#22: All That! (Seasons 1 & 7)
Like Rudi Macaggi, All That did not just suddenly nosedive into awful territory, but instead lost sight of what exactly it was that made their act so great on America's Got Talent.
All That also competed during AGT's first season, but unlike Macaggi, they were genuine contestants.
Yet like Macaggi, they also walked away from the first season with a brand new car, on account of being, along with the Millers, the second or third place finisher.
When they first appeared, there were literally only one or two acts that separated All That from one million dollars. So when they finally appeared six years later during Season 7, you bet the expectations were high.
And at first, All That delivered upon those expectations. At first, it was only sheer rotten luck that prevented them from reaching the semifinals.
All That first competed in the fourth round of quarterfinals, which was once again the toughest. All That fell behind in total votes to William Close, Olate Dogs and Joe Castillo, all three of whom would move on to become finalists for the season.
And the act they wound up having to plead for the judges' vote against, Eric Dittelman, was no slouch either. So it was no surprise at all that All That, once one of the toughest acts AGT could find, suddenly came just shy of making the grade.
It was also no surprise that one of the judges, Sharon Osbourne, declared them to be one of her wild card picks as soon as possible. Going into the wild card round, they practically seemed like a guarantee for the semifinals.
But somewhere between their first official elimination and the wild card, they lost their way.
What really made All That so impressive to watch was the precision of their footwork and the use of their clogs to supply their own drum beat, like "Riverdance" for the 21st century. As such, All That's only real handicap was that their act demanded your attention to be appreciated.
By the time they finally performed at the wild card round, All That appeared to have forgotten this. Suddenly they were performing with flashing lights and stage effects that only served to distract away from their footwork.
The change in quality was such that, when the wild card votes were tallied, they once again needed the judges' vote to move forward.
Only this time their disappointing placement could not be blamed on tough competition. In fact, one of the acts that advanced ahead of them, Sebastien de la Cruz, had competed in the same quarterfinal round as All That and originally placed behind them.
It once again came down to a 2-1 split vote, this time in favor of All That. But just like Macaggi, All That failed to get the message. Their semifinal performance was filled with even more stage gimmicks, all of which sufficed to only further distract away from their footwork.
Sometimes, less is more. Singers and rock groups can get away with flashy visuals because their acts are designed to stimulate the audience's audio senses. When visual effects are combined with a visual act, all they do is get in the way.
Comments