America's Got Talent season 9
Template:Infobox reality talent competition
Season nine of the reality competition series America's Got Talent premiered on May 27, 2014.[1] Nick Cannon returned as host for his sixth season. Howie Mandel returned for his fifth season as a judge while Howard Stern returned for his third season. Mel B and Heidi Klum both returned to the judging panel for their second season.[2][3]
Snapple continues to be the official beverage sponsor of America's Got Talent and their products are featured on the show and throughout the season, along with their cups on the judges' desk. Reddi-wip also replaces Orville Redenbacher's as a sponsor and will be featured during lead-ins.
The season is scheduled to end on September 17, 2014.
Changes
On April 8, 2014, NBC announced that Talent will return to Radio City Music Hall for the live shows, which will begin on July 29. There is also a new twist in the show, where the Vegas rounds have been eliminated. Instead, the "bootcamp" round of auditions will be held in New York City in front of a live studio audience. Stern confirmed on his radio show that after three acts were taped during "Judgement Week", producers scrapped the live audience concept. Others dispute that the reason was due to the show having a hard time filling seats.[4] This season also comes with the announcement of a "golden buzzer," which was also unveiled on this year's Britain's Got Talent. Each judge gets to press the buzzer only once during the season to have an act go through to the next round, typically used when there is a tie. [5] This is regardless of the other judges opinions. However, rather than sending acts straight through to the live shows as followed in Britain's Got Talent, an act on which the Golden Buzzer was used would only be given a free pass to the "next round" of the competition, Judgement Week.
Mandel announced on NBC's the Today Show on May 27, 2014, that the show has 48 acts that will be sent through to the live shows. However, the judges chose 47 acts, with the last contestant chosen by the general public. Contestants would upload their audition video on the Today website and the top 3 will perform on Rockefeller Plaza. Viewers will vote for their favorite act to be sent straight to the live shows.[6]
Preliminary auditions
The producers' auditions began on October 26, 2013 in Miami. Other audition sites include Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City and Providence, Rhode Island.[7] Contestants could also submit a video of their audition online.[8] Auditions in front of the judges were held February 20–22 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, which also hosted the live shows during season seven. Judges' auditions were held in New York City at Madison Square Garden from April 3 to April 6 and in Los Angeles at Dolby Theatre from April 21 to April 26.[9]
| Audition city | Audition date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Newark, New Jersey | February 20-22, 2014 | New Jersey Performing Arts Center |
| New York, New York | April 3-6, 2014 | Madison Square Garden |
| Los Angeles, California | April 21–26, 2014 | Dolby Theatre |
Golden Buzzer
During the first episode, Stern pressed his "golden buzzer" for "Dustin's Dojo", a comedic martial arts act, and they will be sent through to the next round. On the July 1 episode, Mandel pressed the buzzer to save Emmanuel & Phillip Hudson, another comedy act and YouTube sensation. As the audition rounds have ended, Mel B and Klum are the only judges who were not seen using the golden buzzer to save any act. Either they did not use the buzzer, or they did but their acts' auditions did not air.
Special episode
On June 17, 2014, NBC announced that a special auditions episode of America's Got Talent would air on Sunday, June 22, 2014 (instead of Tuesday, June 24), showcasing the "best talent on the show this year so far". NBC also announced that two acts (who were not auditioning) on the special episode would attempt to break Guinness World Records, one of which was successful, whilst the other was not. The successful world record breaker was Professor Splash, who was a contestant on season 6.
Judgment Week
Judgment week, the second round of auditions, aired as a two night special from July 22-23, 2014, and featured all the acts who made it through the first round of auditions competing for the first 47 spots in the live shows. The 48th spot will be filled by the winner of Today's Got Talent.
For the first time in the history of the show, this round of competition took place in New York City instead of Las Vegas. However, the format of this round remained the same.
Judgement Week Automatic Decisions
There were several acts where the judges automatically sent through the act immediately after their performance.
- Baila Conmigo, dance troupe
- John & Andrew, salsa dancing duo
- Mara Justine, child singer
- Paul Ieti, male singer
Following a malfunction with Psycho Jack's prop, the judges conferred and voted to send him home immediately.
