‘America’s Got Talent’ review: Kenichi Ebina, Jonathan Allen, Chicago Boyz rule week 3

We really did not think that this “America’s Got Talent” episode was going to be altogether interesting save for a couple of performers, but in reality, there was nothing that was truly awful. Everyone entertained to a certain level, and there’s probably two or three that would have advanced last week and will not here.

AeroSphere Aerial Balloon Show – Wait, that was the entire act? It was pretty awesome and atmospheric, but it felt like the really cool part of the act lasted only a few seconds. This is actually something, though, that could be a part of a larger routine, and we would go and see it live. That’s better than almost everything else that NBC carts in front of us on a weekly basis.

Chicago Boyz – Oh great, another story about people who have a talent so they can avoid being in a gang. Interesting that Stefano Langone got some music of his in the performance, though, which was completely energetic. We had little hope for this act, and we still have no idea what we just saw, but there was some AMAZING moves in here. Where were these guys during the auditions. It was awesome, and we expected absolutely nothing from them.

Mitsi Dancing School – Very, very cool, and very different than anything else that we typically see from dance acts. We’re all for a dose of culture on the show when it comes from such talented people, and what is also impressive about tonight is simply that everyone is bringing their “A” game to a certain extent. This is going to be a much harder show to judge than we first assumed, and for the show which desperately needed it, that is definitely a good thing.

Kelsey and Bailey – It’s cute what the dog can do, and since we have a hard time getting our dog to even walk on a leash half of the time, we admire the training of it. But this is not Ashleigh & Pudsey. There’s just not enough polish here, and Bailey probably needs a few more tricks if she wants to really be effective. But they are a pleasant enough pair, and the dog seems happy. Whenever we see something like this, we’re just happy the animal is having a good time.

Brandon and Savannah – We were hoping to see something fantastic from the pair, and we do think that they gave a very good performance. It’s a little bit of a struggle here since “Radioactive” is not a song that we particularly enjoy, but we’re not disputing their energy, or the fact that these two do not perform like people in their teens.

Illusionist Leon Etienne and Romy Low – It’s time for America’s favorite game: Let’s dogpile the magicians! We actually really liked this performance, since you knew about halfway through that they weren’t really showing us how they were going to pull off a trick. This is yet another sign that maybe the judges on this show just don’t understand how to make great magic, or that they really just don’t care to know.

Deanna DellaCioppa – Fantastic singer. There’s no denying that. We’re just starting to be someone frustrated by hearing about all the times that she has been turned away, when she is now on a show that thousands of singers are turned away from every year. It’s almost ironic in a sad way, and we want to celebrate her rather than feel bad about what she’s been through. She will probably get through to the next round, so let’s hope for a different editing package then.

David “The Cobra Kid” Weathers – David is a crazy man. Anyone who decides to have their talent be playing with a deadly animal in a cage needs help. But he is very great at it, and there is a market for seeing these sort of acts. What we’d prefer to see with this is some sort of narrative about the animal and safety somehow mixed into this, almost in a Steve Irwin way.

Jonathan Allen – Are there only four songs that all opera singers can do on the show? We’re tired of “The Impossible Dream.” It’s over done, even if he is a great singer. The only issue that he runs into tonight is that there’s already Deanna, and the military wives’ choir later. It’s possible that we could see singers and more singers (sadly) advancing to the next round, but if the votes are spread around at all, he is going to be in trouble thanks to the competition tonight.

Kenichi Ebina – There is so much worth saying about Kenichi and what he does: He’s insanely creative, original, and his choreography is spot-on. Plus, he literally created a video game featuring himself as every single character. At first, we were worried about this, but then we saw all of the different levels to what he was doing. Incredible. The best solo dancer performer of his kind ever on the show.

Jim Meskimen – Wait, his mom is Marion Ross? Did we miss something here? It’s the real son of Mrs. C! Howard Stern’s right that the material was not necessarily hilarious, but his impressions are, and the fact that he has so many of them is impressive. There’s some irony that he is way better than Angela Hoover, who advanced last week, but he does not have the same sort of airtime.

American Military Spouses Choir -Okay, did they really have to sing “Hero” and make this entire ordeal a little bit cheesy? This is our dilemma with this group. They are very good singers, but they also are getting pumped up on the show to an extent that is almost unneeded. Every time they have performed now, they’ve done it at the end of the show; with that being said, we definitely imagine them getting a ton of gigs after this show, especially with pro-military organizations.

Do you have a favorite? As always, we want to hear from you in the comment box below! Meanwhile, click here if you want to see some other highlights related to this show, including some of our contestant rankings.

Photo: NBC