‘Britain’s Got Talent’ review: Meet Lucy Kay, Paddy & Nico, Collabro, Light Balance

It’s been a long wait, made even longer today thanks to football pushing the series back almost 45 minutes. However, “Britain’s Got Talent” returned on Saturday with all the excitement and fun that you would expect.

There were great things about the episode, including the opportunity to see great acts and the introduction of the new “golden buzzer” in order to have a judge actually save their favorite act and have them go straight through to the semifinals.

The good

The Western dancers – What is with the lack of names? “BGT” is not making it very easy this year when it comes to identifying people, which is somewhat of a bummer given that it’s our goal to try and promote them further. These guys would probably not be anything too special in America, but in Britain, they are unique and a ton of fun.

Collabro – When these guys first showed up, we’re sure that Simon Cowell was expected more of a traditional boy band. Instead, they got a musical theater group who were pretty strong. They’re new, and need to work on their individual voices; but, this is a fairly nice start.

Light Balance – Another one of the great acts of the audition rounds, and another that surprised with the way it was introduced with just one guy on stage. We actually weren’t sure at first if it was the one we featured in our recent preview or not. It makes this act even more moving knowing that it comes from the Ukraine, and we know just what they are going through right now.

Lucy Kay – We love the voice, and the talent. We do wish still that the show would try for a more uplifting story for a change. Rather than hear a sad story manipulated by producers as to how hard her life is, why not share more of how she’s overcoming this? How about showing that she doesn’t need the show to be her savior? She’s incredibly talented, and we know that she found her savior long before coming on that stage. (This is more of a complaint about reality TV editing than this particular performance.) This is why we loved Simon Cowell’s advice to never mention her past again, and focus on the future. He knows what she’s capable of, and confidence breeds stardom.

Lauren and Terrell – These two are apparently active in the street dancing community, and are super-charming and very solid. These acts rarely win, but they could be nice in the semifinals.

Paddy & Nico – This was fun, and a nice closure to the show. But, we have to ask this: Would we really be that impressed if Paddy wasn’t 80 years old? We don’t think so, and we’re going to go ahead and label this one “novelty.” They are the first act to get a Golden Buzzer, as Amanda Holden pressed it immediately after the performance.

The Bad

The owl act – We do like to think that if you come on the show with an owl, he probably actually had an act. The owl was probably just like “screw this” when he saw the audience and the pressure. Aren’t owls nocturnal?

Peter Panduranga – When this guy and his violin showed up front Germany and he was so sweet, we were so hoping he’d be good. Instead, he will haunt our nightmares for years to come.

In the end, we enjoyed some of the acts tonight and the twist, but hated two simple things: The lack of David Walliams silliness, and also the lack of names given during the show. Grade: C+.

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Photo: ITV