Canada's Got Talent - S1E3: Third audition show includes singing that's fine, lots of canines, the reading of minds, and a truck-driving swine
TrishStratus.com special guest columnist Bob Kapur recaps Canada's Got Talent airing Tuesdays on Citytv.
With two Golden Buzzers already having been pressed, we find out that this week, host Lindsay Ell has been given one of her own – so that means that five acts in total will automatically get put through to the semi-final rounds. Everyone else, though, will have to walk the entire pathway to fame and fortune.
Let’s see who took their first step down that path this week.
Rachel certainly looked like she was ready for adventure, decked out in chainmail and brandishing a sword and shield like she’d walked off the pages of a Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. But she didn’t have enough Hit Points to survive the battle with the giant red Xs, and only a few notes into her song, her campaign came to an end.
With some bizarre vocal warmups that sounded like bird calls and animal yelps, the introductory video for Jeanick, from Chicoutimi, Quebec, didn’t seem too promising. But something about her strange rituals actually worked, because her voice was fantastic – even when taking on such a huge song as Celine Dion’s “I Surrender.” She nailed the key changes, hit all the big notes, and had the audience and judges on their feet for the swelling crescendo. Howie said that while Jeanick does some angelic things in her life (she is the adopted mother of two children with Down’s Syndrome, and works as a palliative care worker), she also has the voice of an angel.
While it was a given that the judges were going to enthusiastically put her into the next round, that wasn’t enough for Lindsay. Indeed, no stranger to great vocal performances herself, Lindsay wanted to ensure that Jeanick went far in the competition. So she came onto the stage, walked down to the judges’ desk, and made Jeanick her Golden Buzzer pick to move directly into the semi-finals. And the only yelps after that were those of joy.
Some acts are just doggone good, and some acts are just real dogs. This quick montage showed two dog trainer acts – Team GSD & Company from Quebec City, Quebec, and Jen & Daiquiri from Cluny, Alberta – whose acts seemed quite similar in that it involved one or more dogs jumping and/or dancing and/or doing other tricks. J&D put the judges through the woof, but they felt that Team GSD’s act was a bit too ruff to go on.
Two circus performers, Aaron and Caroline, brought some really high energy, positivity, and a pig driving a miniature SUV to the stage. But their act, as the name suggests, featured a bunch of dogs doing tricks, like catching a frisbee, or one that just looked it danced with balloons in its mouth. One neat trick saw a dog walking on two tightropes. The finale was a magic trick that saw Caroline vanish from a cage and be replaced by a dog.
Trish enjoyed seeing the variety of tricks put on by the dogs and was entertained. Kardinal and Lilly were entertained, but they thought the act needed some better pacing, finding it too busy and frenetic. Howie agreed, saying the show was a bit of a mess and that it could benefit from some cohesive choreography. Despite his criticism, though, Howie voted Yes along with Trish and Lilly, which was enough to pooch them through to the next round.
This choir made up entirely of women physicians in the Greater Toronto Area came together as a way to deal with the stress experienced as medical workers during the COVID pandemic. The group bonded over a common hope to channel their emotions into something positive, and to support each other through a shared singing community.
They performed a chorale version of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” and the performance was pitch-perfect. Not just vocally (which it was) but also in the terms of the powerful message conveyed in the lyrics and in the spirit in which they delivered it. Howie thought their version encapsulated the heroes that these women are. Trish said she appreciated that the women were using this outlet to heal themselves so they can better heal others. Kardinal also related to them finding strength through creative expression. The vote was merely a formality after that – needless to say, they Yesses across the board.
Clips from the auditions of a couple of group dance troupes were shown: the female Indian troupe Gaana Squad from Scarborough, Ontario; and the co-ed BSOFLO from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Through the very brief clips you couldn’t really get a feel for either act, other than they seemed to be fast-paced with some tight choreography. We will get a chance to see them later on, though, as both teams were put through.
None of the members of this team from Scarborough, Ontario, were old enough to remember the 80s breakdancing craze – indeed, age-wise, they seemed to range between 13 and 17 years old. But they were top-rocking and head-spinning as if they were auditioning for Breakin’ 3.
Lilly, a fellow Scarberian, was picking up what they were throwing down (and that is the entirety of my knowledge of cool slang), and really liked the authenticity they brought to the stage. Howie was semi-impressed, saying that he thinks they could probably do more than they did. Trish playfully reciprocated the flirtiness of the youngest and mini-est member of the troupe, giving him a hand-signed fan letter and autograph; and Kardi showed much more “cool” than I did above with whatever he said to the guys in urban slang. But what was really cool? They got four Yesses.
