America's Got Talent Results: Quarterfinal #6 - Wild Card

Last week, twelve acts culled from thousands of YouTube auditions took to the stage – in some cases, for the first time EVER – for America’s vote. Glow-in-the-dark bicycle daredevil Matt Wilhelm turned in an eye-catching, amazing performance, and he easily moved on to the semifinals. Also through was gymnastic act Gymkana, as well as singer/guitarist Kevin Colis. The judges’ vote came down to 14-year-old contemporary dancer Beth Ann Robinson and the slightly older West Springfield (H.S.) Dance Team, and Beth Ann was voted through by a 2-1 margin. The good news for WSDT was that Sharon immediately told them that they would be one of her four picks for this week’s Wild Card show, which was Tuesday night.

The Wild Card show, one of my favorites, consists of twelve acts, four each picked by the three judges, that either shined in their original audition but fell flat in the quarterfinals, or they performed well but just ran into stiffer competition. Last year, magician Michael Grasso was cut in Vegas, but came back with a serious vengeance on the WC show, missing out on making the Final Four by a razor-thin margin.

Speaking of Grasso, who is far and away the best magician ever to appear on the show, this week’s acts includes both of the magicians who lost in the judges’ votes, and they are now the last hopes for the world of magic to make it to the semis. Only one of the twelve acts is someone we haven’t seen much of, that being singer Shevonne Phillidor, who we only caught a fleeting glimpse of in Vegas. Not surprised that she was brought back, given that Anna Graceman is the only female non-opera to make it to the semis, and given that Dani Shay has already had several chances to prove herself and failed, Shavonne was probably the best choice of those remaining.

Of course, it should be no surprise that Piers was as liberal with the buzzer on Tuesday night as he’s always been, and it should come as even LESS of a surprise that he didn't buzz any of the acts that he chose to bring back. I mean, I like Piers, in much the same way as I liked Simon Cowell… he’s brutally honest, and he’s right 99% of the time. But jeez, he can be such a monumental prick sometimes.

The Kinetic King (Brought back by: Piers) – Well, two weeks ago, KK orchestrated one of the biggest flops in AGT history. This week, he tried something equally elaborate (which is why he was given the leadoff spot again, given that he had to spend two days setting the stage up). And this time, it went off without a hitch. I STILL don’t know if it’s a Vegas act, but I really like the guy. He’s my vote for the Rube Goldberg Award (if there is such a thing).

Those Funny Little People (Brought back by: Howie) – Not that this act isn’t funny, I think they are hysterical and have the potential to be a good act, but let’s face it… Howie only brought them back to piss Piers off, especially after Piers actually applauded when they were eliminated. And they brought their usual brand of kooky fun, doing a routine to They Might Be Giants’ “Constantinople”. Piers buzzed them, of course, but I still love them.

Avery and the Calico Hearts (Brought back by: Sharon) – I can see why Sharon brought back this trio of adorable little girls, and I’m glad she did, but at this point, I think I’m over them. Acts that are more “cute” than talented have a place on the show, but the semifinals should be the point where it’s all about the talent. . Their rendition of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” was… well, cute. I just can’t describe it any other way. I truly wish Avery, Brooklyn and Kassidy the very best, like a Disney Channel show or something, but for this show, they’re just not good enough

Seth Grabel (Brought back by: Howie) – The first of the two magicians started out by twirling around in the same kind of giant hula-hoop thing that Aeon used last week. Then he made appear a DeLorean like in Back to the Future, and out popped child-size versions of the judges. And that was it. I mean, that’s it? It was okay, but my take? It’s all style, no real substance. It’s like giving a birthday present of a $25 gift card to Home Depot to someone in a box the size of a dishwasher. Does that make any sense?

Shevonne (Brought back by:Sharon) – I barely remembered Shevonne from Vegas Week. She’s a 20-year-old woman from Tampa, Florida, raised by a single mom, which makes her a good “story”. Her version of Jessie J’s “Nobody’s Perfect” was good but not great. She has a nice voice, but if she was on Idol, I doubt she’d make it higher than 9th place. Which ain’t bad, but that’s just the vibe I get from her. The judges loved her, even Piers, who kept his hand off his buzzer this time.