Pre-Judgement Week Decisions
The judges went directly to the performer's home area and gave them the news that they were going straight to the live shows so they would not have to make the journey to Judgment Week.
- Blue Journey, shadow-dancing act
- Dom the Bom's Triple Threat, child card throwing group
- Jonatan Riquelme, acrobat
- David and Leeman, magicians
- Hart Dance Team, dance troupe
- Dan Naturman, comedian
- Acte II, opera duo
- Emil and Dariel, cellists
Pre-Judgement Week Decisions (not shown)
Several acts went straight through to the live shows, but were not announced during the show. [10]
- One-Voice Children's Choir, children's choir group
- Valo and Bobby, husband and wife acrobatic duo
- Extreme, dance group
- Mothmen Dance, dance and acrobatic group
- Smoothini, close-up magician
- Nina Buri, contortionist
- Andrey Moraru, hand balancer
- Aerial Animation, aerial acrobatic storytelling with animation
Performances
Performers
|
|---|
|
Advanced
Eliminated
Unaired Auditions: Several performances were unaired during Judgment Week. These performances have been confirmed as eliminated from the competition. Some acts withdrew like other acts from past seasons. While some of the acts below did appear, but were cut from the broadcast.
|
Today's Got Talent
Performers were invited to submit a video of their performance to The Today Show website throughout June and the top 3 performers will perform their acts on The Today Show on July 23, 2014. The performer with the most votes will fill the 48th spot going to the live shows. Today Show hosts, Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie announced the winner on the July 30th live results show.[11]
| Act | Order | Performance description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell Bhangra | 1 | Composed of Cornell University students, the group won back-to-back titles at the World's Best Bhangra Competition. | Advanced |
| Domino Effects | 2 | Middle and high school students who created large-scale domino tricks that form words, portraits, pyramids and more. | Eliminated |
| Power House Tumblers | 3 | Tumbling group based out of Wilmington, North Carolina performed in the AAU Junior Olympics. They participate in ministry work during free time. | Eliminated |
Quarterfinals
The Quarterfinals began July 29. The round included the Top 48 acts that passed Judgment Week and winner of Today's Got Talent. The shows air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
| Key |  Buzzed
|
 Judges' choice
|
Advanced to the semifinals | Finished in fifth or sixth place; won the judges' choice and advanced to the semifinals | Finished in fifth or sixth place; lost the judges' choice |
|---|
Top 48, Week 1 (July 29-30)
Guests: The Rockettes, Enrique Iglesias and Sean Paul
There were no intentional buzzes during this episode (Brown accidentally hit her buzzer during David and Leeman's performance).
| Act | Order | Performance description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean & Luke | 1 | Acrobatic tap dancers; performed to "Classic" by MKTO. | Eliminated |
| Valo & Bobby | 2 | Extreme acrobats; performed a routine in which Bobby rode a bicycle in a ring supported by Valo. | Eliminated |
| Julia Goodwin | 3 | Singer; performed "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls. | Eliminated |
| Baila Conmigo | 4 | Latin dance troupe; performed a salsa routine. | Judges' Choice(3-1,Brown dissented) |
| David & Leeman | 5 | Magicians; predicted a random compound word chosen by the judges from a random page from a random book. | Advanced |
| The Willis Clan | 6 | Family band; performed "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. | Eliminated |
| Flight Crew Jump Rope | 7 | Acrobatic jump rope troupe; performed to "Closer" by Tegan and Sara. | Lost Judges' Choice |
