THE RECAPS
STORMSEEKER.COM RECAPS! Reality editor Ryan Vickers provides
recaps of each show.
March 28, 2003 April 4, 2003 April 11, 2003 April 18, 2003 April 25/27, 2003 May 2, 2003
They came by the thousands from 42 states to try out in
one of fourteen audition sites. Kids aged 3-15. All
with one goal in mind to be named America's Most
Talented Kid!
(because Star Search's junior singer and young dancer
categories just aren't fulfilling enough, apparently)
Your host for the proceedings, one of NBC's poster
children for teenagers, (fresh off his stints from
Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style,
Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the
Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, Saved by the Bell: The New
Class guest appearances, and - in a surprising career
move - Name Your Adventure), it's Mario Lopez!
Our judges are a trio tonight:
From the world of music: Sisqo!
From the Brady Bunch (and ABC's ill fated "Teen
Angel"): Maureen McCormick!
From the future cosmonauts of Russia society (and some
teen band, apparently...): Lance Bass!
Lance Bass is also the only permanent judge on the
panel.
Mario introduces the format. Three age groups: 3-7,
8-12, 13-15. You can score up to ten points in each of
talent and showmanship - just like the Olympics! And
hey, to keep up the parallels to figure skating,
there's a kiss and cry area for the kids and their
parents! Woo!
AGE 3-7
Brandy Panfill, 6, Barnegal, NJ: Sings "Born to
Entertain"
She sings quite well for her age, and her mom comments
in the kiss&cry (henceforth known as the "k/c") that
she's been entertaining since birth - she was delivered
on the living room floor.
Scores: (will read Bass/McCormick/Sisqo/Average for the
purpose of this report. T=Talent, S=Showmanship. Just
saves some typing folks.)
T: 8.5/8.5/8.5/8.5
S: 8.7/8.5/9.5/8.9
Final: 8.7
Lil' Max$o, 5, Downey CA: Raps (co-written with father,
who is billed as "Lil'Max$o Father" in the k/c.)
Lil' Max$o raps and the audience enjoys. Most audience
members are responsive, although I'm severely disturbed
that he's picking up traits from other rappers that
shouldn't be performed by five year olds. Max$o says
afterwards that he's feeling like a superstar and his
two girlfriends should be content.
But we don't get to see his scores yet... it's time for
an advertisement break, which is just preceded by
audition tapes, which look like a cross between AI and
Funniest Home Videos.
Scores:
T: 9.6/9.7/10.0/9.8
S: 9.7/9.9/10.0/9.9
Final: 9.8
Tammi Williams, 7, Reford MI: Sings "Greatest love of
all"
More show than singing is the order of the day for
Tammi. Not a bad voice though. Dad is happy she's on
the show. And he's almost crying. Tammi says that she
wants to become a singer/actor/dancers/director/producer when she grows
up.
Scores:
T: 9.8/9.8/9.8/9.8
S: 9.0/9.6/9.8/9.5
Final: 9.6
So Lil Max$o moves on. Sigh.
And now it's time for judge's chat (aka "Filler").
Maureen remarks that the kids are so cute. Sisqo
enjoyed Max$o's dance, and Lance was just plain amazed.
AGES 8-12
Devin Downs, 10, Duluth GA: Tap dances to "Smooth
Criminal" and "Bad"
Now this is more like it! He's great! He even loses
his mike and keeps on going! Very professional. He
comes from a family of 50 cousins, and mom tells us in
the k/c that he almost didn't start tap dancing because
his father was against it.
Scores:
T: 9.5/9.5/9.9/9.6
S: 9.8/9.7/9.5/9.7
Total: 9.7
Joanna Levesque, 12, Foxboro MA: Sings "Evil Gal Blues"
Nice voice, very mature. And it's revealed that she's
never even taken a singing lesson before! She wants to
be a civil rights lawyer!
Scores:
T: 9.7.9.7/10.0/9.8
S: 9.3/9.3/9.5/9.4
Final: 9.6
Jake Callahan, 12, Orono MN: Plays "Purple Haze" on the
guitar.
He's got a good style, and is very confident. Note to
NBC: your setup on Jake's act reeks of a high school
band performance. Surely you could have patched up the
surround sound? Jake's also proud of the fact that he
once jammed with Santana at a concert. His idols are
Jimi Hendrix and Albert Einstein.
T: 9.8/9.9/10.0/9.9
S: 9.1/9.2/9.6/9.3
Total: 9.6
And the panel makes the right choice and advances
Devin, the tapper. More judges chat... and then it's
onto the last category:
AGES 13-15 ("the teenagers")
Kasey Butler, 14, Corona CA: Sings "Beautiful"
Kasey has quite a nice voice, very similar to Christina
Aguilera. She was a bit off near the end though.
