We did it, everyone. It’s been nearly four months, but we’ve watched what has been of the best seasons of America’s Got Talent in its history (at least in my eyes).
Thousands of acts have auditioned, but only a small several have successfully made it though, and very few have consistently stepped up their game to impress and excite the judges and America to make it to the biggest stage in all of television...in the summer, the Live Shows in Radio City Music Hall. There, it was tense, powerful and frightful, but after a strong whittling of acts to the best, we now watch and choose which will become the highest of the high, the biggest of the big, the very best of the best. Now is the time. This is the place.
This is the finale of America’s Got Talent X.
(Oh yeah, and this is the finale of the America’s Got Talent X Review)
The final Performance show kicked off with a return from the ever-iconic Radio City Rockettes, with them being joined by rapper Flo Rida performing his latest hit “I Don’t Like It, I Love It”.
And let’s say...I Don’t Like It. ...I Love It. (God, that was corny.)
I love the happy, peppy, free-flowing beat, along with featured artist Robin Thicke’s fun, sultry, peppery-yet-sweet vocals. Despite the many times I heard this song, while having it stuffed down my throat (mostly from the non-scripted shows on ABC) it’s a fun, happy and smooth song perfect for the Summer--and even the rest of the year (but probably not Winter; people would be wishing for Hell on the snow that’ll fall on us then).
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And now, what we’ve actually waited for: The Acts.
First up, Oz Pearlman.
After an intense package detailing his quitting Wall Street to live his dreams is of any indication, it means that he has to give it his all. And he did.
For his act, he asks the judges to say some names first thought in the heads, asks Howie to switch some numbered envelopes and give them to the other panelists, and then join him on stage for the trick, which involves them sitting on random chairs. This. WILL blow. Your minds.
Holy crap! That was truly mind-blowing. I knew I wouldn’t know what he’d do here, and I still didn’t see it coming. I was just as flabbergasted as the judges, and I was just excited to praise him. This seemed like a simple mind game, but it’s more complex than that. And it’s a joy to watch.
He was one of the Best acts of the Night.
Uzeyer Novruzov is the epitome of Redemption.
After last week’s shocking end to his act, he feared that this would be the end of time on AGT, and possibly his career. But thanks to the huge support of the judges, the audience and the viewers (including me) he returned in full force, hoping to grab the hearts of all once again. Did he do it?
...No.
It was really fun to watch. But I will agree with Howard and Mel in that it wasn’t his best performance. His act always invoked shock, intensity and “what if?”. And this one didn’t have those things. A dissapointment? Maybe. Am I happy to see him go this far in the competition? Yes.
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Benton Blount was, to be honest, one of the last acts to appear in the finals.
He can sing, but to me, it’s not one of the best voices on this show. And I don’t see him as one of the best singing acts during this season. Especially after he got more votes than Samantha Johnson and the young girls who sang their hearts out earlier. But he’s here, so yeah.
He performed a cover of One Direction’s “Story of My Life”. And it’s...really good.
I did enjoy this performance. But it wasn’t one of the better performances of the night. He did all his best (which is an alright thing), but I thought it wasn’t enough (obviously not only to win the million, but also to reach the top five acts.) Good for him to go this far, though.
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Gary Vider charmed us one last time with his dry, dull-yet-hilarious humor.
His topics include:
-North Korea screwing up America’s monetary value (and letting him be debt-free)
-His being unaware of Bruce Jenner becoming Caitlyn Jenner
-And Going to Israel for free, because he’s Jewish.
He killed it. He continued to be funny throughout his time in the Finals, and make him one of my faves. It wasn’t one of the best acts of the night, but he has consistently become one of the better acts of this season, in general and as a comedian. Also his taped package with his bespeckled friend was really funny.
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Piff the Magic Dragon. What is there to say about talking magic dragons who do magic tricks as their skin looks like it’s close to shedding? Not much, because there aren’t many.
For his final act before he returns to...wherever he came from that’s awesome, he asks
This was...shockingly disappointing for who I thought was one of the best acts in the tenth season. He started so very well; every trick pulled off amazingly. And his snarky subversive humor was delicious. But here, it was just boring. And sloppy.
Plus me and my family (who were watching along with me that night), noticed something moving behind Piff. It was the fake dog from earlier in the act. First he was kicked by the assistant when the cannon part failed and didn’t reach the end of the stage, and He didn’t disappear, he was dragged off by a stagehand while Piff tried to cover. That was fucking horrible to see, especially if you’re someone like Piff, who was the Golden Buzzer winner by guest judge Neil Patrick Harris. A damn shame. This was simply, his worst act, even worse than the “Game of Bones” performance. Sad. I rooted for him to be one of the highlights, but this was just a disgrace.
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Paul Zerdin took the stage to to give yet another awesome ventriloquism performance. I can’t tell you because it’ll take up so much space. Just watch and prepare to be convalescent from the apparent removal of your mind.
I mean...DAMN! That was genius. This guy...just brilliant. He is one of the most skilled performers I’ve ever seen on AGT. And he talents are used so thoroughly and amazingly, it’s a wonder how he can do anything else without ending up using something as a puppet. I mean...he has to win.
