Asia's Got Talent (season 1)

Asia's Got Talent
Season 1
Broadcast from March 12, 2015 – May 14, 2015
Judges Anggun
David Foster
Melanie C
Vanness Wu
Host(s) Marc Nelson
Rovilson Fernandez
Broadcaster AXN Asia
Winner
El Gamma Penumbra
Origin Philippines
Genre(s) Shadow play group
Runner-up
Khusugtun

The first season of Asia's Got Talent (AGT) started airing on March 12, 2015, across 15 countries in Asia,[1][2] culminating to a grand final airing nine weeks later on May 14, 2015. It featured a grand prize of US$100,000 and an opportunity to perform at the Marina Bay Sands.[3]

The show is hosted by Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez; while the judges are Anggun, David Foster, Melanie C, and Vanness Wu.[2] This show is also co-hosted by Singaporean Youtuber and Power98FM DJ's Dee Kosh for sneak previews, highlights, recaps, and behind the scenes.

Filipino shadow play group El Gamma Penumbra was declared the winner of the show's first season. News of their win leaked early through social media even before the broadcast of the results,[4][5] causing dismay among netizens due to the spoiler nature of the leak.[5]

Auditions

The following were the locations for the open ground auditions:

Date City Audition location Ref.
27 September 2014 Singapore Basement 1, Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands [6]
28 September 2014 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Taylor's University Lakeside Campus [7]
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia [8]
5 October 2014 Taipei, Taiwan Legacy Taipei [9]

Auditionees were also allowed to submit their audition videos online via the show's official website.

Auditions in front of the judges (and a live audience) were held for several days in early January 2015 at the Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor, Malaysia.[10] They would be screened across five episodes.[11]

The judges' auditions also feature the Golden Buzzer. Each judge would have one chance to use the Golden Buzzer. The so-called Golden Acts, those on whom the Golden Buzzer is used, would automatically advance to the Semi-Finals. Wu was the first to press the Golden Buzzer on Japanese popping act Time Machine, followed by Melanie C on Chinese acrobat-dancer couple Gao Lin and Liu Xin and Anggun on Filipino shadow play group El Gamma Penumbra. Foster was the last judge to push the Golden Buzzer, using it on Filipina singer/soprano Gerphil Flores.

Below are the acts who are confirmed within the show to have received at least three Yes votes and thus had successfully passed their auditions, as well as the Golden Acts. As implied by the addition of acts whose performances were exclusively seen outside AXN Asia's broadcast of the show, the list does not cover everyone who had passed. Due to time constraints, some acts, named or otherwise, are seen with their fates partially known (only one or two known Yes votes) or edited out completely from broadcast and are thus not listed.

Semifinals

The deliberation round was held at the Marina Bay Sands, the venue for the semifinals and finals.[11] It was shown at end of the final auditions episode first aired on April 9, 2015. Wu was not physically present during the deliberation round, his input being relayed through Foster, who along with Anggun and Melanie C chose the 20 remaining acts who would compete in semi-finals. The four Golden Acts and the judges' picks would bring the total number of semifinalists to 24. The first eight semifinalists were announced after the deliberation round, with the others to be revealed gradually as the semifinal rounds progress.

While the voting is similar to other voting processes in the Got Talent franchise, the revelation of results would be slightly different, to be revealed in the following week rather than the next night (as semifinal rounds are only once weekly, barring replays). Also, in another twist, the Golden Buzzer returns wherein each semifinal round, the judges would use it as one unit to send one act straight to the finals. This is similar to the Judges' Choice in the other local franchises, albeit one ahead of the vote rather than after and based on the vote. Aside from the Judges' Choice through the Golden Buzzer, the two acts with the most public votes would also advance to the finals. There would thus be a total of nine finalists emerging from the three semifinal rounds.

Key Buzzed
  Automatic finalist through Golden Buzzer
  Finalist through public vote
G Golden act

Semifinalist summary

Ages listed are as of the time of the auditions. In the case of group acts, the age ranges only accounted for the members present at the auditions. The age(s) of any additional member(s) who only appeared in the semifinal may or may not be within the range designated.

Name of Act Age(s) Genre Act Home country Semifinal (week) Position Reached
AltType 26 – 29 Performance Art Double Dutch act  Japan 3 Semifinalist
Bảo Cường 23 – 35[note 1] Performance Art Extreme performance artist  Vietnam 2 Semifinalist
Bebop 19 – 24 Music Girls' rock band  South Korea 2 Semifinalist
Billy Chang 31 Dance/Performance Art Contemporary dancer  Taiwan 3 Semifinalist
The Brothers 30 – 34 Music Tenors  Indonesia 1 Semifinalist
Dance Thrilogy 8 – 12 Dance Girls' tap dance group  Singapore ( Australia)[note 2] 3 Finalist
El Gamma Penumbra 22 – 40 Performance Art Shadow play group  Philippines 3 Finalist
Fathin Amira 22 Music Singer  Singapore 2 Semifinalist
Gao Lin and Liu Xin 26 & 22 Acrobatics Dancers/Acrobats  China 1 Finalist
Gerphil Geraldine Flores 24 Music Singer/Soprano  Philippines 2 Finalist
Gonzo 29 Music/Performance Art Tambourine performance artist  Japan 1 Semifinalist
Gwyneth Dorado 10 Music Singer/Acoustic guitarist  Philippines 1 Finalist
Junior New System 16 – 23 Dance Multi-genre dance act  Philippines 2 Finalist
Khusugtun 25 – 38 Music Musical ensemble  Mongolia 2 Finalist
Nitish Bharti 25 Performance Art Sand artist  India 1 Semifinalist
Oscar Chu 18 Music Harmonica performer  Taiwan 1 Semifinalist
Sada Borneo 21 – 23 Music New-age band  Malaysia 3 Semifinalist
Sydney Uke 12 Music Ukulele player  Thailand 2 Semifinalist
The Talento 11 – 12 Music Boys' rock band  Thailand 3 Finalist
Time Machine 23 – 32 Dance Popping dance act  Japan 3 Semifinalist
Toshanbor Singh Nongbet 23 Music Tenor  India 3 Semifinalist
Triqstar 23 – 33 Dance Neo-traditional dance troupe  Japan 1 Finalist
The Velasco Brothers 22 – 33 Dance/Acrobatics Acrobats/Breakdancers  Philippines 1 Semifinalist
Young Boys 14 – 24 Music/Comedy Comic piano ensemble  Indonesia 2 Semifinalist
Note
  1. ↑ The multiple ages accounted for Bảo Cường's age as well as those of his two assistants present at the time of his audition.
  2. ↑ Some of the newly added members of Dance Thrilogy are from Australia.