Kasey chose this song because she felt that everyone
has something beautiful to offer.
T: 9.3/9.2/9.5/9.3
S: 9.5/9.5/9.8/9.6
Total: 9.5
Jared Wagner, 13, Newport WA: Sings "We shall overcome"
Jared sings gospel, but it just doesn't seem to work on
this night. He tells us that he once won $35 in a
talent competition.
T: 9.3/9.4/9.3/9.3
S: 9.4/9.4/9.7/9.5
Total: 9.4
Diana Degarmo, 15, Snellville GA: Sings "Chain of Fool"
Good showmanship for Diana, and a nice voice to boot.
She's also the official national anthem singer for her
school.
T: 9.9/10.0/9.8/9.9
S: 9.9/10.0/10.0/10.0
Total: 9.9
And Diana advances. All of the kids come out for the
final curtain call, and we're done!
It's time once again for "America's Most Talented Kid".
With your host, the man who's competeting with himself
in this very same time slot over on Animal Planet's
"Pet Star", Mario Lopez!
So, who will be judging this week, then?
From the Jackson 5, Jermaine Jackson!
From the ill fated season of America's Funniest Home
Videos where she hosted with Jon Fuselgang, Daisy
Fuentes!
And the guy who gets to be here all the time, from the
May 2000 version of Celebrity Millionaire, Lance Bass!
Judging is 10 pts for talent, then 10 pts for
showmanship, given as you would in the Olympics,
without any of that Tonya Harding knee-bashing stuff.
AGE 3-7
Easton Hamlin, Moscow RUSSIA (no, wait, that should
read "KANSAS"), 5. Sings "Jailhouse Rock".
Easton does a nice rendition, all things considering,
but I feel that NBC is trying to exude just a bit too
much of the cuteness factor in his performance. Mom
says that the vocal instructor is 16 hours away - so he
gets twice a week lessons over the phone. Mario then
tells a joke about "Can you hear me now? Can you hear
me now?" and it's pretty bad.
Judd: 3 "I think that joke was 'lo-pez'"
Stein: 2 "I'm sick of cell phone jokes"
Zappa: 5 "THAT WAS GREAT!"
WAIT... that's the wrong show. Besides, Mario is the
host... Let's see what Easton scored. Scores will read
Bass/Fuentes/Jackson/Average:
Talent: 9.2 9.0 8.8 9.0
Showmanship: 9.5 9.4 8.8 9.2
Overall: 9.1
Kayla Weston, Longwood FL, 6. Dances to Barry
Manilow's "Jump Shout Boogie"
She's a good tapper and has good facial expressions.
Actually, her facial reactions remind me of "VICKI",
the robot from "Small Wonder". Now THERE'S a show to
be revived, right Gordon?
(Gordongram - actually, I was thinking that 'Cliffhangers: The Series' should be revived - just simply because there were Canadians in it. And thank you to the 5 or so people who actually watched that show along with me)
Kayla's mom used to be a dancer too. The younger
Weston then states that her fave artists are NSYNC, the
Jackson Five. And now, a message from our new friend,
Captain Obvious:
CO: She's trying to butter up the judges, me thinks!
Thanks. Scores are as follows:
T: 9.4 9.1 9.4 9.3
S: 9.6 9.3 9.5 9.5
Overall: 9.4
Arjun Ayyanger, Matawan NJ, 4. Plays Beethoven's "Fur
Elise" on piano.
Wow - no sheet music! He seems bored almost, which is
a shame. Excellent performance. His dad explains that
he doesn't name songs, but he identifies them by the
time that he plays them!
T: 9.4 9.0 9.8 9.4
S: 9.1 9.1 9.8 9.3
Total: 9.4
We have a tie! Thus the scores are checked to the
nearest hundredth, which gives Arjun 9.35, and Kayla
9.40, thus advancing her.
AGE 8-12
Whitney Keith, Alpharette GA, 12. Sings "Blue" by the
Dixie Chicks.
Whitney has a nice voice, but unfortunately it seemed
to peter out near the end. Mom (whose resemblance to
Joan Lunden is uncanny) says that she doesn't want
Whitney singing pop - she wants her to stick to the
country twang.
T: 9.8 9.6 9.9 9.8
S: 9.3 9.6 9.9 9.6
Total: 9.7
L.D. Miller, Lafayette IN, 9.
Plays harmonica and sings to "Baby, what you want me to
do?"