| Jasmine Flowers | 8 | Chinese dance act; performed a prop-filled routine with fans and parasols. | Eliminated |
| Emily West | 9 | Singer; performed "Chandelier" by Sia. | Advanced |
| JD Anderson | 10 | Strongman; broke several baseball bats over his head, broke several planks of wood with his head and hands, and dove through several blocks of ice to the song "The Final Countdown" by Europe | Eliminated |
| Dan Naturman | 11 | Comedian; performed a routine about children, Canada, and healthcare. | Advanced |
| Miguel Dakota | 12 | Singer/guitarist; performed "Come Together" by The Beatles. | Advanced |
Top 48, Week 2 (August 5-6)
Guests: Lindsey Stirling, Lzzy Hale
| Act | Order | Performance description | Buzzes and Judges' choices | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandel | Brown | Klum | Stern | ||||||
| Hart Dance Team | 1 | Dance group; performed to "Team" by Lorde and "Burn" by Ellie Goulding. | Eliminated | ||||||
| Loop Rawlins | 2 | Wild west performer; performed a whip and lasso routine to "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic. | Eliminated | ||||||
| John and Andrew | 3 | Salsa dancing duo; performed an up-tempo routine to "La Bendición" by Mercadonegro | Eliminated | ||||||
| Livy, Matt & Sammy | 4 | Band; performed "Fat Bottomed Girls" by Queen. | Eliminated | ||||||
| Andrey Moraru | 5 | Hand balancer, performed an act incorporating elements of classical dance. | Advanced | ||||||
| Juan Carlos | 6 | Rollerskating dancer; performed to "Vogue" by Madonna. |
|
Eliminated | |||||
| Mara Justine | 7 | Singer; performed "Unconditionally" by Katy Perry. |
|
|
|
|
Judges' Choice | ||
| Aerial Animation | 8 | Visual aerial act; performed to "Wake Me Up" by Avicii. | Advanced | ||||||
| Jaycob Curlee | 9 | Singer/guitarist; performed "Beneath Your Beautiful" by Emeli Sande. | Advanced | ||||||
| Mat Franco | 10 | Close-up magician; predicted a random card chosen by Klum and hid another card in Mandel's pocket. | Advanced | ||||||
| Darik Santos | 11 | Comedian; performed a word play comedy routine by incorporating puns. | Eliminated | ||||||
| Acte II | 12 | Operatic duo; performed "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (sung by Whitney Houston.) | Lost Judges' Choice | ||||||
Top 48, Week 3 (August 12-13)
Guests: Kenichi Ebina, Taylor Williamson
This is the second episode this season where no acts were buzzed.
| Act | Order | Performance description | Buzzes and Judges' choices | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandel | Brown | Klum | Stern | ||||||
| Dragon House "The Agents" | 1 | Popping dancers, peformed to "Celldweller" by ShutEmDown | Eliminated | ||||||
| Anna Clendening | 2 | Singer; sang "Human" by Christina Perri | TBA | ||||||
| Cornell Bhangra | 3 | Bhangra performers, performed to "Android Porn" by Kraddy | Eliminated | ||||||
| Kieran and Finian Makepeace | 4 | Band; sang "Lights" by Ellie Goulding | Eliminated | ||||||
| Mike Super | 5 | Mystifier | TBA | ||||||
| Adrian Romoff | 6 | Child pianist | TBA | ||||||
| AcroArmy | 7 | Acrobats | TBA | ||||||
| Wendy Liebman | 8 | Comedian | TBA | ||||||
| Sons of Serendip | 9 | Band; sang "Wicked Games" by Chris Isaak | Advanced | ||||||
| Blue Journey | 10 | Shadow dancing act, performed to "Wonderful Life" by Smith & Burrows | Advanced | ||||||
| Christian Stoinev | 11 | Extreme hand balancer/Animal act, performed to "Jealous (I Ain't With It)" by Chromeo | TBA | ||||||
| Paul Ieti | 12 | Singer; sang "You & I" by One Direction | TBA | ||||||
Top 48, Week 4 (August 19-20)
Guests: TBA
| Act | Order | Performance description | Buzzes and Judges' choices | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandel | Brown | Klum | Stern | ||||||
