America’s Got Talent review: Demian Aditya, Puddles the Clown, Donald Trump
As you’re about to realize, this season is going to be VERY silly. We’ll have updates on the auditions throughout the episode, so be sure to refresh the page throughout!
Jokgu the Piano Playing Chicken – Yep, this is how things started this season. There was a chicken who actually played “America the Beautiful” on the keyboard. There were a few moments where it seemed like the chicken wasn’t going to do it, but, then it happened! Magic. Stupid, stupid magic, but that’s probably why all of us are watching the show at this point. Grade: B. It has no chance of winning, but you enjoyed it in the moment, right?
Preacher Lawson – Preacher is a very good physical comic, someone who puts characters into his act and tells likely-exaggerated stories about his life. Going on this show can be so tricky for comedians given that you don’t know what the room is like, but he managed to cater to them well. Grade: A-.
Yoli Mayor – Yoli’s great! This still was a classic case of someone coming in trying to be what she thought the industry wanted her to be rather than who she is. After Simon Cowell got her to switch songs, and Tyra gave her an America’s Next Top Model makeover midway through, she rocked it after that. Grade: B.
Man of Mystery – Well, apparently he is one part escape artist and another part … dude who changes clothes in the middle of his escapes? There’s a part of us still wondering whether this was good, or if it was just so bad that is good. Didn’t matter, since he didn’t go through. Grade: D.
Junior and Emily – It wasn’t clear at one point if this was salsa dancing or constant spinning, but that was almost preferable since this made it different than the majority of the other dancing duos that are out there. We’ll take a seasoned, fantastic ballroom duo over some giant crew any day. Grade: B+.
Will Tsai – One of the best closeup magicians ever on this show. Will was BRILLIANT when it comes to his style and his precision. He was a tremendous showman, and has a great understanding of his craft and how to work the stage. Easily, the best magic audition in a LONG time on this show. Grade: A+.
Singing Donald Trump – Hey, it’s a Donald Trump who sings Bruno Mars songs. The good thing about this is that it’s the sort of silly act that everyone can get behind. It’s mockery without getting overly mean … though there’s a zero percent chance that Trump is going to the finale. Grade: B-.
Merrick Hanna – This was incredibly beautiful, and especially unexpected from a twelve-year old kid. This was a bright-eyed young boy dancing a robotic routine with a story. This was EMOTIONAL; who expected that? It was simple, but one of the most effective acts of the entire night. Grade: A.
Puddles Pity Party – Going into this, the thought was that he was going to be the next Tape Face or some sort of artistic mime. Instead, he’s a singing cloud who apparently performs Sia. This should be terrible, but it worked for whatever sort of dramatic reason that it did. It was heartfelt, especially towards the end of the performance when he belted out the big notes. Grade: A-.
Demian Aditya – This man is nuts. He was willing to effectively bury himself alive under countless pounds of sand unless he managed to execute his escape ahead of time. This was legitimately scary, especially when it looked like he actually drowned in the sand before revealing himself to be on the outside for at least a certain percentage of the trick. Grade: A-.
Darci Lynne Farmer – An incredible audition from a singer / ventriloquist who definitely brings to mind Terry Fator. She’s Mel B’s Golden Buzzer, and worthy of a separate article that you can see over here. Grade: A.
As always, be sure to share your thoughts on the America’s Got Talent premiere and the various acts in the comments. (Photo: NBC.)
C Niven
June 3, 2017 @ 6:46 am
Demian Aditya Very obvious trick, sand only falls in narrow section in front of him to hide him as he leaves through the back. After breaking the clear panel to release the sand onto the stage, there was not enough sand to bury anyone alive.