West Springfield Dance Team (Brought back by: Sharon) – For only having a week to put together a totally new concept for a routine, I’m even more impressed by this group of teens than I was last week. This week’s Marilyn Manson-inspired routine wasn’t as edgy as last week’s cool Matrix number, but it was still good. Do they belong in the semis? I’m torn, because there are already so many dance acts there, but I would say yes.

J. Chris Newberg (Brought back by: Howie) – A completely wasted pick. There’s already a comedian in the semis (Melissa Villasenor), and I’m definitely on Piers’ side with this one… J. Chris is NOT funny. At all. Jesus, even Geechy Guy is like George Carlin compared to this idiot. He came out with the only thing he had left… a one-man roast, taking potshots at Piers Morgan. To his credit, he made me laugh once. For the first, last and only time. Bye, Chris, don’t come back.

Yellow Designs Stunt Team (Brought back by: Sharon) – Instead of doing a circus theme, the bicycle stuntmen opted for a “pirate” theme, and to their credit, it was pretty cool, despite the incongruity of combining bikes with the high seas. I just worry that they’ve jazzed up BMX-ing as much as they possibly can, and that it still won’t be enough to move on.

Charles Peachock (Brought back by: Piers) – Piers was the only one of the judges who liked Charles’ last act, which was to play the piano by bouncing juggling balls on them, which was a step down from his previous performances which involved fire and cool lights. He absolutely had to step it up and do something dangerous this week, and he did, starting off with juggling flaming balls and a flaming chainsaw. Then he attempted to juggle scimitars while balancing another on his head, and he dropped one. That’s probably the kiss of death, and its too bad.

Fiddleheads (Brought back by: Howie) – Being a “contemporary bluegrass” band, if you want to sell yourself as that, it’s all about song choice. That’s what did them in before, doing Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. This time, they did Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” (a song I like), and it wasn’t much of an improvement (and Piers buzzed them again). The lead singer’s got a great voice, but this act’s a better fit for bars and honkytonks than Vegas, and that’s that.

Summerwind Skippers (Brought back by: Piers) – If your chosen act is something that is rather run-of-the-mill, like, say… jumping rope, your only chance to get noticed is to do something special. And on this show, that either means making it glow in the dark, or add fire to it. The Skippers did a full minute of normal stuff, and then they added some flaming ropes to the act, and that instantly redeemed the whole thing. It’s really fun to watch, and I finally get a sense of where this act can go.

Landon Swank (Brought back by: Piers) – Landon’s brand of magic seems to be on the other side of the coin from Seth’s: while Seth is all about the spectacle, Landon is more about the illusion. Where he’s fallen short is his rather casual delivery. This time, however, he upped his game, and did a very clever escape trick, freeing himself from a locked container full of water inside of a minute. He’s my favorite magician of the season, and I hope he’s the only one to make it to the semis.

So, a lot of good acts, with only a few stretching into the realm of “great”. I was counting on Landon and the Skippers making it through. As for the others, I’d love to see The Kinetic King go through as well as the Yellow Designs Stunt Team. I don’t really think the others have shown that they deserve it, though Shevonne will probably figure in the mix somewhere.

RESULTS

Well, Piers gloated at the close of the performance show how he was convinced that three of his four picks would be moving on, and it turns out he was right. Landon Swank moved on, as did The Kinetic King. Sharon’s pick of the West Springfield Dance Team proved fruitful, as this time they went through on votes instead of being left to the judges’ whims. As for the judges’ pick, Howie backed his pick The Fiddleheads once again, and Piers stuck to his guns about the sexy Summerwind Skippers, and not surprisingly, Sharon gave the Skippers the nod.

So here, now, is a complete list of the 24 acts that will be competing over the next two weeks for a spot in the Finals. (Note: last season, they had a Top 10 and then a Top 4. I’m not sure if they’re doing that again this year.) I have listed them in the order that I think they are likely to win, from the most likely on down.