| Dom the Bom's Triple Threat | TBA | Child card throwing group | TBA | ||||||
| Smoothini | TBA | Close Up Magician | TBA | ||||||
| Emil and Dariel | TBA | Cellists | TBA | ||||||
| One-Voice Children's Choir | TBA | Children Choir Group | TBA | ||||||
| Extreme | TBA | Dance Group | TBA | ||||||
| Nina Buri | TBA | Contortionist | TBA | ||||||
| Bad Boys of Ballet | TBA | Dance Troupe | TBA | ||||||
| Quintavious Johnson | TBA | Child Singer | TBA | ||||||
| Jonatan Riquelme | TBA | Rola bola balancing act | TBA | ||||||
| Mothmen Dance | TBA | Dance Troupe | TBA | ||||||
| Kelli Glover | TBA | Singer | TBA | ||||||
| Jonah Smith | TBA | Band | TBA | ||||||
Semifinals
Top 20, Week 1 (August 26-27)
Guests: TBA
| Act | Order | Performance description | Buzzes and Judges' choices | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandel | Brown | Klum | Stern | ||||||
| Balia Comingo | TBA | Latin dance troupe | TBA | ||||||
| David & Leeman | TBA | Magicians | TBA | ||||||
| Emily West | TBA | Singer | TBA | ||||||
| Dan Naturman | TBA | Comedian | TBA | ||||||
| Miguel Dakota | TBA | Singer/guitarist | TBA | ||||||
| Andrey Moraru | TBA | Hand balancer | TBA | ||||||
| Mara Justine | TBA | Singer | TBA | ||||||
| Aerial Animation | TBA | Visual aerial act | TBA | ||||||
| Jaycob Curlee | TBA | Singer/guitarist | TBA | ||||||
| Mat Franco | TBA | Close-up magician | TBA | ||||||
| Sons of Serendip | TBA | Band | TBA | ||||||
| Winner Act 2 August 13 | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||||||
Controversy
Ray Jessel
During the last episode of auditions, Ray Jessel, 84, performed a self-written song titled, "What She's Got", which he tells the judges is about a friend of his who meets a woman who has a penis. Despite a terrific performance with the judges and the audience on their feet, this sparked outrage with the transgender community. After a statement was released by GLAAD, NBC removed the video from their YouTube channel and their website.[12] Jessel was not featured during "Judgment Week" and has otherwise been eliminated from the competition.
Ratings
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Show | Episode | First air date | Rating (18–49) |
Share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Time slot rank |
Nightly rank |
Weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auditions Episode 1 | May 27, 2014 | 3.0 | 9 | 12.00[13] | 1 | 1 | 1[14] |
| 2 | Auditions Episode 2 | June 3, 2014 | 2.9 | 10 | 11.30[15] | 1 | 1 | 3[16] |
| 3 | Auditions Episode 3 | June 10, 2014 | 2.6 | 9 | 11.54[17] | 1 | 2 | 5[18] |
| 4 | Auditions Episode 4 | June 17, 2014 | 2.6 | 9 | 11.42[19] | 1 | 1 | 1[20] |
| 5 | Auditions Episode 5[note 1] | June 22, 2014 | 2.1 | 6 | 8.12[21] | 1 | 1 | 2[20] |
| 6 | Auditions Episode 6 | July 1, 2014 | 2.6 | 9 | 11.14[22] | 1 | 1 | 1[23] |
| 7 | Best of Auditions | July 15, 2014 | 2.0 | 7 | 8.53[24] | 2 | 2 | 5[25] |
| 8 | Judgment Week, Day 1 | July 22, 2014 | 2.4 | 8 | 10.43[26] | 1 | 1 | 1[27] |
| 9 | Judgment Week, Day 2 | July 23, 2014 | 2.4 | 8 | 10.32[28] | 1 | 1 | 2[27] |
| 10 | Quarterfinals, Week 1 (Performances) | July 29, 2014 | 2.4 | 8 | 10.64[29] | 1 | 1 | 2[30] |
| 11 | Quarterfinals, Week 1 (Results) | July 30, 2014 | 2.2 | 7 | 10.79[31] | 1 | 2 | 4[30] |
| 12 | Quarterfinals, Week 2 (Performances) | August 5, 2014 | 2.0 | 6 | 9.04[32] | 1 | 1 | 4[33] |
| 13 | Quarterfinals, Week 2 (Results) | August 6, 2014 | 2.0 | 7 | 10.12[34] | 1 | 2 | 3[33] |
| 14 | Quarterfinals, Week 3 (Performances) | August 12, 2014 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 15 | Quarterfinals, Week 3 (Results) | August 13, 2014 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
- Note
- ^ This episode aired on Sunday, June 22 instead of Tuesday, June 24.