I was quite happy when he started off playing
harmonica. But he started to sing and that sorta made
me lose interest. But he ended up playing harmonica
for the whole time, which seemed to be his strength.
Dad states that not only is L.D. his son, but he is his
bandmate too!
T: 9.8 9.8 10.0 9.9
S: 9.5 9.8 9.9 9.7
Overall: 9.8
Chelsea Musick (how appropriate!), Williamston NJ, 8.
Sings "This is the moment"
Starts slow, but gains strength throughout the song.
Good stage presence too. Mom states that Chelsea likes
singing mostly in the bathroom.
T: 9.8 9.8 10.0 9.9
S: 9.6 9.9 10.0 9.8
Total: 9.8
We have another tie... and we zoom in on the figures, and
find out that Chelsea scores 9.85 while L. D. ends up
with 9.82. So Chelsea wins. Let's move....
Stranger's Voice: "Um, excuse me sir?"
Me: "Yes?"
Stranger's Voice: "Shouldn't NBC have rounded up
Chelsea's score to a 9.9 if she already had 9.85?"
Me: "That's correct! They should have rounded up!"
Stranger's Voice: "My work here is done!
Me: "Wait! Who are you?"
Stranger's Voice: (snorts) "I can never tell you..."
Here endeth today's mathematics lesson.
AGE 13-15
Chris Ibenhard, Sylmar CA, 13. Sings self-penned
ballad "Searching in the clouds"
The song is nice, but unfortunately Chris doesn't seem
to have the vocals to back it up. It will come in
time. His family feels the same way, having uprooted
from Austin, Texas to move to L.A.
T: 9.7 9.7 9.4 9.6
S: 9.5 9.7 9.7 9.6
Overall: 9.6
Carolina Carattini, Portage IN, 13. Sings Bette
Midler's "My one true friend"
Good voice, though some of her high notes just aren't
there. Mom states that it's very nervous for her to
watch Carolina sing.
T: 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.5
S: 9.7 9.8 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.6
Aaron Wedgeworth, Kansas City MO, 14. Dances to "A+T
Drumline".
Wow, talk about your "Domo eregotno, Mr. Robotno"
style! What fluid moves! And he's sure nicknamed
"Showtime" for a reason!!
T: 9.8 9.9 10.0 9.9
S: 9.9 10.0 10.0 10.0
Overall: 9.9
Well, there's no tiebreaker here! Aaron wins outright!
And that wraps it up for another edition of "America's
most talented kid!"
Welcome to another exciting episode of America's Most
Talented Kid. With your host, fresh off his one time
appearance as a panelist on Match Game '98, Mario Lopez!
Let's meet tonight's judges, shall we?
From the world of 80's pop music: Tiffany!
From cries of "don't call me Britney's sister",
Jamie-Lynn Spears
And the guy who's here to the end, from the movie "On
the Line": Lance Bass!
You know the drill. 10 points for talent, 10 points
for showmanship.
AGE 3-7
Before we start this category, I'd like to quote from
the April 11 issue of Entertainment Weekly, in
reference to Li'l Max$o. "I'm sorry, but there's just
something inherently wrong with a 5-year-old rapper
grabbing his crotch on national TV." I say no more.
Cole Marcus, Long Beach CA, 4. Plays "Zoot Suit Riot"
on the drums.
Cole is playing the drums decently I suppose.
Apparently he's singing too - he seems to be moving his
lips but nothing is audible. Not too much focus
though. He just sings whenever. Mom Cheryl says Cole
has previously jammed with famous jazz singers.
Scores will read Bass/Spears/Tiffany/Average.
T: 9.5 9.6 9.5 9.5
S: 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.5
Overall: 9.5
Jaime Ramos, Sacramento CA, 6. Dances to "Don't stop
the rock".
Like the outfit. Would work for my juggling act for
sure. His dancing is decent - robot movements
especially, but nothing too special. He dances six
nights a week already and has previously been a dancer
at a Sacramento Kings game.
T: 9.4 9.4 9.3 9.4
S: 9.4 9.5 9.4 9.4
Overall: 9.4
Haden von Duncan, Boise ID, 7. Plays the fiddle.
Wow, this kid is good! He's not very animated, but
he's talented! Hey Fremantle - you may want to bring
this kid in to record a classic version of the Feud.
He's already won the national old time fiddling contest
twice!
T: 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6
S: 9.1 9.3 9.5 9.3
Total: 9.5
Tiebreaker time. Cole has 9.50, Haden has 9.47. Curse
you Lance Bass for not giving a higher mark to the
fiddler!
Tiffany then reveals in an aside that she lost on Star
Search and she turned out alright. But why isn't she
judging on Star Search then? At this point, we see
clips of some tryouts. Many are jugglers are termed
"hard to categorize".
