'America's Got Talent' Season 15: Auditions continue , but no audience makes for an underwhelming episode
'America's Got Talent' continued its efforts to keep the show going while complying with social distancing guidelines but it proved to be difficult to keep things entertaining without an audience to make things interesting.
Kicking off the musical acts of the night was Kameron Ross, a country singer from a small town who lost opportunities on account of his sexual orientation. Ross shared that he hoped to show the world that being openly gay and a country singer did not have to be mutually exclusive. He began with singing Brooks & Dunn's 'Red Dirt Road', but Simon Cowell asked him to sing acapella, stating he needed to stand out more, and soon, it was clear Ross was a country star in the making.
"@kameronross Thank you for sharing your talent and being who you are!" shared one viewer, while another quipped, "I should take a shot everytime the background track is way louder that we can barely hear the singer," an issue fans have had since this show began. Not everyone thought a second round was warranted, stating, "Kameron was doing good singing Red Dirt Road. Simon shouldn't have stopped him." But mostly, viewers loved Ross, sharing, "He's the next country singer," as well as, "Wow this guy has a really good country voice!!!!!!"
John Sevier followed, demonstrating an interesting talent: the ability to sing backward. While not necessarily qualifying as a musical act, the skill nonetheless wowed two out of three judges enough to put Sevier through, marking the first of a few odd acts that just happened to be in the right place at the right time. "I need more weird stuff... keep it coming!" shared one viewer, while another asked, "WTF is happening tonight?"
Some viewers had answers, with one stating, "Okay that’s reverse guy had talent so it’s a yes! Not many can do that," and another said, "Don’t worry guys, there ALWAYS gotta be a few throwaway acts for Judge Cuts," while others had more jokes, stating, "This backwards guy is not going to start singing about Satan is he??"
The Ninja Twins followed, two dreamers who let their musical goals go once and decided to reclaim that once more. Performing a singing-dancing routine, the two once again wowed two out of three judges and promised to get Simon's vote next time around. While some thought "Howie and Sophia are putting through some mediocre acts tonight," others shared, "Simon as usual has no taste and now thanks to no audience they're final taking action." And while some shared, "I love The Ninja Twins so much," others thought the difference in judges' opinions was for a different reason: "Howie is trolling Simon so hard and I love it."
Next up was the Jefferson Davis band, a group of students led in a marching band style performance by their music teacher who shared with the judges that the self-funded act is a representation of how the youth are transcending racial and economic disparity to share their talent with the world. Fans echoed Simon's sentiments on the performance, sharing, "That was an entrance," as well as, "I wish we had an audience for the marching band." One fan shared, "#Energy!" and another said, "Love, love LOVE Music teachers! #AGT Mr Director sounded so nervous, but I bet he is devoted to his students."
Fusion pop-opera act Voce Nova, or 'Fresh Voice' in Italian, took the stage next and unfortunately, did not prove to be a fan-favorite despite their best efforts blending their opera vocals with Moroccan dance. The judges thought the duo's performance was dated, with Simon likening it to a wedding act, earning them three nos and the audience at home agreed. "So...it just me, this is really cringy, right?" asked one viewer, another shared, "I am agreeing with Simon majorly tonight," several confused viewers mused, "Lol wth is this????" and stated "I’m in confusion..." while one viewer stated, "Club thumping opera doesn't work all that often at Eurovision -- and it's not working on a stage with no audience."
Sheldon Riley followed, dressed in a glamorous ensemble and tackling Billy Eilish's 'I Don't Wanna Be You Anymore'. Sharing that his shy demeanor and other people's apathy often meant he went overlooked, the Australian youth's choice to dress the way he does was a part of his journey to discovering his own voice. With the judges calling him "mysterious" and stating they loved his dramatic flair, Riley earned three yeses and will return for the next round. "Great voice, his costume reminds me of the warrior nuns in Netflix’s 'Warrior Nuns'," shared one viewer, while another said, "Be yourself. It’s okay to be different. I love how mysterious he is. I love his costume. Great voice. I hope he goes far in the competition." Many also shared this audition gave them "chills," while one shared, "You, your performance, your fashion- I absolutely adore EVERYTHING about you!"
Overall, and despite the show's attempt to make things a exciting as possible, viewers tonight were left wanting for more. The show's latest format includes no audience, no fancy cuts and edits, and sadly, very few acts exciting enough to warrant that high most of us usually get from watching this show. One fan shared, "This is the worst AGT episode ever.. and the Ninja Twins were just a cherry on the top...not even halfway through the show."