#12: Charles Peachock (Season 6)
Charles Peachock may not even be in the Top 10 on this countdown, but for a lot of viewers, this one likely hurt more than any other.
Something that should be clarified at this point is that the advice of the judges always needs to be considered, but does not necessarily have to be taken.
Most of the acts on this list faltered because they failed to take advice -- failed to take note of what the judges and audience alike did or did not respond to.
Peachock's error, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He did take the advice of the judges even after it was made perfectly clear to him that he shouldn't.
After six seasons, America knew well enough not to have high expectations for a juggler, but that all changed when Peachock juggled his balls on a piano perfectly to the tune of Jailhouse Rock.
For this performance, Peachock became the first act in AGT history to receive two Xs without one of them coming from Piers Morgan.
Sharon Osbourne harped over a triviality, while Howie Mandel, instead of addressing the technical skill and precision of the act, harped over the fact that he wasn't juggling anything dangerous.
Then when Morgan and Peachock attempted to argue in defense of the act, Mandel took out an air horn and blew it into his microphone.
Shortly after Peachock's performance, Sam B. threw his stomping fit all over the AGT stage, and suddenly Osbourne and Mandel were all praise.
What Peachock should have taken away from this was that Osbourne and Mandel were not to be taken seriously.
If seeing their response to Sam B. was not enough incentive for him to disregard their comments, America gave him even more incentive when they gave him enough votes to qualify him for the judges' choice, making Peachock the first act to qualify for such after receiving two Xs the night before.
Osbourne and Mandel were defiant, of course, and refused to vote for him, making him an easy choice for Piers Morgan to bring back as a wild card act.
Osbourne and Mandel had buzzed him over trivialities, threw tantrums when he and Morgan tried to argue in his defense, gave the highest praise to an insult to the name of talent, and then rejected him in favor of an amateur impressionist.
But Peachock still took their advice when he returned for the wild card.
Morgan ultimately did have the last laugh by getting three of his four wild card acts into the semifinals. The bad news is that Charles Peachock was the only one who didn't make it.
Peachock's fall from grace was so disappointing, not just because he was an exceptionally talented performer, but because he presented a perfect opportunity to send a message to two judges who had not only been doing their jobs poorly, but had practically demonstrated an invested interest in doing their jobs as poorly as possible.
Peachock could have done that. He could have had the last laugh; could have given Morgan the even greater satisfaction of having all four of his acts make the Top 4.
And all Peachock had to do to make it happen was ignore them.
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