Canada's Got Talent: A preacher shows he's really strong; a masked man massacres a song; a skateboarder can do no wrong; a comedian could use a thong
TrishStratus.com special guest columnist Bob Kapur recaps Canada's Got Talent airing Tuesdays on Citytv.
If you missed this past Monday’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, you missed Trish Stratus “turning heel” – in layman’s terms, becoming a villain – when she attacked her tag team partner Becky Lynch after they lost a match. Fortunately for the contestants on this week’s episode of Canada’s Got Talent, Trish was much kinder to them. Well, unless the acts were no good, in which case she – and the other judges – let them have it. And by “it” I mean the dreaded X.
And with that, let’s head to the stage to see who is going for championship gold(en buzzer), and who’s going to get (body-)slammed right out of the competition.
At only 10 years old, this dancer from Oakville, Ontario had a confidence and stage presence that belied her age. The performance was almost disturbing, with Cydnee contorting and stretching her body in unnatural and painful-looking positions, transitioning with snapping, stilted movements and pops like she was a possessed character in an Exorcist movie. It was dark and twisted, but incredibly captivating. The judges loved the performance’s exquisite creepiness, and gave her unanimous Yesses. Lest they feel Cydnee’s wrath.
Maya from Toronto, Ontario by way of Israel, grew up in a war zone, and her family used music as a way to relax from the stress of that life. Though she is only 14, it was clear she had a much older soul when she performed a powerful, bluesy, and gospel-tinged version of Christina Aguilera’s “Something’s Got a Hold On Me.” It was a fantastic performance, with Maya hitting all the high notes, showing off some impressive runs, and just owning the stage. Even though she nailed the song and the audience gave her a standing ovation, Lilly and Kardinal didn’t think the song choice was the best one, but they definitely saw her potential. Indeed, Kardinal said that Maya had the talent to possibly go on to win the entire competition. Which is why he stood up, shimmied over to the centre of the judges’ table, and hammered down on the Golden Buzzer, putting Maya directly into the semi-finals.
They showed snippets of auditions from two middle-aged wanna-be rockers. James Alcock from Mississauga, Ontario did a screamy version of Quiet Riot’s signature tune “Cum On Feel the Noize”, and Christopher Magas from East St. Paul, Manitoba did Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” in the style of bad karaoke. Neither of them got through to the next round, so thankfully they won’t ruin any more of my favourite songs growing up.
Katherine’s parents moved from China to Burlington, Ontario in order to escape China’s country’s One-Child policy. She sang an original tune called “Top of Her School” which was about a child trying to live up to her parents’ expectations – which, as Lilly pointed out, is pretty much is a tale familiar to many children of immigrants, including herself. The song had a Disney-eseque Broadway feel, with a bouncy tune and inspirational lyrics. Katherine’s singing was good, with a strong, clear voice that hit every note cleanly. Lilly felt like the song could be an anthem for immigrant kids and definitely felt a connection. Howie isn’t normally a fan of musical theatre, but felt Katherine’s sincerity and songwriting. Trish agreed, feeling the inspiration of the lyrics. Both of them voted Yes. Kardinal, though, felt that the song was pretty safe from a vocals standpoint and didn’t think Katherine did enough to blow him away, and said No to putting her through. This left the decision to Howie, and fortunately for Katherine, he liked the song enough to give her the third Yes needed to go to the next round.
Reese is one of those rambunctious little kids that, watching the success they’re having at such a young age, makes you rethink some of your life choices. For instance, I’m a middle-aged man sitting at home in my basement writing about this little 9-year old, while she’s already moved from Calgary, Alberta to California, where she’s performing skateboard tricks for the legendary Tony Hawk’s skateboard team. Instead of setting up a huge skateboard ramp on the CGT stage, they showed a video of Reese performing skateboard stunts under Tony’s watchful eye. She definitely had some skills, taking air and executing the flips and turns perfectly. Raving about the performance, Howie said “world-class” so many times that I wanted to start a drinking game around it. The other judges were similarly impressed and Reese got unanimous Yesses. After the judging, Howie Facetimed Tony Hawk and let him know that his protégé had gone through. Tony called Reese the future of skateboarding, and was proud to hear of her success.
My hot take: Look, I get that Reese is really adept at skateboarding. But the tricks she did in the video seemed pretty basic overall, and were nothing too mindblowing. If a 19-year old or a 29-year old did those same tricks, the judges wouldn’t have been blown away; they would have been bored and maybe even gave the act an X. Yes, Reese is just a kid – but when picking someone to become Canada’s next worldwide star, the judging shouldn’t be done on a bell curve.