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Next, The CraigLewis Band prove once again why they're one of the few great music acts on AGT X.
In their final performance, the guys performed “Beggin’ ” by The Four Season (and if you’re not familiar, it’s a classic song that became more popular these days because of remixes by French DJ Pilooski and Norwegian hip-hop group Madcon.) But they made it their own here.
They slay, they slay, they SLAY. These guys were one of my favorites from the beginning. Always putting a smile on my face with their performances. Their vocals are perfect; every high note, low note, crescendo, and everything in between and they pull it off so great. And this one is no exception. Only one person can win this competition. But I know they’ve already won. No matter.
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Derek Hughes...wow.
I thought of him as an act great enough to reach the finals, and could be a good act for Vegas. But boy was I wrong. With this performance, he took all of that back and stepped back 100 paces with his talent. His final performance involves what he wants to have in his (and I’m saying this strongly) potential Vegas show. And then he does the act...just re-mending string. WHAT?
I really wanted to watch the whole thing, but I got really bored halfway through, and when we finally got to his act...I wanted to kick in my TV screen. It wanted to like this performance because I liked Derek. But this was just a disappointment. Sorry (not).
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I’ll be honest with you. I used to not like The Professional Regurgitator.
I wasn’t a fan of what he does. And it just makes me cringe. And I was a little pissed that he made it to the finals. But after watching his act and everything that said regurgitation can do, like put a key in a lock, and put smoke in a BUBBLE (without it popping!). And when his acts came and gone, I really warmed up to him. I really did. So I was happy to see him go to the finals when the time came. Let’s see what happens here.
Here, he swallowed four thumbtacks and a magnet, before later sucking up flammable liquid and using a lighter to prove so (with help from a reluctant Nick).
That was incredible. Watching him do this, and having the talent to bring it all back up in different ways is just spectacular. I feel very terrible for hating him, and I apologize for that.
I hope he reaches high in the ranks. Stevie really is a Starr.
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And finally, another act I couldn't stand at first, but is now a fan of: Drew Lynch. He was someone I wasn’t interested in because of his speech impediment. But he gotten more popular because of the dreaded sympathy vote. From then on, I began to dislike him more. But then I began to look closely at his talent, and I began to realize why he is what he is. He makes fun of his disadvantage and uses it in his act, which is genius. And...he is more funnier than I thought. So...let’s see what he’ll do here.
He was...great.
He really stepped it up, and made me laugh every other time, and enjoy the performance more than I ever did the other times. The laughing is still annoying, though. I don’t know that is another impediment or if he laughs at his jokes, but that can be a turn off. Fortunately, I wasn’t too turned off by it tonight, so all is great. Congrats to Drew for making it to the end, and actually making me like you more.
Before I get to the winner, let me tell you my five favorite acts during the finals:
Paul Zerdin
CraigLewis Band
Oz Pearlman
Stevie Starr, the Professional Regurgitator
Gary Vider
(all of these guys brought their A-Game to the finals and made me even more appreciative of them and their talents)
I will say for the finalists: Even though you lost, it’s not the end of your career. I think you all will go to great careers somewhere, sometime. And you’ll be the best at what you all do. I know so. Congrats to all for reaching this far in the competition, and I wish you the best of luck wherever you go in your lives. You’re all the best.
And now that all of the final 10 acts given their all to fight for the million-dollar prize and Las Vegas headline show, it’s time to reveal who beat the others at the bottom and reached the top, and won America’s Got Talent. Who is this season’s winner??
But who has America chosen as the winner?
IT’S PAUL ZERDIN!!!
I called it the night before, and even then, I didn’t see this coming. But he did it. He won.
And honestly, he deserved it. He was one of the best acts this season since the beginning. His act is awesome in and of itself, but his talent with it is something else entirely. All of his performances blow me away every time. And not just with every new act, it’s every time I watch any of them too. His talents with his and his puppets’ voices are truly mind-blowing. His timing, the variety of the voices, and the humor within is just brilliant (and of course he can keep his mouth shut when the puppets are talking; WOW). And his content and concepts are brilliant; A crazy baby, a smart-mouth boy and a takes-no-crap old-man are all fantastic characters, and he plays them all so amazingly and swiftly, it’s like he has dissociative personality disorder. And his talent will make you damn near die of laughter or brain damage; you’ll laugh till it hurts and you’ll spend half the time thinking how he could do all of this.
He is simply one of the best acts of this season, and definitely deserved to win. He is perfect for a Vegas show, and I know he’s gonna kill it when he begins it someday.
Congratulations, Paul Zerdin. You will be one of the best non-singing acts in the world.
From a fan, you’re so awesome.
And that is it. That’s the season of America’s Got Talent, as reviewed by me, Andrew.
I hope you enjoyed the reviews as you have enjoyed the shows, and as I have .
I have enjoyed this season maybe even more than last season, and as I really fell in love with many of the acts as you have. Some have been great, while others have been brilliant. And I am so glad to have documented them. for these past few months. As much as I have watched this season. And I hope to continue these reviews next season. And I hope you all will join me.
Thank you for joining me for my Review of America’s Got Talent X.
See you next summer for my Review of America’s Got Talent XI (or Season 11).
Good night, America.
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