‘America’s Got Talent’ review: Meet Alexandra the Great, Collins Key, Paul Thomas Mitchell, Sam Johnson

Week two of “America’s Got Talent” has come and gone, and if there is one word to describe the talent we saw this time around, it’s “strange.” There were a few great acts (in particular in the magic department), but also some serious duds, and some regurgitated dancers that always put a massive bee in our bonnet. (We don’t think people who made it to the live shows should be allowed to come back, even in a different capacity.)

We don’t know if we have a “Booty Song” like last week that we’re going to be singing all around the office for weeks to come, but we still have to say that we had ourselves a rather good time.

Advancing acts

Travis Pratt – You could see it in this guy’s face that he knew he was about to stun the judges, which is why him dressing like he was just some average dude on the street was brilliant. He’s not the best opera singer we’ve ever heard, but he’s good. Plus, he has a crazy vibrato that could work really well when it comes to some songs. Then, to make things even crazier, he proposed to his girlfriend afterwards. This was completely cheesy and obviously planned to a certain degree, but at least he stood out.

Ruby and Jonas – There is something that annoys us greatly about this act, and it’s not our typical disdain for kids acts. It’s that Ruby went far with the Untouchables, and that group was linked in some way to the Miami All-Stars. So basically, this group of dancers is just re-spawning itself time and time again to stay on this show.

D’Angelo and Amanda – Now, we had another member of the Untouchables (Ruby’s brother) dancing with someone else. If you don’t like repeat contestants, you better be prepared that at least one of these duos will make it through to the next round.

Mariachi Nuevo – We were expected to hate this and be annoyed by it, but this was one of the coolest takes on mariachi music that we’ve ever heard. It combined some of classic mariachi music with hip-hop beats, and this could be the sort of thing that actually does well later on in the competition.

The sword swallower – We were so shocked watching this guy’s act that we actually forgot to even catch the name. Why in the world would anyone want to do sword swallowing? We have no idea. It’s completely horrifying to watch, but also at the same time incredibly awesome. We are grateful for a show like this, because it brings us side show acts that would otherwise not be available to the public.

Collins Key – A heck of a magician for 16 years old. We’ve seen tricks like this popcorn one before, but he has a natural charisma and humor about him. When you are a magician, it is all about personality just as much as it is the trick itself.

Jonathan Allen – The emotional story of the episode, as he was kicked out by his parents for being gay. We’re not big on singers on this show, but he was good enough based solely on his voice to advance.

Alexandra the Great – Our favorite audition of the night. A woman escape artist is so rare, so to see someone like this on the show was beyond phenomenal. Plus, you really feel the danger in having someone nearly drown themselves just to get further in the competition.

Sam Johnson – Just as awesome as Alexandra. This was a man who literally did a handstand on top of a 70-foot pole, with no harness. This guy could literally have killed himself all for the sake of impressing viewers. You have to love it.

Paul Thomas Mitchell – A pretty good singer (and an even better songwriter), but we do wish that Johnson had been saved for the end for the mere shock value. With that being said, Paul, who wrote a story about his alcoholic dad, is the most-likely contender to advance deep based on the singers that we’ve seen. His song did actually touch us, and we’re pretty cynical when it comes to singers on a show like this.

Rejected

Pistol Packin’ Paula – The only real novelty in seeing this woman with a gun was basically watching her torture Nick Cannon. It was “classic Americana,” to quote Howard Stern, but there’s nothing new here that actually makes us interested in seeing more.

JC Starbright – Okay, this was obviously a joke from a man with a really bad tan. Let’s not give him any more publicity than he already has, shall we?

Who was your favorite from this week’s show, and do you think the winner was actually a part of the motley crew of San Antonio or New Orleans? If you want to check out some highlights from last week, all you have to do is click here.

Photo: NBC