Looking at Syd, you’d never think from her unassuming grandmotherly look, that she would have a sharp sense of humour. In her short audition, you really got a good idea of her comedic style. After noting that she’s performing “commando” (i.e. sans underwear), the rest of her routine saw Syd poking fun at her children and family with some cutting wit delivered with in an affable manner with a beaming smile. What’s more amazing is that she still remains smiling, despite her husband having recently been diagnosed with dementia. In fact, he was her motivation for auditioning, as they said that they wanted to find ways to continue to create sunshine and have fun despite what he’s going through. Her fun will continue at least to the next round, as the judges gave her unanimous Yesses.
Up next were clips of auditions from a couple of group acts whose age differences couldn’t have been more distant.
The Sigmaz, a dance troupe from Scarborough, Ontario, delivered a high-energy routine of hip-hop style dancing, with some neat Matrix-style moves performed by the mostly-teenage members. They got unanimous Yesses.
Up next was Voices Rock Prime, a choral group from Mississauga, Ontario, made up of a large number of senior citizens. They did a spirited version of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” and the judges believed they deserved another chance to perform, so put them through to the next round with four Yesses.
Kevin, from Cobourg, Ontario, is a full-time Lutheran Minister who looked like a gothic Santa Claus with his snowy white beard and his black suit. He said that he had been gifted unique strength, and he proved that, by putting on a harness, and then walking on his hands and feet across the stage. Only to reveal that the harness was attached to a wheeled platform where a full gospel choir was standing, and as he traversed them across the stage, they sang the “Hallelujah Chorus.” They nearly didn’t get to finish the song, because he moved… fast. Howie wanted to see what Kevin would do next, and both Trish and Kardinal were impressed enough to give him a Yes. Lilly didn’t feel it in her soul though, and gave the act its sole No. But that wasn’t enough to slow Fast and he’s going through to the next round.
The next trio of singers each brought their own unique style to the stage.
Brian Tyler of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Quebec, had an old-school blues look and sound, but the judges were underwhelmed by his understated performance of “I’m Ready.” They told him that unlike Muddy Waters, who did the original, Brian wasn’t. They voted No across the board.
Darcy Mitchison from Hamilton, Ontario, looked kind of like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite and that was a weird juxtaposition from his speaking voice which sounded like Andre the Giant’s. Unfortunately, that was the same voice that butchered a song that he sang so unintelligibly that I couldn’t even recognize it. He rightfully got an Andre-sized boot off the stage with four Xs.
Speaking of wrestlers, it seemed that Knight1 from Calgary, Alberta, may have thought he was a Mexican luchadore, as he insisted on singing while wearing a mask. He barely warbled out the first line of “Foundation” by the electropop band Years & Years before getting his first X, and three more would soon follow. Even the crowd turned on Knight1, booing him off the stage. No wonder he wears the mask – after that embarrassing audition, he should be embarrassed to show his face in public.
Raymond, who hails from Vancouver Island, BC, was hoping that this audition would be his comeback story, after appearing on American Idol last year and being told he wasn’t ready. He explained that he had been going through a lot of negativity and self-doubt at the time, as he was struggling with his realization that he was gay. Since then, he has found himself and grown comfortable with himself, and feels that he is now ready to show off what he can do to his full ability.
His performance of “Heaven” by Canadian icon Bryan Adams was quite good, and his voice was clear and strong, although he got pitchy in some of the lower register moments. But his high notes and falsetto were perfectly on point, earning a mid-song standing ovation from the crowd. Despite a couple of minor clunkers, the judges all agreed that Raymond was indeed ready now. Howie commended Raymond’s perseverance and strength to come back from his previous rejection. Kardinal felt Raymond had the chops to make it to the end, and both Trish and Lilly loved Raymond’s strength, courage, and talents. He got unanimous Yesses, and Raymond’s comeback story will continue.
That winds up another week of our coverage. Do you think Maya or Raymond has what it takes to win it all? Or will Syd be the first comedian to win the big one? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on the Twitter (@ReadBobsTweets) or on the Gram (@BobKapur).
Have a great (and hopefully Knight1-free) week, everyone!
Other thoughts:
Stills from episode »
If you missed this past Monday’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, you missed Trish Stratus “turning heel” – in layman’s terms, becoming a villain – when she attacked her tag team partner Becky Lynch after they lost a match. Fortunately for the contestants on this week’s episode of Canada’s Got Talent, Trish was much kinder to them. Well, unless the acts were no good, in which case she – and the other judges – let them have it. And by “it” I mean the dreaded X.
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And with that, let’s head to the stage to see who is going for championship gold(en buzzer), and who’s going to get (body-)slammed right out of the competition.