Hey, sorry we don't sing or dance - but you try to ride
a unicycle, eh? Not that easy, huh?
AGE 8-12
Lindsay Harper, Blue Ridge GA 8. Yodeller.
Her yodeling is good. Not "Price is Right's
Cliffhangers" good, but good.
T: 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.6
S: 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.5
Overall: 9.6
Sheyenne Kimball, Plano TX, 12. Sings "A change'll do
you good"
Good guitar playing, and not too bad either in the
singing department. Pleasing to watch. She even
taught herself how to play the guitar as well.
T: 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.8
S: 9.8 9.8 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.8
Mishon Ratliff, Fontana CA, 10, sings "I'll be there"
Mishon sings along quite well to the background music
which is unmistakeably a MID file. But he's gotta
watch his high notes!
T: 9.4 9.5 9.7 9.5
S: 9.6 9.5 9.7 9.6
Overall: 9.6
Well done judges, in picking Cheyenne as the winner!
AGE 13-15
Laine Adley, Longwood, FL, 13, dances to "All that Jazz"
Dear me, her costume is right out of "Cabaret"! But
she doesn't really do anything too original. Laine
says her chair is like her dance partner.
T: 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.6
S: 9.6 9.7 9.6 9.6
Overall: 9.6
Brandon Morgan, Dadeville AL, 15. Sings and plays
piano.
Brandon has a nice voice and plays the piano well to
boot. A great overall package.
T: 9.7 9.9 9.9 9.8
S: 9.6 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.8
Ashley Rose, Mahwah NJ, 15. Sings.
Umm... Ashley really needs to stick to the low notes, as
the high notes are somewhat piercing to the viewer, I'd
imagine. She seems to be trying too hard because her
notes seemed somewhat forced.
T: 9.8 9.8 9.8 9.8
S: 9.6 9.8 9.8 9.7
Overall: 9.8
And in the tie it goes to Brendan with an even 9.80, as
Ashley scores a 9.76.
That's all for this week, see you next time.
And now, once again, time for the future stars of
America, it's America's Most Talented Kid! With your
host, "Kids Incorporated" alumni, Mario Lopez!
You know the drill - 10 for talent, 10 for showmanship,
given on an Olympic style basis. Top score moves onto
the final, presumably some time in sweeps month.
And now our judges...
No longer from "The View": Lisa Ling!
From many a failed Pyramid pilot in the mid nineties:
Vivica A. Fox!
From the "Star Search" guest judge stable: Lance Bass!
AGE 3-7
Lil' C, Santa Clarita CA, 7, dances like you've never
seen a 7 year old dance before.
Okay, I figure when we have a name like Lil' C, I'm in
trouble, yet this may be one of the best acts we've
seen this far in the series. He's enjoying himself.
He's in time with the music (which was a medley of at
least five tunes). Uses "Bye Bye Bye" at the end.
Lance likes this. He apparently created the moves and
his mom the dance mix. This boy should have perfect
10's.
Scores will read: Bass/Fox/Ling/Average
T: 9.7 9.9 9.9 9.8
S: 9.7 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.8
Madeleine Overby, Dothan AL, 5, Sings "Swinging on a
star"
The first thing I notice is that Madeleine is either
wearing a wig or she has the biggest hair ever. Her
singing is okay save for the end - where she has to
hold long notes. Her father says it's very nerve
wracking watching his daughter on stage.
T: 9.5 9.7 9.4 9.5
S: 9.8 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.7
Evan Nagao, Honolulu HI, 6, yo-yos to "Walk like an
Egyptian"
Given the fact that I juggle, I enjoy Evan's
performance. He's quite talented with his yo-yos and
keeps them well in time to the music. Bonus marks from
me for using a great eighties song. Evan also shows us
his collection of yoyos.
T: 9.7 9.5 9.3 9.5
S: 9.6 9.7 9.5 9.6
Overall: 9.6
That means Lil' C is dancing onto the finals! Well
deserved I think.
AGE 8-12
Morgan Burke, Nashville TN, 12, sings "Georgia on my
mind".
Morgan sings well, but to be honest sounds like he's
hitting puberty at points during his routine! And I'm
not a fan of the leather pants. And Morgan also has
other brothers that sing too.
T: 9.7 9.9 9.4 9.7
S: 9.6 9.8 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.7
Brityn Martin, Centennial CO, 10, dances.
Brityn is very active during her upbeat routine. And
she's very expressive with her facial reactions!!
Brityn also has given up many a sleepover and birthday
party to get where she is today.
