw up the last part of his act with the egg? I didn't see any smoke, and the egg really didn't look like it went down the hatch.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

I turned it off after Piff.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

jay_man2 said:


> Didn't the Regurgitator screw up the last part of his act with the egg? I didn't see any smoke, and the egg really didn't look like it went down the hatch.


I saw some smoke floating in the air after he regurgitated the egg, but I never saw the smoke 'come up'. So yeah, something was amiss.

His previous performance (swallowing a lock, a key, and a ring, and then regurgitating them locked together) seems like the pinnacle of his act. It seems hard to top that trick, so this week was a bit of a letdown. I still think he's one of the better performers. I've rewatched his performances a few times to try to catch the slight of hand but I've never managed to find conclusive proof of the trick.



jsmeeker said:


> I turned it off after Piff.


I thought Piff redeemed himself after his last performance. I think the problem with him is that he's neither a great magician nor a great comedian. He manages to mix the two together into something entertaining, but something that gets tiresome after a few minutes.

I was sad that ladder guy fell, though at the same time it added some realism to his act. I had always wondered if the danger was real or if there was some hidden line holding up the ladder. I hope that despite his failure he goes through anyway. I want him to get that 90 seconds to redo that trick.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

smbaker said:


> Okay, someone explain to me the ginormous robot in last night's freelusion performance.
> 
> It didn't look like projection to me. It looked real (it had a three dimensional appearance and parts looked like they overlapped the radio city audience), but it obviously either wasn't real or wasn't that size, because it disappeared faster than its large size would have permitted.
> 
> My best guess is that it was a small robot placed in front of the camera that was filming the scene. A camera trick done for the audience at home.


It looked like a digital effect to me, essentially a camera trick. Possibly viewable by the audience if there was a large monitor for that purpose. Then I decided the smaller industrial robot shown earlier in the act was also a digital effect but possibly directly viewable by the audience. Real ones take a bit of power to move as quickly as it was appearing to move.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

jay_man2 said:


> Didn't the Regurgitator screw up the last part of his act with the egg? I didn't see any smoke, and the egg really didn't look like it went down the hatch.


I saw it but the lighting and the backdrop didn't help accentuate the smoke. Still, it was a weak close after an amazing start.

How the hell did America save ladder guy after he fell. Ridiculous. Still... much rather see him fall again then another cookie-cutter singer.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I also saw the smoke come out with the egg... But something was definitely amiss... He didn't bring notice to the smoke, and seemed to sweep that last part of his show under the table, drawing attention to the fact that it was a raw egg and completely ignoring the smoke component of that last part...


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

pdhenry said:


> It looked like a digital effect to me, essentially a camera trick.


That's how I felt, and I'm disappointed both in the act and in the show for allowing it.

I thought Howie said at one point 'that's a real robot', though it wasn't clear to me whether he was referring to the industrial robot or the big robot at the end, and whether by 'real' he meant real right then, or a real robot that was filmed previously.



Odds Bodkins said:


> How the hell did America save ladder guy after he fell.


I'm glad they did. The ladder guy has some real talent, and it's a real danger act, perhaps the only danger act remaining in the show at this point.

I think America saw that he pushed his act to the limit, perhaps even beyond the limit, and wanted to give him another chance.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

yay!

Piff made it through. I just like the guy. But probably mostly because I saw him live in Las Vegas a year or two ago.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I can't stop thinking about that gorgeous Freellusion lady in her sheer dress. I want to see MORE of her! Yeah ... you know what I mean.

I believe the ladder guy was originally 6 feet tall when he started out his act. 

This finale is shaping up to be pretty lame. At this point I like the ventriloquist and the Lee Harvey Oswald doppelganger comedian. I forgot who some of the other finalists are. A couple of comedians, a couple of magicians, a mentalist and a ventriloquist, the couple of singers and ...


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## Zephyr (Sep 16, 2005)

Ladder guy... I'm worried. I thought medical would wrap his arm in a sling and give him a medical slip. I think he's beyond his prime and can only risk his life beyond acceptable limits. He's a one act act and can only go higher and higher... until he falls farther and farther.... Obviously, he can fail and succeed. Is that what AGT's morphed into? The feel good hours? Please. 

The barfer, go away, please. 

The animation & dance acts... computers vs. people... hmm... let's see, who wins? If it's flash and light and lasers and Radio City, I'll take the IBEW and a good programmer every time. I'm flat out down on the animation stuff and will likely be flat out wrong. 

Oh yea, the torch singer surrounded by jail bar lights? Another act drowned by technology.Too bad for her.


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

The finale will be a Throw Down between the guy that Throws his voice and the guy that Throws up.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Zephyr said:


> Ladder guy... I'm worried. I thought medical would wrap his arm in a sling and give him a medical slip. I think he's beyond his prime and can only risk his life beyond acceptable limits. He's a one act act and can only go higher and higher... until he falls farther and farther.... Obviously, he can fail and succeed. Is that what AGT's morphed into? The feel good hours? Please.