Cydnee Abbott
At only 10 years old, this dancer from Oakville, Ontario had a confidence and stage presence that belied her age. The performance was almost disturbing, with Cydnee contorting and stretching her body in unnatural and painful-looking positions, transitioning with snapping, stilted movements and pops like she was a possessed character in an Exorcist movie. It was dark and twisted, but incredibly captivating. The judges loved the performance’s exquisite creepiness, and gave her unanimous Yesses. Lest they feel Cydnee’s wrath.
Maya Gamzu
Maya from Toronto, Ontario by way of Israel, grew up in a war zone, and her family used music as a way to relax from the stress of that life. Though she is only 14, it was clear she had a much older soul when she performed a powerful, bluesy, and gospel-tinged version of Christina Aguilera’s “Something’s Got a Hold On Me.” It was a fantastic performance, with Maya hitting all the high notes, showing off some impressive runs, and just owning the stage. Even though she nailed the song and the audience gave her a standing ovation, Lilly and Kardinal didn’t think the song choice was the best one, but they definitely saw her potential. Indeed, Kardinal said that Maya had the talent to possibly go on to win the entire competition. Which is why he stood up, shimmied over to the centre of the judges’ table, and hammered down on the Golden Buzzer, putting Maya directly into the semi-finals.
Impressionist Montage
They showed snippets of auditions from two middle-aged wanna-be rockers. James Alcock from Mississauga, Ontario did a screamy version of Quiet Riot’s signature tune “Cum On Feel the Noize”, and Christopher Magas from East St. Paul, Manitoba did Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” in the style of bad karaoke. Neither of them got through to the next round, so thankfully they won’t ruin any more of my favourite songs growing up.
Katherine Lynn-Rose
Katherine’s parents moved from China to Burlington, Ontario in order to escape China’s country’s One-Child policy. She sang an original tune called “Top of Her School” which was about a child trying to live up to her parents’ expectations – which, as Lilly pointed out, is pretty much is a tale familiar to many children of immigrants, including herself. The song had a Disney-eseque Broadway feel, with a bouncy tune and inspirational lyrics. Katherine’s singing was good, with a strong, clear voice that hit every note cleanly. Lilly felt like the song could be an anthem for immigrant kids and definitely felt a connection. Howie isn’t normally a fan of musical theatre, but felt Katherine’s sincerity and songwriting. Trish agreed, feeling the inspiration of the lyrics. Both of them voted Yes. Kardinal, though, felt that the song was pretty safe from a vocals standpoint and didn’t think Katherine did enough to blow him away, and said No to putting her through. This left the decision to Howie, and fortunately for Katherine, he liked the song enough to give her the third Yes needed to go to the next round.
Reese Nelson
Reese is one of those rambunctious little kids that, watching the success they’re having at such a young age, makes you rethink some of your life choices. For instance, I’m a middle-aged man sitting at home in my basement writing about this little 9-year old, while she’s already moved from Calgary, Alberta to California, where she’s performing skateboard tricks for the legendary Tony Hawk’s skateboard team. Instead of setting up a huge skateboard ramp on the CGT stage, they showed a video of Reese performing skateboard stunts under Tony’s watchful eye. She definitely had some skills, taking air and executing the flips and turns perfectly. Raving about the performance, Howie said “world-class” so many times that I wanted to start a drinking game around it. The other judges were similarly impressed and Reese got unanimous Yesses. After the judging, Howie Facetimed Tony Hawk and let him know that his protégé had gone through. Tony called Reese the future of skateboarding, and was proud to hear of her success.
My hot take: Look, I get that Reese is really adept at skateboarding. But the tricks she did in the video seemed pretty basic overall, and were nothing too mindblowing. If a 19-year old or a 29-year old did those same tricks, the judges wouldn’t have been blown away; they would have been bored and maybe even gave the act an X. Yes, Reese is just a kid – but when picking someone to become Canada’s next worldwide star, the judging shouldn’t be done on a bell curve.
Syd Bosel
Looking at Syd, you’d never think from her unassuming grandmotherly look, that she would have a sharp sense of humour. In her short audition, you really got a good idea of her comedic style. After noting that she’s performing “commando” (i.e. sans underwear), the rest of her routine saw Syd poking fun at her children and family with some cutting wit delivered with in an affable manner with a beaming smile. What’s more amazing is that she still remains smiling, despite her husband having recently been diagnosed with dementia. In fact, he was her motivation for auditioning, as they said that they wanted to find ways to continue to create sunshine and have fun despite what he’s going through. Her fun will continue at least to the next round, as the judges gave her unanimous Yesses.
Generational Groups Montage
Up next were clips of auditions from a couple of group acts whose age differences couldn’t have been more distant.