T: 9.8 9.9 9.8 9.8
S: 9.9 10 9.9 9.9
Overall: 9.9
Lateefah Dooling, Lauderdale Lakes FL, 11, sings "Get
Here"
Lateefah has got wonderful pipes. Her voice is very
smooth. And she's very much into the spirit of the
song. Her mom realized during church what a talent she
really did possess.
T: 9.9 9.9 9.7 9.8
S: 9.7 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.8
Brityn's dancing style moves her along to the finals!
AGE 13-15
Zachary Zagoria, Marietta GA, 14, sings "I believe I
can fly"
I was waiting through the whole song for Zachary to
break out with his top notch stuff but I don't feel he
truly got there. His mom seems happy though!
T: 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6
S: 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.6
Overall: 9.6
Agape Chen, Bakersfield CA, 13, plays "Nightengale in
Soldier's Battle" on the piano.
Wow, Agape is a really good piano player! And you can
see the passion in her face too. Her name in her
native language means "love".
T: 10 9.9 10 10
S: 9.7 10 9.9 9.9
Overall: 9.9
Aubrey Collins, Littleton CO, 15, sings/plays "If she
only knew"
Aubrey gets the audience pumped from the start, and her
voice is very accentuated. She loves Michelle Branch
(whose song she sung), and she has drive just like her
father.
T: 9.9 9.9 9.7 9.8
S: 10 9.9 9.8 9.9
Overall: 9.9
We have a tie! Agape's overall score to the nearest
hundredth is 9.92, while Aubrey's is 9.87. So Agape
wins!!
That's all for this week... but let's consider the
disclaimer that was put on at the end of the show:
"The producers of America's Most Talented Kid are
adding a two hours wild card special to the
competition. Tune in next Friday night to see which
kids will get a second chance at becoming America's
Most Talented Kid.
Mario Lopez can also be seen hosting Pet Star on Animal
Planet".
Of course you can't see both shows at once in the
Eastern time zone - they're on at the same time!!
See you next time for the long show!
"NBC: Nothing Beats Confusion."
A play in one act
Written by: Ryan Vickers
Thanks to the kind folks at ukgameshows.com for their
(unintentional) inspiration. Thanks as well to the fine staff at the Game Show News
Net for their continued leadership and support.
THE SCENE: Any random executive office at the NBC
Studios in Burbank.
THE PLAYERS: Jones, the NBC head; Smith, head of
reality programming.
Please note that any coincidence to anyone living or
dead is purely confidential. Void where prohibited by
law. Participants in Vermont may omit return postage.
Jones: C'mon in, Smith.
Smith: Thanks, Jones.
Jones: Listen, we've been doing really well with this
"Talented Kid" show, right?
Smith: Yes, sir, we have. Nobody has the slightest
idea that we've only put this show on the air because
"Star Search" is succeeding at CBS - and I'm sure
nobody has picked up on the fact that we've had a
couple of judges who have already been on that show.
And we went with an original show because frankly, Dick
Clark refuses to let us have the rights to "Puttin' on
the Kids", and "Double Dare 2000", which already flopped on
Nick.
Jones: You've got to stop rambling.
Smith: Yes, I know.
Jones: Listen, let me get to the point. We have a lot
of kids that didn't make it to the finals, right?
Smith: Correct.
Jones: Why don't we bring them back, and do a "wild
card" show? Nobody will notice that we've pinched that
from American Idol, right?
Smith: Oh, you're good.
Jones: Stop trying to suck up.
Smith: Yes sir.
Jones: Anyway, let's put it on a Friday night in a
two-hour block... wait... something else is coming to me....
Smith: Go on...
Jones: What about we throw a "casting special" in?
It's not like they do that on
American Idol either?
Smith: You're brilliant. Can we throw it on Sunday
night opposite 60 minutes?
Jones: Just what I was thinking!
Smith: Hold on a sec - let's advertise it as such, so
people think they'll know all the
finalists on Friday and have some light filler on
Sunday, and then at the last moment we'll change our
strategy, so that they have to watch both Friday and
Sunday to find out who advances to the grand finale!
Jones: (speechless, jaw drops)
Smith: So I take it you like that idea?
Jones: Yes - especially because it'll annoy to no end
television viewers who cover our shows for reality
websites - we'll make �em watch more, because we've
played with their minds, and their VCRs will have to
work triple overtime!
Smith: That's the first good thing you've said all day.
Jones: Thank you sir.