| Show | Episode | First air date | Rating (18–49) |
Share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Time slot rank |
Nightly rank |
Weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quarterfinals Week 1, Recap | July 30, 2014 | 1.2 | 5 | 6.29[31] | 2 | 3 | 16[30] |
| 2 | Quarterfinals Week 2, Recap | August 6, 2014 | 1.1 | 4 | 6.06[34] | 2 | 4 | 18[33] |
| 3 | Quarterfinals Week 3, Recap | August 13, 2014 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
References
- ^ "NBC announces premiere date for America's Got Talent Season Nine".
- ^ Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY 8:31 a.m. EST November 19, 2013 (November 19, 2013). "Howard Stern signs on for more 'AGT'". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Jeff Dodge (2013-11-20). "Which 'America's Got Talent' Judges are Returning for Season 9?". buddytv.com. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVXhNmefmjo
- ^ http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/americas_got_talent_offers_a_golden_buzzer-2014-04
- ^ Today's Got Talent
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.agtauditions.com
- ^ http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s67/americas-got-talent/news/a560655/americas-got-talent-announces-new-york-los-angeles-auditions.html
- ^ Official site's full 48 list
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/07/22/powerhouse-tumblers-cornell-bhangra-domino-effect-named-finalists-for-todays-got-talent-contest/285223/
- ^ http://www.bustle.com/articles/31539-why-ray-jessels-song-what-shes-got-on-americas-got-talent-made-me-angry
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-05-29). "Tuesday Final Ratings: No Adjustments for 'America's Got Talent' or 'The Night Shift'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-06-03). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'America's Got Talent' Tops Week 36 With Adults 18-49 and With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-06-04). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent', 'Extreme Weight Loss' & 'Celebrity Wife Swap' Adjusted Up; 'Famous in 12' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-06-10). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals Tops Week 37 With Adults 18-49 and With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-06-11). "Tuesday Final Ratings: Final Numbers for NBA Finals Game 3". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-06-17). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals Game 5 Tops Week 38 With Adults 18-49 and With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-06-18). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Night Shift' Adjusted Down + No Adjustment for 'Famous in 12' or 'America's Got Talent'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
- ^ a b Bibel, Sara (2014-06-24). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'America's Got Talent' Tops Week 39 With Adults 18-49 and With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-06-24). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Wipeout' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-07-02). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Celebrity Wife Swap' Adjusted Up; 'The Night Shift' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-07-09). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'America's Got Talent' Tops Week 41 With Adults 18-49 and With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-07-16). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Extreme Weight Loss' & 'Celebrity Wife Swap' Adjusted Up; 'The Night Shift' Adjusted Down + Final MLB All Star Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-07-22). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'MLB All-Star Game' Tops Week 43 With Adults 18-49 & With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-07-23). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Extreme Weight Loss' & 'Celebrity Wife Swap' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
- ^ a b Kondology, Amanda (2014-07-29). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'America's Got Talent' Tops Week 44 With Adults 18-49 & With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-07-24). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Adjusted Up; 'Taxi Brooklyn' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (2014-07-30). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Celebrity Wife Swap' Adjusted Up + Final Ratings for 'America's Got Talent' & 'Food Fighters'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
- ^ a b c Bibel, Sara (2014-08-05). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'NFL Hall of Fame Game' Tops Week 45 With Adults 18-49, 'America's Got Talent' Wins With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
- ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (2014-07-31). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up; 'Taxi Brooklyn' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-08-06). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'CMA Music Festival' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
- ^ a b c Kondology, Amanda (2014-08-12). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'Big Brother' Tops Week 46 With Adults 18-49; 'America's Got Talent' Wins With Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ^ a b Bibel, Sara (2014-08-07). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up; 'Taxi Brooklyn' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2014-08-07.