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Summer lovin' happened so fast

Everybody loves the underdog. So when three slightly nerdy 21-year-old boys wandered on stage (one of them hobbling on crutches, no less) for this season’s America’s Got Talent, the audience was certainly behind them.

Everybody loves the underdog.  So when three slightly nerdy 21-year-old boys wandered on stage (one of them hobbling on crutches, no less) for this season’s America’s Got Talent, the audience was certainly behind them. 

But you sense the disappointment when a slightly schmaltzy ballad began to play.

Then the boys opened their mouths and the most gorgeous tones came out. It was a moment of pure magic that producers and viewers alike pray for each night. 

No surprise the group, comprised of slightly pudgy former football players ironically called “Triple Threat,” went on to the next round.

Acts such as this are the reason why America’s Got Talent returns each summer.  Viewers like discovering unusual and unexpected talent in the most unlikely places. 

It was on this stage that 10-year-old Jackie Evancho first shared her operatic chops with the nation. Between her youth, her talent and those big blue eyes, audiences were smitten.

During that same season, a flamboyantly coiffed Prince Poppycock strutted on-stage in Victorian dress, tights, high heels and all the make-up from The Mikado and La Cage aux Folles combined with the attitude to match. Then he launched into an aria from The Barber of Seville.

Both were instant fan favourites.  And audiences lavished their endless love and praises on both contestants. 

But parents watching were dreaming of their child becoming the next Jackie – not  the next Poppycock. 

So Jackie got a record deal and is now worth a couple million, while Poppycock can be found with a search engine and a fringe festival schedule.

The fact is, he just didn’t fit into the commercial mold that turns a summer love into long-term appreciation.

There’s no shortage of talent-style shows.  So You Think You Can Dance, AGT, The Voice are regular favourites while new formats are launched on a regular basis. 

But in most cases, the fan following doesn’t last after the final credits roll. So are the shows failing?

Sure, ventriloquist, Terry Fator turned his Season Two win into a hundred million dollar contract with the Mirage in Las Vegas. 

But who outside of Sin City has heard from him? 

Singer, Michael Grim has been putting out records since he beat Jacki Evancho in 2010. 

But how many have been heard on the radio?

What happened to the fiddling step-dancers, Celtic Spring? 

Or performance artists, Fighting Gravity?

Then again, just because we haven’t seen them on television doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoying some success due to AGT. 
Fighting Gravity has been travelling all over the world and had their own show in New York City.  And Celtic Spring uses its AGT credentials to book tour dates.

Fortunately, most performers realize that stardom – at least with AGT – is fleeting.  So they had better make the most of it. 

And viewers are coming to understand that the love they share with the contestants is just a summer fling.  Only to be replaced once the fall TV season begins.





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