THE END
So maybe it didn't happen like that. But basically
what happened is that I realized I hadn't taped the
Sunday "casting special" when I started watching
Friday's episode (which then also taped Dateline Friday
or something). So unfortunately the recap for Sunday
will be short, because in effect I got home late from
the Toronto Blue Jays game and taping the show didn't
occur to me until later. So this basically makes me
look ever so slightly like an idiot. Ever so sorry.
I hope that you liked the play, however.
Let's get to the real stuff now, shall we?
Let's welcome our hosts of the show, from USA's Pacific
Blue, Mario Lopez, and from the "Panel Judging is
Beneath Me Society of America (PJBMSA)", Lance Bass.
It appears that Lance has freed himself from the stage
and will spend the next hour roaming the audience,
apparently vying for Billy Bush's job.
And the guest judges?
From the "I already did Star Search" stable (see also:
Lance Bass), Aaron Carter!
From the version of Dog Eat Dog that is so inferior to
its UK original, Brooke Burns! (don't get me wrong,
it's just the show that's wrong)
And someone ever so slightly removed from the US pop
music scene, Jon Secada!
And just for tonight, kids have less time to perform,
�cause we have to cram* more of them in. All
non-winners are back.
*Watch CRAM, with Graham Elwood, Icey and Miss
Pickwick. Weeknights @ 11 eastern, only on Game Show
Network. You snooze, you lose.
AGE 3-7
Tommi Williams, Redford MI, 7, Sings.
Tommi seems to be able to belt it out no problem
tonight. And her shoulders seem to move to the music
without any problems. She's also been recognized
several times already.
Hey, Gordon, the kids get around a minute per
performance tonight. Can we bring out the gong if they
go too long? Or maybe a vaudevillian hook? What say
you?
(Gordongram - If you really want to make it vaudevillian, why don't you bring out one of those meat grinders...oh wait...Wynonna has already borrowed it? She's going to use it for the Star Search comedians? Oh, ok. Never mind then.)
Scores read Carter/Burns/Secada/Average
T: 9.5 9.7 9.7 9.6
S: 9.7 9.8 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.68
Note: we've given way to 1952 and finally incorporated
hundredths of points off the start.
Evan Nagao, Honolulu HI, 6, yoyos.
Evan I still like, and he seems more polished than the
previous time. And Dad is enjoying himself.
T: 9.8 9.7 9.6 9.7
S: 10 9.6 9.7 9.8
Overall: 9.73
Easton Hamlin, Moscow KS, 5, Sings.
Easton sings "Great Balls of Fire", which seems to be
an excellent choice of song. Not sure about the
leather pants though! Easton has been raising money by
selling autographs since the last time we saw him.
T: 9.7 9.5 9.5 9.6
S: 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.6
Overall: 9.57
Jaime Ramos, Sacramento CA, 6, Dances.
Jaime does an okay job of his dancing, but apart from a
couple of "worms", it's not really exciting.
T: 9.6 9.6 9.7 9.6
S: 9.7 9.7 9.8 9.7
Overall: 9.68
That means that Evan moves onto the finals!
Before we move onto the 8-12 category, let us bring up
a 12-year-old vocalist named Joanna Levesque. It turns
out she's been disqualified - but in a good way! She's
been signed to a major label, so she's busy with that
now.
AGE 8-12
Mishon Ratliff, Fontana CA, 10, Dances and sings "Rock
with you".
Mishon does a good job but it's not really up my alley
- a bit too high for me. Mishon's tape, he tells up,
has been played several million times at school already.
T: 9.5 9.8 9.5 9.6
S: 9.6 9.7 9.6 9.6
Overall: 9.62
Whitney Keith, Alpharetta GA, 12, sings "That's the way
it is".
Her song selection is puzzling to me - as she has very
much of a country twang to her style. Good performance
though. And Shania Twain's cousin to talk as well.
T: 9.7 9.7 9.6 9.7
S: 9.5 9.7 9.7 9.6
Overall: 9.65
Lateefah Dooling, Lauderdale Lakes FL, 11, sings
"Dancing in the streets".
Wow - she's singing acapella to start! This is
impressive... and I think she should advance. And she
can boogie!
T: 9.6 9.9 9.8 9.8
S: 9.7 10 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.80
And she wins, deservedly so!
AGE 13-15
Aubrey Collins, Littleton CO, 15, sings "Born to be me"
(original song).
Kudos to Aubrey for her originality. And it's actually
quite nice. Little heavy on the eye make up. But
she's enjoying herself. Aubrey now has a website that
gets 100 hits a day.
T: 10 9.9 9.8 9.9
S: 9.6 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.83
Carolina Carattini, Portage IN, 13, sings "My Heart
will go on"
Heaven help me. She's singing Celine Dion's "jump the
shark" song. It's played on a piano and she sings to
it, but it's absolutely not her style at all. She
tells up that her hometown has showered her with gifts
since her last appearance.