I dont think thats the case. He didnt want to do ladders again this time and Howard basically told him he had to if he wanted to go through.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

KungFuCow said:


> He didnt want to do ladders again this time and Howard basically told him he had to if he wanted to go through.


In Howard's defense though, the bit that he started out his act with (spinning around in a hoop) was pretty lame. If that's the kind of non-ladder stuff he had in his toolbox, then it wouldn't have been sufficient to carry him to the next round.

There is certainly hypocrisy in a judge constantly complaining about acts being too repetitive, and then insisting that the only thing that ladder guy should do is more ladders.

Personally, I liked his very first ladder performance the best. That one emphasized speed. The other performances are all about going higher and higher, and while that ups the danger level, it doesn't make the performance more interesting.



Zephyr said:


> computers vs. people


One of the comments on the youtube video or their performance is that the act is supposed to be a white blood cell (two performers) versus the HIV virus (robot).


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## Zephyr (Sep 16, 2005)

"One of the comments on the youtube video or their performance is that the act is supposed to be a white blood cell (two performers) versus the HIV virus (robot).[/QUOTE]

Nope, didn't get that one. Yucko.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

Zephyr said:


> Nope, didn't get that one. Yucko.


If you rewatch it, there was some stuff where it looked like DNA sequences were being combined and then the performers ended up in a circle thing that looked kinda like a cell. So I can see how the person making that comment could arrive at their conclusion. 'humans vs technology' is by far the more obvious explanation though.


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## Zephyr (Sep 16, 2005)

We have a mattress retailer here who advertises that old mattresses have several times our body weight in beasties... all I could think of was thousands of pounds of skin lice on the move... across my bed... across my first floor... out the door... all over the planet! THE END....


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

smbaker said:


> In Howard's defense though, the bit that he started out his act with (spinning around in a hoop) was pretty lame. If that's the kind of non-ladder stuff he had in his toolbox, then it wouldn't have been sufficient to carry him to the next round.
> 
> There is certainly hypocrisy in a judge constantly complaining about acts being too repetitive, and then insisting that the only thing that ladder guy should do is more ladders.
> 
> ...


I do agree that the hoop thing was lame.. I would imagine if he's a trained circus performer he's got more tricks in his bag. You cant base a whole show around a ladder.

Guess we'll see this week..... None of the acts left really excite me. I think Id like to see the CraigLewis Band win if I had to pick.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

How the ladder man got this far, I do not understand.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

DouglasPHill said:


> How the ladder man got this far, I do not understand.


I wonder how a lot of the people got this far. Im really starting to think the voting isnt what it appears to be because it just doesnt make sense. Acts that should have been a lock going home to acts that shouldnt have made it as far as they have (Ira and Drew Lynch come to mind)


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I was slightly confused because I thought the older opera singer did not get through and the younger one did - did something happen or am I just remembering it incorrectly?

Why is there always some not so attractive not such a great singer white dude who plays the guitar with a Americano sob story in the semi-finals?


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I assume youre refering to Benton Blunt. I dont remember him having a sob story other than he wanted to be a singer and hadnt made it yet.

I dont really think he should have made it through the last round but either AGT wanted him through or America put him through so there he is.

Some of the results this year have really made me question the legitimacy of the voting.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I know I read somewhere where a former contestant said that AGT reserves the right to make whatever changes they want. So we really don't know if the actual voting results were used or not.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

That would settle any contractual issues between the shows and the contestants, but I guess the viewers just get the wool pulled over their eyes? One vote doesn't matter so no votes count?

I understand it isn't a game show but there oughta be a law...


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

What cracks me up about the whole thing is the $1M being paid in a 40 year annuity. That's $25k a year, take roughly half off for taxes, and that's just a tad over $1000 a month for the winner.

So, the groups of 2 performers each get $500 a month (maybe a car payment, not even enough for health care) and the dancing groups of 20 or so each get $50 for 40 years. How much do you think that $500 or $50 will be worth in the year 2055?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Jayjoans said:


> What cracks me up about the whole thing is the $1M being paid in a 40 year annuity. That's $25k a year, take roughly half off for taxes, and that's just a tad over $1000 a month for the winner.


The winner has the option of taking a lump sum of whatever the annuity is currently worth. If the interest rate is 3%, the initial value is about $575,000; at 4%, about $500,000; at 5%, about $425,000.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

pdhenry said:


> That would settle any contractual issues between the shows and the contestants, but I guess the viewers just get the wool pulled over their eyes? One vote doesn't matter so no votes count?
> 
> I understand it isn't a game show but there oughta be a law...


