They didn’t make it to Vegas, but they’re still winners in my heart

I started watching America’s Got Talent last year, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Looking back, maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised. I love crazy, obscure variety shows, and I love seeing people who have unusual talents perform. As an aside, I’d like the show a lot more if they downplayed the competition aspect and showed more of the acts and spent less time on Howie annoying Piers, bios of select contestants, and making fun of people who are tone deaf…but I digress. Even with these annoying “personal touches” (hehe, doesn’t saying that just make me sound evil?), I still find a lot to like about the show.

However, this year (like last year) the judges send home people that I thought should have gone to the next round. Now that the preliminaries are over, I’d like to take a moment to remember the acts I wish I could see more of. Here they are–the rejects who should SO have not been rejected. (I’m sure I’m missing a few, but I don’t want to re-watch all the shows ) So here are my favorite rejected acts that made a lasting impression on me:

(Honorable Mention) Paper Horn Man

I thought Paper Horn Man had a nice, blues-y voice, and I loved how he made his own paper horns. It was really obvious that he was having a good time on stage, and his enthusiasm was infectious. Was it a little funny and train-wreck-y? Yeah, but it also had a lot of soul and was really sweet. I can definitely see why it didn’t go through, but I liked it. It’s not my favorite on my list, but I think it deserves to be mentioned.

#5 The Female Hardcore Singer

I’ve listened to quite a few female hardcore singers and this chick was pretty damn good (as in, a lot better than many professional female hardcore singers). Why did she get buzzed, then? Well, I think it has something to do with the fact that she auditioned for AGT. This just wasn’t the right venue, and it’s too bad, because screaming like that is difficult and I think that her voice deserves to be showcased with the other singers in the competition. Anyways, she comes in at around 4:30 on the clip.

#4 The Female Sword Eater

Being one of the few female sword eaters in the world is a pretty big accomplishment. What I really loved about this act, though, was how authentic it felt. She looks and acts exactly the way I’d imagine a female sword eater from an old time-y carnival. I was a little irritated at the end when they insinuated she was too creepy. She’s a female sword eater! Being a little bit different is part of the charm. Oh well, this is one of the few times where I was actually happy they highlighted the act.

#3 Typewriter Orchestra

The clip for these guys is sandwiched in between an eating act called “The Cannon” and a parrot act that unfortunately didn’t go as planned, which makes me a little sad since I thought these guys were original and interesting. I really, really wish they’d shown more of them. It wasn’t noise–it was intricate “drumming” with typewriters. I enjoyed the rhythms and the variety of sounds they were able to come up with…or at least I enjoyed what I could hear over the buzzer and the booing crowd. AGT probably wasn’t the best venue for such an act, but I still wish it had gone better for them.

#2 ROBO (Robot Comedian)

I know, I know. I sent out a tweet about this, but it needs to be said again–WHY did they get rid of Robot Comedian? His jokes were offbeat and seriously funny. They were kind of bad, but that just made them even more hilarious in my opinion.

And my favorite act that got rejected is…..

#1 Joseph Ravens “Is My Liver Showing?”

One of the funniest things I’ve seen on TV. Joseph Ravens is a performance artist and…well…this act was brilliant. I think you just have to see it for yourself!

There are, of course, a lot of acts that I loved that are going through, but I’m going to miss these guys. I might make another post after the Vegas show about the acts that I wish made it to the big stage. Last year a lot of the people I liked ended up going home or getting voted off early. There are way too many singers!