Following the reveal of some portion of the top 48, it’s time for the quarterfinals. Tonight the first 12 acts perform: Miami All Stars, Dezmond Meeks, Those Funny Little People, Fearless Flores Family, Squonk Opera, J Chris Newberg, Snap Boogie, Echo of Animal Gardens, The Fiddleheads, Duo Aero, Anna Graceman, and Sandou Trio Russian Bar.
Miami All Stars picked a song to dance to. That song has been denied for legal reasons, so they’ll have to work out something new with a few hours until show time. Piers felt they were sexy, fun, vibrant, and colorful, just like him. Sharon enjoys the men dancing like real men. Howie takes the time to use the two Spanish words he knows.
Dezmond Meeks is an over the top singer and piano player, but there’s no denying his talent. He sings something resembling Satisfaction. Sharon loves what he does but warns him about potentially crossing the line and being too cabaret and cheesy. Howie agrees but thinks he did cross the line. Piers thinks he is a cabaret act, which is the whole point.
Those Funny Little People made it through over Piers’ dead body. Needless to say, while I try to figure out the point of the act, Piers buzzes them. Then it starts raining men wearing swimming floaties to join their singing/dancing performance, of sorts. Howie and Sharon mainly love them on the basis of how much Piers hates them.
The Fearless Flores Family will be adding one more motorcycle to the mix, as the kids are joined by their mom. I don’t know. It’s still cool but a little bit more of the same. Piers liked that they stepped it up, but he’d like to see Howie in the middle next time. Sharon wonders: where do they go from here? Can an additional motorcycle really add that much?
Squonk Opera is an act that readily embraces their weirdness. What the hell is the point of this anyway? Piers doesn’t know either. Sharon joins in the buzzing. There’s singing, strange close ups of piano playing, a woman sitting on the moon, and a man dressed as a cherub. Sharon doesn’t like her head being messed with. Howie quite enjoyed feeling like he’s on drugs. Piers thinks he’s gone to hell.
J. Chris Newberg is the singing comedian. Hopefully tonight he’s funny. Piers buzzes as promised. Mildly amusing but still not funny. Howie thinks he’s funny for some reason. Piers didn’t care for the startling inappropriateness.
Snap Boogie’s a street dancer from Boston. He gets injured during rehearsal but is going to try to work around it. As good as he is by himself, I’m not sure what these creepy ninja backup dancers are supposed to add. Piers could see that performance in Vegas tomorrow.
Echo the parrot crashed and burned in Vegas. Let’s hope tonight is better. With the moral support of his girlfriend Binky, Echo’s back to what we saw in the first audition. Howie wonders whether this is a million dollar act or a really good birthday party. Piers found him funnier than the humans we’ve seen so far.
The Fiddleheads are a bluegrass band. Their main concern is the performance aspect because they’re comfortable their music will be good. Billie Jean bluegrass? Compared to the evening’s earlier song, this works much better. But not for Howie. Piers thought the song choice was fine, but it was just too big for the lead singer. Sharon didn’t like either the song choice or the way they dress.
Duo Aero is a trapeze act. I’m not sure this is worthy of its own show, but there’s definitely a place for them as part of a broader group. Piers buzzes because it’s a bit boring and safe. Sharon didn’t care for their retro performance, as compared with the modern couple they were before.
Anna Graceman sings What a Wonderful World while playing piano. This draws a standing ovation from two of the judges. Sharon thought the song choice was odd… but it worked. Howie says Anna’s phenomenal, and now AGT means Anna’s Got Talent.
The final act of the night is Sandou Trio Russian Bar. How do they top their previous act that involved fire? Simple. Perform above a bed of nails. Then set it on fire. Howie’s happy she is still alive. Piers calls it the most dangerous and exciting thing in a long time.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 6 Episode 14, which airs Wednesday at 9/8 on NBC.