The theory is votes will only be "adjusted" there appears to be vote manipulation/block voting. MLB drops millions of all star ballots.

We have no idea how, if or why votes are adjusted. I'd hope they're not adjusted so the winner the producers favor gets the "million dollar" prize.


That Don Guy said:


> The winner has the option of taking a lump sum of whatever the annuity is currently worth. If the interest rate is 3%, the initial value is about $575,000; at 4%, about $500,000; at 5%, about $425,000.


Correct, that means the prize isn't really a million dollars. More like around half a million.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

well - in my opinion the only 2 acts worth anything were the ventriloquist and the regurgitator.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

I don't think Piff is gonna win


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Cainebj said:


> well - in my opinion the only 2 acts worth anything were the ventriloquist and the regurgitator.


I liked the mentalist's act...but he should have had the same person who wrote the beginning of each of those sentences also write the answers...

Still a major feat to do what he did...and I am still not sure how he was able to either write the answers, or have someone else do it and get it to him on-stage...

Nevertheless, that little detail really killed the effect for me...


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

The mentalist had all sorts of time to write information with the manner in which he was holding and sorting the envelopes. Writing the numbers on the outside after the judge chose a number so they would coincide with the seat color. He has to perfect his hand work, odd things like that stand out.

..and how about the terrible staging when you see the person from behind the curtain bend down and replace the mechanical Mr. Piffles with the real thing.
What was the purpose of Heidi's ring being around his neck? Never mentioned it after he hooked it to the collar.

The bearded singer was also not good. He wouldn't have made the cut to be on either Idol or The Voice, yet he's a finalist here.

Both comedians were not even remotely funny. Not even "crack a smile" worthy. 

Really a very disappointing night altogether. I can see why Howard is calling it quits, it's not a good show.


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## Zephyr (Sep 16, 2005)

Jayjoans said:


> The mentalist had all sorts of time to write information with the manner in which he was holding and sorting the envelopes. Writing the numbers on the outside after the judge chose a number so they would coincide with the seat color. He has to perfect his hand work, odd things like that stand out.
> 
> ..and how about the terrible staging when you see the person from behind the curtain bend down and replace the mechanical Mr. Piffles with the real thing.
> What was the purpose of Heidi's ring being around his neck? Never mentioned it after he hooked it to the collar.
> ...


Agreed! Too many bad acts last night. Something fishy. I wonder how many of these have contracts already that are dependent on "not winning" and all that comes with that. If the stutterer or barfer wins this, I'm out until a new judge crew comes on with clear and true voting rules.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Yes the mentalist would have been much more believable if he had let the judges pull the envelopes like you do when you "take a card"


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

..and I really had high hopes for the magician guy. I like him, I like his story, I normally like his delivery, but he WHIFFED with the rope crap. The one performance where he pulled the card out of his buttcrack was a finale winner, not this ho hum stuff.

If you're going to start with that big Vegas style production and then stop it and say that you're going to start with an illusion and the big magic will come later, then DO NOT end your act with just that lame illusion. I kept waiting for the big magic he talked about to come and it never did.

Total dud. Also not cool when you hand your ropes to your assistant and the little short 8" piece you never showed us existed falls on the floor...


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

jsmeeker said:


> I don't think Piff is gonna win


I hope not. From the kick of the dummy dog to the perfectly viewable person swapping in the dog from behind the curtain... just awful.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Drew Lynch is in the top 5. Holy tapdancing Christ.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Odds Bodkins said:


> I hope not. From the kick of the dummy dog to the perfectly viewable person swapping in the dog from behind the curtain... just awful.


That was just Piff's comedy fluff, not the magic trick. The trick was actually a simple Bill in lemon.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

MarkofT said:


> That was just Piff's comedy fluff, not the magic trick. The trick was actually a simple Bill in lemon.


And that was done very well. It was the other 95% of the act that was a mess. The dog didn't go through the target cleanly and the camera plainly showed the person doing the swap. I know that was never meant to be "magic" but it was just so shoddy. He, unfortunately, got worse each round much like the bespectacled magician.

Meanwhile... Drew is in the final four.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Regurgitator going home?? Drew in the final 3? I will never believe in anything ever again.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

It's down to the ventriloquist and.... DREW ****ING LYNCH!!!!


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## unixadm (Jan 1, 2001)

That is crazy....Drew only got this far because of his disability....there are so many people that had much more talent. The Professional regurgitator, Piff, Oz Perlman, Craig Lewis Band, Gary Vider and so many more (including ones that didn't make the top 10) deserved to be in the top two rather than Drew.


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

I clearly have deep seated character flaws because this Drew person actually makes me angry.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Thank god!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## unixadm (Jan 1, 2001)

Odds Bodkins said:


> Thank god!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thats for sure!!!!

I would have thrown something at my TV if it went the other way!