T: 9.9 10 9.8 9.9
S: 9.6 9.8 9.8 9.7
Overall: 9.82
Ouch. Can't get much closer.
Jared Wagner, Newport WA, 13, sings "I'm alive".
AAAAAHHHHH!!!! THREE CELINE DION SONGS IN ONE NIGHT????
WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS???? At least sing
some of her classic songs (ie. Before 1997!).
Ah. That felt better. Jared doesn't do too badly, but
like Carolina, the song choice is the wrong one.
It's like me singing "The Shoop Shoop Song" at karaoke:
it shouldn't be done. Jared has now started doing "the
rodeo loop".
T: 9.8 9.6 9.7 9.7
S: 9.7 9.7 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.70
You'll notice that three kids so far have sung Celine
and none of them have advanced.
Laine Adley, Longwood FL, 13, Dances.....
.... With more clothes last time (when she would have fit
in perfectly with "Cabaret"). She's very flexible and
will soon be appearing in a jewelry box near you. Much
more energy than the previous effort too. Laine tells
us that she'd love to be on broadway someday.
T: 9.8 9.9 9.8 9.8
S: 9.8 10 9.8 9.9
Total: 9.85
Laine wins, by the skin of her teeth!
SUNDAY SUMMARY:
Guest judges were MC Hammer (keeping his life surreal),
Jody Watley, and hold over Brooke Burns.
And the winners moving onto the finals were:
Brandy Panfilli, age 6. Sings "New York, New York".
L.D. Miller, age 9, Sings and plays harmonica
Kasey Butler, age 14. Sings "I Have Nothing"
If you made it through everything, you deserve a medal.
Back for the finale on May 2nd...
36 originally made it to the stage. It's taken five
weeks to eliminate half of them. Tonight, only three
will win their respective categories, and one will
become...
AMERICA'S MOST TALENTED KID! (and $50,000 ain't chump
change either)
And here's your host, from the recently cancelled "The
Other Half", Mario Lopez!
And let's welcome our celebrity guest hosts...
Because he's been out of work since "The Other Half"
got canned and "Weakest Link" doesn't call anymore,
Danny Bonaduce!
A pop star you haven't seen in awhile, Sheila E!
And back where he belongs after interviewing audience
members last time, Lance Bass!
Tonight, there are six finalists in each group. One
will advance from each category for a final showdown
playoff for the $50,000 grand prize. The runner up
will take $25,000, and the third place finisher gets
$10,000.
You might want to grab a coffee... this might take you a
while....
AGE 3-7
Lil' Max$o, Downey CA, 5. Raps to an original
composition.
Hmm... argh.... I'm sorry, it's just not that good. And he
seems be grabbing his crotch again. And then he kisses
the girls' hands in the audience. But in the "good
news" department, he's opened up for 2 Live Crew since
he was last on.
Scores are 10 for talent and 10 for showmanship.
Scores will read Bass/Sheila/Bonaduce/Average:
T: 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5
S: 9.7 9.7 9.8 9.7
Overall: 9.62
Kayla Weston, Longwood FL, 6. Taps.
Apparently Kayla is queen of the jungle tonight. Her
tapping isn't half bad. Lance seems to like it.
T: 9.6 9.7 9.6 9.6
S: 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.7
Overall: 9.67
Cole Marcus, Long Beach FL, 4. Plays the drums.
I must say that Cole seems to have his "A" game on
tonight - he's not trying to sing at the same time, and
that probably helps his cause.
T: 9.7 9.9 9.6 9.8
S: 9.5 9.6 9.5 9.5
Overall: 9.63
Apparently not enough help though. Kayla stays in the
lead.
Evan Nagao, Honolulu HI, 6. Yoyos.
Evan does a great job with all of his tricks, but at
one point the yoyo skids off into the audience and I'm
not really sure why...
T: 9.7 9.7 9.9 9.8
S: 9.6 9.9 9.9 9.8
Overall: 9.78
He's the new leader!
Brandy Panfili, Barnegat NJ, 6. Sings "Showstopper"
Brandy sure is having fun, and her voice is better than
ever! She tells us that Ruben from AI met her and
asked for an autograph!
T: 9.6 9.6 9.7 9.6
S: 9.6 9.7 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.65
Lil' C, Santa Clarita CA, 7. Dances/sings.
Wow, this is a kid I wouldn't mind seeing over and over
for a while - he's got a real good talent! And all the
girls in school now chase him...
