America’s Got Talent review: Chris Klafford, Olivia Calderon, Gonzo, more

AGTDuring tonight’s America’s Got Talentwe’re getting a chance to see the final auditions of the season! Hopefully there are a lot of super-memorable acts, a great Golden Buzzer, and some people who have a chance of bringing something truly original to the proceedings. Singers and dancers are one thing but we also so much more.

Yet, strangely the night began with a performance from Gonzo, a guy who was already on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year. Is this one of the first times we’ve seen a contestant on the most-recent BGT season make it over to the AGT stage? Other than the most-recent Champions season, it does feel that way. This guy is nuts and we don’t know why two versions of the show need him playing the tambourine, but here we are.

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As for some of the other acts on the night…

Olivia Calderon – She’s a corrections officer from Arizona who went to school for her voice but had to put her dreams on hold for the sake of her family. After this performance, we hope that she’s a step closer to turning so many of those dreams into reality. While the arrangement of “My Way” was a little old-fashioned, her voice was incredible and she’s worth plenty of attention on the show moving forward.

Duo Maintenant – A fantastic acrobat pair with insane physical chemistry, constant movement, and great personalities to go along with it. The athleticism was there, but there was also so much technical precision here. There were no mistakes and it was thrilling to watch — and all they had for props were each other!

Revolution Queens – This was a group of dancers that performed a style native to their home in Argentina — they are very similar to Malevo (who we’ve seen on the show before), but they brought their own sense of style and aggression to it. It did feel like they offered up a different energy, especially with some of the whip-work that they brought to it.

The Sentimentalists – It feels like the whole idea for this act was to bring you some sentimental charm along with some of the familiar tricks you would see with mentalist acts. We’ve seen a lot of people like them on other shows and we’re not sure that they quite measured up — their talent is fine, but they need to build their characters still.

Chris Klafford – What a beautiful, stirring cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” — so well-interpreted and immersive. You were just living every moment of this song. One of the best vocal auditions that we’ve seen on this show and Chris could easily be a favorite to win this show at the end.

Matthew Richardson – He’s a wonderful hoop acrobat who decided as an adult that this is something that he wanted to do for his entire life. Now, he’s getting a wonderful opportunity to live that dream and live it loud. A fantastic first performance.

Robert Finley – He’s a guy who has lived a full life — he’s a blind singer who loved music for many years and came back to it after many years as a carpenter. He’s got a cool, soulful voice, and we imagine that there’s a lot of cool stuff that he could do.

Kara with a K – This was as crazy of a comedy performance as you’re gonna find but we have to say that entertainment-wise, it delivered. We don’t think everyone is going to love what she did, but she does have Vicki Barbolak upside.

Luke Islam – To get more on the Golden Buzzer choice, be sure to visit the link here!

What did you think about tonight’s America’s Got Talent episode? Be sure to share in the comments and come back soon for some more news. (Photo: NBC.)

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