Ola’s parents moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta from Nigeria in order to give him and his two siblings a better life. Ola, in turn, is hoping to achieve that life by pursuing his dream of being a stand-up comedian. His routine, which was based very much based on his cultural background, had a definite Russell Peters vibe, and his delivery was really strong. All the judges enjoyed the act and wanted to see more – and they’ll get to, as Ola got four Yesses.
The Toronto-based mentalism duo Steffi Kay and Mysterion the Mindreader are already a world-renowned mentalism act that have had success on other competition shows such as Penn & Teller: Fool Us and America’s Got Talent, so it was a bit of a shock to see them competing against relative unknowns and acts featuring a pig driving a miniature SUV. But there’s no denying they’ve got talent, so why not?
They did two tricks that were simply uncanny. First, Steffi seemingly read Lilly’s mind to correctly name the movie title she’d written down on a piece of paper. Next, while blindfolded, Steffi perfectly described a photo that Howie had pulled up on his phone.
As if that weren’t enough for the judges to start gathering up wood to burn them at the stakes, what came next was even more mind-blowing.
Mysterion wrote down the name of a wrestler on a piece of paper, then had Trish name a wrestler at random, and showed that he had correctly predicted she would pick Kamala (for those of you who only know Kamala as the current U.S. Vice President, I suggest you start educating yourself on professional wrestling, starting with a visit to slamwrestling.net, for which I’m a Senior Editor).
Sure, they could have used their mental powers on the judges to get four Yesses. But they didn’t need to – they earned them on their own.
My take: I actually know the Sentimentalists personally and have been a fan of their stuff for years. In some ways, it’s almost unfair that they are competing against relative amateurs, as their experience working on big stages and live audiences has got to be a huge advantage. If there is one potential downfall for them, it’s that mentalism acts can sometimes feel repetitive in nature. If they want to go all the way, they may need to mix things up from week to week, and ideally invent something entirely new for the CGT viewing – and voting – audience. If they can keep blowing minds in ways that feel fresh and exciting, they certainly could win the whole thing.
Other thoughts:
What did you all think of the show? Let me know in the comments below.
Stills from show »
With two Golden Buzzers already having been pressed, we find out that this week, host Lindsay Ell has been given one of her own – so that means that five acts in total will automatically get put through to the semi-final rounds. Everyone else, though, will have to walk the entire pathway to fame and fortune.
Let’s see who took their first step down that path this week.
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Rachel the Bardbarian
Rachel certainly looked like she was ready for adventure, decked out in chainmail and brandishing a sword and shield like she’d walked off the pages of a Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. But she didn’t have enough Hit Points to survive the battle with the giant red Xs, and only a few notes into her song, her campaign came to an end.
Jeanick Fournier
With some bizarre vocal warmups that sounded like bird calls and animal yelps, the introductory video for Jeanick, from Chicoutimi, Quebec, didn’t seem too promising. But something about her strange rituals actually worked, because her voice was fantastic – even when taking on such a huge song as Celine Dion’s “I Surrender.” She nailed the key changes, hit all the big notes, and had the audience and judges on their feet for the swelling crescendo. Howie said that while Jeanick does some angelic things in her life (she is the adopted mother of two children with Down’s Syndrome, and works as a palliative care worker), she also has the voice of an angel.
While it was a given that the judges were going to enthusiastically put her into the next round, that wasn’t enough for Lindsay. Indeed, no stranger to great vocal performances herself, Lindsay wanted to ensure that Jeanick went far in the competition. So she came onto the stage, walked down to the judges’ desk, and made Jeanick her Golden Buzzer pick to move directly into the semi-finals. And the only yelps after that were those of joy.
Dog Trainer act montage
Some acts are just doggone good, and some acts are just real dogs. This quick montage showed two dog trainer acts – Team GSD & Company from Quebec City, Quebec, and Jen & Daiquiri from Cluny, Alberta – whose acts seemed quite similar in that it involved one or more dogs jumping and/or dancing and/or doing other tricks. J&D put the judges through the woof, but they felt that Team GSD’s act was a bit too ruff to go on.
Canine Circus
Two circus performers, Aaron and Caroline, brought some really high energy, positivity, and a pig driving a miniature SUV to the stage. But their act, as the name suggests, featured a bunch of dogs doing tricks, like catching a frisbee, or one that just looked it danced with balloons in its mouth. One neat trick saw a dog walking on two tightropes. The finale was a magic trick that saw Caroline vanish from a cage and be replaced by a dog.
Trish enjoyed seeing the variety of tricks put on by the dogs and was entertained. Kardinal and Lilly were entertained, but they thought the act needed some better pacing, finding it too busy and frenetic. Howie agreed, saying the show was a bit of a mess and that it could benefit from some cohesive choreography. Despite his criticism, though, Howie voted Yes along with Trish and Lilly, which was enough to pooch them through to the next round.
