America's Got Talent Results for 08/06/2014 (Recap + Video)
Welcome to the live blog and recap of America's Got Talent 2014, "Quarter Final Results #2"! Last night's show was a pretty hit-or-miss show, with only about three acts really standing out. However, five acts will advance to the next round, so which of the twelve will it be?
As a reminder, here are the 12 performers vying for the 5 spots tonight (click on their name to watch their performance from last night):
Jaycob Curlee
Aerial Animation
Livy, Matt and Sammy
Mat Franco
John & Andrew
Loop Rawlins
Andrey Moraru
Darik Santos
Acte II
Juan Carlos
Hart Dance Team
Mara Justine
Which of your favorites will advance? And who are you predicting to advance? Let us know who your five are in the comments! And keep it locked right here, as I'll be updating with my live, running commentary!
Credit: Eric Liebowitz/NBC
RECAP
-We kick things off with highlights from last night's show, followed by introductions for the judges. Strangely enough, Nick and Howie are wearing the exact same, super weird suit. Howie tries to play this off as a coincidence, in a cute bit. Nick then talks to the judges about last night's show, and Howard defends his harsh critique of Juan Carlos, saying he felt the other judges weren't doing their jobs by giving him such positive reviews. He says there was a ton of forced laughter. However, Nick defends Juan Carlos by saying he got all his fashion sense from Howard, putting a picture on the screen of Howard Stern as Fartman at the MTV Movie Awards from 20 years ago. Howard argues the look was considered "trendsetting" back then. Well, the 90s was a tacky-ass decade. Case in point...
Image: Howard Stern as Fartman
-We follow this up with a backstage recap of last night's show, with comments from the various contestants. Heidi says more people laughed at Juan Carlos than at any of their comedians. We then get Abigail of Aerial Animation talking about how overwhelmed she was to receiving a standing ovation from all four judges. We also have Jaycob Curlee's mother saying that America will love him, but not as much as she does. Other highlights: Mat Franco calling his grandmother after his performance, the other judges questioning why Mel B is in such a bad mood, and Darik Santos calling his girlfriend for comfort and reassurance following his trainwreck performance (Howie walks by and says "He's funny!" into the phone, to let Darik's girlfriend know he has at least one friend on the judging panel). Cute stuff, although kind of unnecessary, given that we just had an hour-long recap show prior to this.
-Back from break with Nick interviewing Lindsey Stirling, who recalls that this is the week that her journey actually ended on the show. But she says this is only the beginning of the journey, no matter what the result is, so she wishes everyone luck tonight. Nick then throws to a video recap of the Reddi Whip After Party, as all the contestants chill backstage with Reddi Whip and basically just party in the most G-rated fashion possible. Such a random segment. But yeah, gotta get those sponsorship dollars.
RESULTS, PT. 1
-Nick calls Hart Dance Team, Darik Santos and Andrey Moraru to the stage. He reveals the first result of the night...
ANDREY MORARU advances to the semifinals!
DARIK SANTOS and HART DANCE TEAM are eliminated from AMERICA'S GOT TALENT 2014!
-Heidi is thrilled, and congratulates Andrey. Howard, however, is curious as to why Andrey isn't wearing a shirt. Hey, if you got it, flaunt it.
RESULTS, PT. 2
-Jaycob Curlee and Juan Carlos are called forward. Nick reads the next result...
JAYCOB CURLEE advances to the semifinals!
JUAN CARLOS is eliminated from AMERICA'S GOT TALENT 2014!
-Howie congratulates Jaycob and talks about how likable he is, noting that America wants to be able to like its contestants. I don't know why, but this kind of surprised me, although it really shouldn't have. He has a great story behind him, and he does have a good voice, even if last night's performance didn't show him at his best. Hopefully, he's able to recover in the semifinals.
-From here, we move on to the next result, as Nick calls Aerial Animation and Loop Rawlins forward. The result...
AERIAL ANIMATION advances to the next round!
LOOP RAWLINS is eliminated from AMERICA'S GOT TALENT 2014!
-Abigail tearfully thanks her partner, and then notes about the pressure of being considered a frontrunner. Howard notes that Abigail shouldn't take it safe, but should let it all out in each performance. He's a pretty big fan of this result, however. And so am I. I'm of the mind that she's a surefire finalist.
