'America's Got Talent' - 'Episode 508' Performances Recap

(S05E08) As soon as Nick confirmed in the introduction that we would be seeing more auditions from Portland, I knew we would be in for another very weird and crazy episode!

A crazy ride indeed! In less than ten minutes, we saw four extremely wacky and bad acts that had the judges say things like: "What was that? I have no idea!" and "What an utter waste of time that was."

But some of the very unusual acts turned out to be amazing little gems such as what the rock climbing dancers (see picture on the right) offered us.

Some of the acts I didn't enjoy:

- Soriah, throat singing: Even if he had been really compelling with his throat singing, Soriah didn't stand much a chance to go to Vegas as his "art" is way too ancient and not appealing enough to the masses.

- Ryan Compton, singing: Ryan described his talent as different and phenomenal. He even claimed that 99% of people can't do what he does. Well, Ryan, it turns out that 99 percent of people CAN do what you do. His singing was painful to watch and hear. The dancing was not that much more watchable. Thank God he forgot to take his shirt off!

... and ... The Amazing Amy may not have a talent worth a million dollars but that woman is flexible for her age! We didn't see much of Hart Keene swallowing needles. But from what we've seen, we are better off without him as, even if daring, it wasn't to the level of other sharp instruments swallowers we've seen and Piers said he was annoying. Natasha must leave her "lyrics from an unnamed place" alone. She doesn't have singing talent.


Some of the acts I don't know what to think about:

- Paul Safy Jr, singer: From the little we've seen of him, I didn't see enough charisma and stage presence to keep my attention on his not-so-bad singing.


Some of the acts I enjoyed/loved:

- The Hot Shot Tap Dancers, tap dancing: As Piers noted, the choreography wasn't that compelling (He said he "wasn't wild" about it) but the tap dancing siblings had energy, timing, and some very cool moves. They have a very nice attitude and their smiles are contagious. The song choice was very up-to-date and funky.

- AscenDance, rock climbing dancers: We've been seeing previews of their act for at least a full week now, so we already knew they rocked as rock climbing dancers. On their web site, which is filled with impressive pictures and videos that show us what they can do next, they describe their act as "aerial performance on a vertical stage." They offered us one of the most unique acts of the season. The duo were extremely impressive, the movements were flowing and graceful, and they showed great muscle control. I look forward to seeing them on bigger walls, including more inclined faces.

- RNG, dancing: These young girls offered us a very fun hip hop routine. Their robotic moves were in sync, they had good rhythm and their routine was original. They may not be the best dancers we've seen so far but, as the judges pointed out, they seem really promising and have potential.

- Pierre, harmonica player: Out of the two harmonica players we've seen so far this season, my vote goes to Jia-Hi Ye who played four harmonicas at once in his audition featured in episode 503. Nonetheless, Pierre was really impressive when playing the 'Flight of the Bumblebee.' It is not an easy song to play no matter the instrument. I have to agree with Howie and Sharon when they said there may not be a big audience and that a full show of harmonica playing may be a bit too much. However, I'm glad Pierre will be going to the next round so we can see him try to appeal to a greater audience by playing some blues.

- Christina and Ali, singing: The sisters gave a solid and touching performance. For ladies suffering from cystic fibrosis, which has effect on lungs, they have really impressive voices. Their smiles and positivism no matter the obstacles they are facing are really inspiring.

... and ... The Sky Sirens' act was impressive and daring, especially when the only thing they were hanging to was the other's feet! Ken Jenkins and his father did very good when building the PVC instrument Ken played as the notes sounded spot on. He offered us an impressive performance but will we want to see an hour-long show featuring PVC instruments? Not sure.

Which acts deserve your thumbs up and thumbs down? Share your opinion in comments below!

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