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

I was pacing around the room. If the vote truly was that close, they need to change the procedure up again. In no rational world would Drew come close to sniffing the final 500 let alone be runner-up.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Well, with that lame finale behind us, we can now start predicting the new host to replace Howard Stern for Season 11. My prediction is for *Penn Jillette*.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

Odds Bodkins said:


> Regurgitator going home?? Drew in the final 3? I will never believe in anything ever again.


It makes me suspect the show is fixed.

We end up with a ventriloquist that's about 10% as good as Terry Fator. His runner-up is the least funniest comedian of the entire series.

The only one in the finale who was truly a unique deserving act was the regurgitator, albeit he was a professional act who has been a contestant on multiple talent series.



getreal said:


> My prediction is for Penn Jillette.


That would be a worthy addition.

Has anyone said why Stern left?


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I did not vote for Drew. His disability is distracting after a few minutes. Creatively his jokes were great and how quickly he had comebacks showed that he does have talent. All in all I have to agree with other posters that this year's final contestants were flawed in their later presentations. Compare this year to last and it is like comparing this year to Penn and Teller.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

He has very little material at his disposal. He can barely get through 90 seconds (20 of which are him laughing at himself) how in the world would he be able to do 90 minute daily shows? The phone number joke you could see coming a mile away and then he stayed on it for a minute. Painful.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

smbaker said:


> Has anyone said why Stern left?


I thought I read he was bored. I know he's pining for Simon to get back on TV in the US but, I agree, Penn would be a great call. It's gotta be someone with NBC ties and he has them.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Odds Bodkins said:


> I was pacing around the room. If the vote truly was that close, they need to change the procedure up again. In no rational world would Drew come close to sniffing the final 500 let alone be runner-up.


The problem this year was, they didn't go from a final 10/12 to a final 4-6 like they normally do. The votes were spread out. Nick said that Paul and Drew were separated by "less than 1%", but that probably just means that Paul got, say, 15% while Drew got 14%.

At least they didn't say, "The top two are Paul and Drew - and the Snapple Instant Vote will determine the winner! Sorry, western half of the country, but we don't care about you."

Speaking of which, now that Stern is gone, does the show move the live shows back out west next season? IIRC, the only reason they moved to New York was because Stern pretty much demanded it, so he wouldn't have to fly back and forth to do this and his radio show.



getreal said:


> Well, with that lame finale behind us, we can now start predicting the new host to replace Howard Stern for Season 11. My prediction is for *Penn Jillette*.


I think that if Piers Morgan wants it, the job is his. Didn't he leave because he got a (short-lived) show on CNN? Also, since it's Simon Cowell's production company, he could do it, although he already does _Britain's Got Talent_. It has to be somebody who's willing to play the villain; otherwise, it's _American Juniors_ all over again.

I just had a harrowing thought: Donald Trump. Of course, this assumes he (a) doesn't get the Republican nomination, and (b) doesn't go back on his pledge not to run as an independent. (Then again, neither of those is a problem if the judges don't show up for auditions until after the election.)

Who are we kidding? It's going to be Neil Patrick Harris...


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

That Don Guy said:


> Who are we kidding? It's going to be Neil Patrick Harris...


After his show flops he'll be needing a job.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

That Don Guy said:


> I just had a harrowing thought: Donald Trump. Of course, this assumes he (a) doesn't get the Republican nomination, and (b) doesn't go back on his pledge not to run as an independent. (Then again, neither of those is a problem if the judges don't show up for auditions until after the election.)


There seems to be some real animosity between him and NBC, and even the other cast members on AGT. Of course, that could all change if there's money to be made...



That Don Guy said:


> It has to be somebody who's willing to play the villain


Did Howard Stern play the villain? It didn't seem so to me. Sure, he had a negative criticism a few times, but nothing like that Piers had done on AGT, or Simon had done on Idol.

I don't watch the breadth of reality TV that I used to, but it seems like there's been a real trend away from the negativity that was present on the earlier seasons of AGT, Idol, etc.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I really cant believe The CraigLewis Band didnt win.. they killed it every performance. I had them in the final 2.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Howard was the "bad guy" judge. But really was a fairly tame "bad guy".


As good as NPH is, they need a "bad guy". Even a tame one. NPH isn't that guy.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> Howard was the "bad guy" judge. But really was a fairly tame "bad guy".


Yeah... While he was the only one that tried to play the bad guy, he really didn't come off as a bad guy to me...

In my opinion, he was "the voice of reason" judge...


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Planet Hollywood has started advertising the AGT live show, and according to the ads, the only acts there will be Paul Zerdin, Drew Lynch, and Piff the Magic Dragon. Somehow, I don't think those will be the only acts - usually, there's a host as well - but those are the only ones advertised.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Please dear God do not let Piers Morgan come back.


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