-Back from break with a video of Howie going undercover to work the America's Got Talent ticket booth. He basically spends the entire day messing with people by making them prove they can be exciting audience members while sitting in their seats. He does this by forcing them to give reaction shots through a variety of different scenarios, and other silly requirements like body checks. And yet, throughout the entire thing, no one ever sees through Howie's outrageously flimsy disguise. Hell, he doesn't even change his voice! I'm stunned nobody recognized him. That said, this was a far more amusing segment than it had any right to be. Howie can be a hoot when he wants to be.
-When we come back from the segment, Howie praises Nick for being the actual busiest man on this show, which leads to a clip of Nick on Jimmy Fallon tonight, playing Pictionary with Megan Fox and Wiz Khalifa. Nick is stunned that Howie recognizes Wiz Khalifa. "That's how I roll!" Howie declares. Full disclosure: I kinda love this goof.
LINDSEY STIRLING performs with LZZY HALE
-In a pre-performance video package, Lindsey talks about life since being eliminated from America's Got Talent. She says she knew it wasn't the end, and so she decided to upload videos to YouTube, and it all took off from there. She's incredibly grateful to America's Got Talent for giving her that initial shot. Lindsey notes that now she has an album of original songs out, and this wouldn't have been possible without America's Got Talent.
-Lindsey performs with Lzzy Hale from Halestorm, and it's "Shatter Me," one of the songs off of Lindsey's album of the same name. The song is co-written by The Voice Season 1 finalist Dia Frampton, and it's a really intense rock track. I dig it quite a bit, actually. It's a hell of a performance from Lindsey, who's an absolutely insane violinist, every bit as much as Lzzy Hale is a tremendous vocalist. Even the dancers contributed to the whole atmosphere, as opposed to being a distraction. Great stuff, here.
RESULTS, PT. 3
-Nick calls Mat Franco and Livy, Matt and Sammy to the stage. The result...
MAT FRANCO advances to the semifinals!
LIVY, MATT AND SAMMY are eliminated from AMERICA'S GOT TALENT 2014!
-Mat thanks America for voting him through, and says he's anxious to get back to work. Mel B talks about how cute Mat is, and adds that he's very talented: "He makes magic look hot, and fun, and cool!"
-We keep the results going...
RESULTS, PT. 4
-Nick calls Acte II, Mara Justine, and John and Andrew to the stage. One of these acts will go home right now. The result...
JOHN AND ANDREW have been eliminated from AMERICA'S GOT TALENT 2014!
-This leaves us with Acte II and Mara Justine as the final two acts vying for the fifth semifinal spot. After a brief recap of their performances, Acte II and Mara Justine argue why they should go through. Acte II break down into tears, saying they want to be ambassadors to opera, and also prove to people that if you work hard, you can do anything you want to do. Mara Justine, meanwhile, says she's just so grateful and blessed to be here. Through tears, she adds that she's not ready to give this up yet. We throw to a commercial while the judges try and decide between them.
-Back from break with a brief promo for the 12 acts performing next week...
Adrian Romoff
Blue Journey
Mike Super
Sons of Serendip
AcroArmy
Paul Ieti
Wendy Liebman
Kieran & Finian Makepeace
Dragon House “The Agents”
Christian Stoinev
Cornell Bhangra
Anna Clendening
That's going to be an absolutely RIDICULOUS show! I can't wait.
FINAL RESULT
-It's down to Acte II and Mara Justine. We go to the judges' decisions:
Heidi Klum chooses MARA JUSTINE!
Mel B chooses MARA JUSTINE!
Howard Stern chooses MARA JUSTINE!
MARA JUSTINE advances to the semifinals!
ACTE II is eliminated from AMERICA'S GOT TALENT 2014!
-Mara tearfully thanks America as we sign off for the night. I feel like this was the right choice, of the two acts. What do you think?
ACTS THAT ADVANCED: Mara Justine, Mat Franco, Jaycob Curlee, Aerial Animation, and Andrey Moraru!
-That's a wrap for me! Did the right acts go through? If not, who would you have liked to see advance? Sound off in the comments! Until next week, thanks for hanging out!