The Sigmaz, a dance troupe from Scarborough, Ontario, delivered a high-energy routine of hip-hop style dancing, with some neat Matrix-style moves performed by the mostly-teenage members. They got unanimous Yesses.
Up next was Voices Rock Prime, a choral group from Mississauga, Ontario, made up of a large number of senior citizens. They did a spirited version of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” and the judges believed they deserved another chance to perform, so put them through to the next round with four Yesses.
Kevin Fast
Kevin, from Cobourg, Ontario, is a full-time Lutheran Minister who looked like a gothic Santa Claus with his snowy white beard and his black suit. He said that he had been gifted unique strength, and he proved that, by putting on a harness, and then walking on his hands and feet across the stage. Only to reveal that the harness was attached to a wheeled platform where a full gospel choir was standing, and as he traversed them across the stage, they sang the “Hallelujah Chorus.” They nearly didn’t get to finish the song, because he moved… fast. Howie wanted to see what Kevin would do next, and both Trish and Kardinal were impressed enough to give him a Yes. Lilly didn’t feel it in her soul though, and gave the act its sole No. But that wasn’t enough to slow Fast and he’s going through to the next round.
Awful Singer Montage
The next trio of singers each brought their own unique style to the stage.
Brian Tyler of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Quebec, had an old-school blues look and sound, but the judges were underwhelmed by his understated performance of “I’m Ready.” They told him that unlike Muddy Waters, who did the original, Brian wasn’t. They voted No across the board.
Darcy Mitchison from Hamilton, Ontario, looked kind of like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite and that was a weird juxtaposition from his speaking voice which sounded like Andre the Giant’s. Unfortunately, that was the same voice that butchered a song that he sang so unintelligibly that I couldn’t even recognize it. He rightfully got an Andre-sized boot off the stage with four Xs.
Speaking of wrestlers, it seemed that Knight1 from Calgary, Alberta, may have thought he was a Mexican luchadore, as he insisted on singing while wearing a mask. He barely warbled out the first line of “Foundation” by the electropop band Years & Years before getting his first X, and three more would soon follow. Even the crowd turned on Knight1, booing him off the stage. No wonder he wears the mask – after that embarrassing audition, he should be embarrassed to show his face in public.
Raymond Salgado
Raymond, who hails from Vancouver Island, BC, was hoping that this audition would be his comeback story, after appearing on American Idol last year and being told he wasn’t ready. He explained that he had been going through a lot of negativity and self-doubt at the time, as he was struggling with his realization that he was gay. Since then, he has found himself and grown comfortable with himself, and feels that he is now ready to show off what he can do to his full ability.
His performance of “Heaven” by Canadian icon Bryan Adams was quite good, and his voice was clear and strong, although he got pitchy in some of the lower register moments. But his high notes and falsetto were perfectly on point, earning a mid-song standing ovation from the crowd. Despite a couple of minor clunkers, the judges all agreed that Raymond was indeed ready now. Howie commended Raymond’s perseverance and strength to come back from his previous rejection. Kardinal felt Raymond had the chops to make it to the end, and both Trish and Lilly loved Raymond’s strength, courage, and talents. He got unanimous Yesses, and Raymond’s comeback story will continue.
That winds up another week of our coverage. Do you think Maya or Raymond has what it takes to win it all? Or will Syd be the first comedian to win the big one? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on the Twitter (@ReadBobsTweets) or on the Gram (@BobKapur).
Have a great (and hopefully Knight1-free) week, everyone!
Other thoughts:
- After Maya’s performance, as the judges gave their feedback, the song playing in the background was “Shallow” from the movie A Star is Born. In that movie, Bradley Cooper’s megastar character surprises Lady Gaga’s character by calling her up on stage during one of concerts and singing the song. In that moment, she goes from being an unknown to stepping on the path to stardom. Kind of fitting given that’s what Kardi’s Golden Buzzer could mean for Maya. We’ll see.
- When I was a kid, the only kids that rode skateboards were the neighbourhood bullies. So for the longest time I had a pretty negative reaction anytime I saw someone riding one. I once had the chance to meet Tony Hawk at some event and get a photo and an autographed skateboard, but I didn’t go because I assumed he was some kind of hoodlum. If you’re reading this, Tony, I now appreciate you... so if you want to throw some swag my way, I’m happy to accept.
- If you did indeed miss RAW on Monday, you can always check out the weekly recaps – and catch up on all other wrestling news – on SlamWrestling.net, where I’m a Senior Editor. You’ll find plenty of stories about Trish there, probably more than any other site (other than TrishStratus.com, of course). #CheapPlug
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