Voices Rock Medicine
This choir made up entirely of women physicians in the Greater Toronto Area came together as a way to deal with the stress experienced as medical workers during the COVID pandemic. The group bonded over a common hope to channel their emotions into something positive, and to support each other through a shared singing community.
They performed a chorale version of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” and the performance was pitch-perfect. Not just vocally (which it was) but also in the terms of the powerful message conveyed in the lyrics and in the spirit in which they delivered it. Howie thought their version encapsulated the heroes that these women are. Trish said she appreciated that the women were using this outlet to heal themselves so they can better heal others. Kardinal also related to them finding strength through creative expression. The vote was merely a formality after that – needless to say, they Yesses across the board.
Dance Group montage
Clips from the auditions of a couple of group dance troupes were shown: the female Indian troupe Gaana Squad from Scarborough, Ontario; and the co-ed BSOFLO from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Through the very brief clips you couldn’t really get a feel for either act, other than they seemed to be fast-paced with some tight choreography. We will get a chance to see them later on, though, as both teams were put through.
The Mini Militia
None of the members of this team from Scarborough, Ontario, were old enough to remember the 80s breakdancing craze – indeed, age-wise, they seemed to range between 13 and 17 years old. But they were top-rocking and head-spinning as if they were auditioning for Breakin’ 3.
Lilly, a fellow Scarberian, was picking up what they were throwing down (and that is the entirety of my knowledge of cool slang), and really liked the authenticity they brought to the stage. Howie was semi-impressed, saying that he thinks they could probably do more than they did. Trish playfully reciprocated the flirtiness of the youngest and mini-est member of the troupe, giving him a hand-signed fan letter and autograph; and Kardi showed much more “cool” than I did above with whatever he said to the guys in urban slang. But what was really cool? They got four Yesses.
Ola Dada
Ola’s parents moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta from Nigeria in order to give him and his two siblings a better life. Ola, in turn, is hoping to achieve that life by pursuing his dream of being a stand-up comedian. His routine, which was based very much based on his cultural background, had a definite Russell Peters vibe, and his delivery was really strong. All the judges enjoyed the act and wanted to see more – and they’ll get to, as Ola got four Yesses.
The Sentimentalists
The Toronto-based mentalism duo Steffi Kay and Mysterion the Mindreader are already a world-renowned mentalism act that have had success on other competition shows such as Penn & Teller: Fool Us and America’s Got Talent, so it was a bit of a shock to see them competing against relative unknowns and acts featuring a pig driving a miniature SUV. But there’s no denying they’ve got talent, so why not?
They did two tricks that were simply uncanny. First, Steffi seemingly read Lilly’s mind to correctly name the movie title she’d written down on a piece of paper. Next, while blindfolded, Steffi perfectly described a photo that Howie had pulled up on his phone.
As if that weren’t enough for the judges to start gathering up wood to burn them at the stakes, what came next was even more mind-blowing.
Mysterion wrote down the name of a wrestler on a piece of paper, then had Trish name a wrestler at random, and showed that he had correctly predicted she would pick Kamala (for those of you who only know Kamala as the current U.S. Vice President, I suggest you start educating yourself on professional wrestling, starting with a visit to slamwrestling.net, for which I’m a Senior Editor).
Sure, they could have used their mental powers on the judges to get four Yesses. But they didn’t need to – they earned them on their own.
My take: I actually know the Sentimentalists personally and have been a fan of their stuff for years. In some ways, it’s almost unfair that they are competing against relative amateurs, as their experience working on big stages and live audiences has got to be a huge advantage. If there is one potential downfall for them, it’s that mentalism acts can sometimes feel repetitive in nature. If they want to go all the way, they may need to mix things up from week to week, and ideally invent something entirely new for the CGT viewing – and voting – audience. If they can keep blowing minds in ways that feel fresh and exciting, they certainly could win the whole thing.
Other thoughts:
- There was only a quick scene in the judges’ lounge this week, during which Lilly mentioned her love for dogs. I’m not a dog person myself, so the animal acts featured today aren’t really my cup of tea. But that pig in the miniature SUV? More of that, please.
- For those who aren’t able to watch the show but follow along with these recaps, and have asked the question: The audition shows were all taped in advance. Live shows will begin later this season.
- For those who do watch the show and have asked the question: Yes, the judges have been wearing the same outfits during all the audition episodes. It’s done so that they can take auditions from different days and put them into the same episode without having discontinuity in their appearance.
What did you all think of the show? Let me know in the comments below.
Stills from show »
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