T: 9.8 9.9 9.8 9.8
S: 9.8 9.9 9.9 9.9
Overall: 9.85
That means that Lil' C is guaranteed at least $10,000!
AGE 8-12
Brityn Martin, Centennial CO, 10. Dances to "Let's
Party"
Brityn, as I've said before, has the biggest smile of
anyone I know on this show. And she can do those spins
with the best of them!
T: 9.7 9.8 9.7 9.7
S: 9.8 9.8 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.77
L.D. Miller, Lafayette IN, 8. Plays harmonica and
sings.
Man, can this kid blow a harmonica!! And he does for a
very long time, and it's great!!! He's even wearing
what I would call a "harmonica holster".
T: 9.8 9.8 9.7 9.8
S: 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.77
We have a tie so far!
Lateefah Dooling, Lauderdale Lakes FL, 11. Sings.
Lateefah's as super as ever! Such a smooth, fluid
voice. Since winning the wild card, her mom gets
recognized quite a bit!
T: 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6
S: 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6
Overall: 9.60
Cheyenne Kimball, Plano TX, 12. Sings/plays guitar:
original composition.
Starts slow, but picks it up near the middle. She
thanks her friends, family, and NBC in the song, which
seems slightly akward to me. And she's been practicing
a LOT so she can do the best she can.
T: 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.9
S: 9.7 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.85
She's the new leader!
Devin Downs, Duluth GA, 10. Dances to Michael Jackson
tunes.
Ah, yes, now I remember, this kid is great!! He moves
so well along with the music! Should merit a good
score. He says his whole country loves him.
T: 9.7 9.7 9.7 9.7
S: 9.7 9.7 9.8 9.7
Overall: 9.72
Apparently not enough, then.
Chelsea Musick, Williamstown NJ, 9. Sings.
Chelsea doesn't seem to be 100% on track tonight. Her
song is more pushed than anything. Nice voice overall
though.
T: 9.7 9.7 9.7 9.7
S: 9.6 9.7 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.68
That means that Cheyenne has just won at least $10,000!
AGE 13-15
Agape Chen, Bakersfield CA, 13, Piano.
As in her previous appearance, Agape is right at home
tickling the ivories. Everyone has been supportive of
her venture so far.
T: 9.8 9.9 9.9 9.9
S: 9.7 9.9 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.83
Laine Adley, Longwood FL, 13. Dances.
Laine is flexible in continuing her dance routines set
to anything on the "Chicago" soundtrack. Outfit is
somewhat questionable though...
T: 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.8
S: 9.8 10 9.8 9.9
Overall: 9.82
Brandon Morgan, Dadeville AL, 15. Sings/plays piano.
Brandon's tune is "Unchained Melody". His singing and
piano playing are quite nice but some of the notes
vocally seem off.
T: 9.7 9.7 9.8 9.7
S: 9.6 9.7 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.70
Kasey Butler, Corona CA, 14. Sings.
Kasey has a nice voice but it grates on me slightly.
But she can carry the high notes.
T: 9.7 9.8 9.7 9.7
S: 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.8
Overall: 9.75
Diana Degarmo, Snellville GA, 15. Sings.
Diana has a very powerful voice and uses it very
effectively on this performance with a Whitney Houston
tune. Everyone eats it up!
T: 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.8
S: 9.7 9.8 9.7 9.7
Overall: 9.75
Aaron Wedgeworth, Kansas City MO, 14. Dances.
And does he ever! This kid can really move. Great
talent, great act, great everything!
T: 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.8
S: 9.8 9.8 9.7 9.8
Total: 9.77
And Agape has just won $10,000 and moves onto the grand
championship round
GRAND $50,000 FINALE
But first, Lance is embarrassed with some early footage
of himself. Mario gets a good chuckle out of this.
But Lance exacts his revenge - there's some funny
footage of Mario, too, and he's totally shocked!
Our three finalists...
Lil' C: We see a montage from his first time on stage.
And then he comes out, dances, spins, flips and raps.
Cheyenne Kimball: We see audition and past show
footage. Sings "Not Me" (original composition) And
she rocks so well! Watch out Sheryl Crowe!
Agape Chen: We're shown what great emotion she has.
And wow, does this kid have a wonderful gift.
And we're back from the break with the results...
Third place, winner of $10000, is.... Lil' C!
Second place, winner of $25000, and runner up in the
competition - if for some reason Little Miss America's
Most Talented Kid cannot complete her duties, she will
take over the crown is....
Agape Chen! Which means that Cheyenne is America's Most
Talented Kid!!! And is $50000 richer!!
Thus endeth the series!! For America's Most Talented
Kid, this is Ryan Vickers saying so long!