Semifinals, Round 1 (April 16)

(For the Buzzes columns in this section and the next two, Melanie C is referred to by her surname Chisholm.)

Act Order Performance description Buzzes Result
Foster Anggun Wu Chisholm
Japan Gonzo 1 Tambourine performance artist; performed a superhero-inspired tambourine routine to the tune of "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. Eliminated
Philippines Gwyneth Dorado 2 Singer/acoustic guitarist; sang "Nobody's Perfect" by Jessie J. Advanced
Taiwan Oscar Chu 3 Harmonica performer; performed "Rondo Alla Turca" from Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 using a total of eight harmonicas. Eliminated
Japan Triqstar 4 Neo-traditional dance troupe; performed a popping dance routine centered on cherry blossoms and the folk song "Sakura Sakura." Advanced
Philippines The Velasco Brothers 5 Acrobats/breakdancers; performed a mob/bar fight-inspired routine. Eliminated
India Nitish Bharti 6 Sand artist; used multiple sand boards to convey a story of a world seen by a blind girl temporarily given sight. Eliminated
China Gao Lin and Liu Xin 7 Dancers/acrobats; performed a routine based on the tango. Advanced
Indonesia The Brothers 8 Tenors; sang "All by Myself" by Eric Carmen, as popularized by Celine Dion. Eliminated

Semifinals, Round 2 (April 23)

Act Order Performance description Buzzes Result
Foster Anggun Wu Chisholm
Indonesia Young Boys 1 Comic piano ensemble; performed a tropical island-themed routine using a total of seven instruments: a piano, an electronic organ, a pair of kettledrums, a marimba, a pair of bongo drums, a pair of conga drums, and a cajón. Eliminated
Philippines Gerphil Geraldine Flores 2 Singer/soprano; sang "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" from the movie Love Story. Advanced
South Korea Bebop 3 Girls' rock band; sang "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins. Eliminated
Mongolia Khusugtun 4 Musical ensemble; performed a traditional Mongolian musical piece, initially starting with bird chirps and a few instruments before reaching an a capella climax. Advanced
Vietnam Bảo Cường 5 Extreme performance artist; inserted various objects through his nose and mouth and stopped a running motorized electric fan blade with his bare tongue before eventually swallowing a sword weighted down by a pot and several knives. Eliminated
Thailand Sydney Uke 6 Ukulele player; performed "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli. Eliminated
Singapore Fathin Amira 7 Singer; sang "Chandelier" by Sia. Eliminated
Philippines Junior New System 8 Multi-genre dance act; performed a multitrack dance and stunts performance using a medley composed of "We Will Rock You" by Queen, "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan, "María" by Ricky Martin, "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez, and "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé. Advanced

Semifinals, Round 3 (April 30)

Act Order Performance description Buzzes Result
Foster Anggun Wu Chisholm
Philippines El Gamma Penumbra 1 Shadow play group; performed a routine based centrally on war, recovery from war, and peace. Advanced
Singapore (Australia) Dance Thrilogy 2 Girls' tap dance group; performed a sailor-themed dance routine, set to the music of "Anything Goes" from the musical with the same name. Advanced
Malaysia Sada Borneo 3 New-age band; performed an original composition inspired by the rainforest and nature in general. Eliminated
Japan AltType 4 Double Dutch act; performed a toys-inspired routine. Eliminated
Thailand The Talento 5 Boys' rock band; sang "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. Advanced
Japan Time Machine 6 Popping dance act; performed a science-fiction/mad scientist's laboratory-inspired routine. Eliminated
India Toshanbor Singh Nongbet 7 Tenor; sang an operatic rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" as written by Albert Hay Malotte. Eliminated
Taiwan Billy Chang 8 Contemporary dancer; performed a dance routine based on the four classical elements of earth (represented by sand), wind (from a wind machine), fire (a flaming hoop), and water. Eliminated

Finals

The finals, like the semifinals, will be held at the Marina Bay Sands over a span of two episodes, a performance night and a results night.[11] It is presumed that the final two public vote finalists from the third semifinal round would be present together the finalists who already advanced.

Charice and illusionist Cosentino (Australia's Got Talent season 5 runner-up) performed in the results night, Charice singing "Lay Me Down" with Foster on piano and Consentino performing a metamorphosis/escape act involving a cage and spikes. Anggun also sang "Snow on the Sahara" before joining the rest of the judges in covering their own version of "Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind & Fire. There were no intentional buzzes towards the acts but Wu buzzed after Gao Lin & Liu Xin's proposal aiming it at Foster.

Key
  Winner
  Second place
  Third place
  Fourth place
  Middle two
  Bottom three
  Finalist through Golden Buzzer
  Finalist through public vote
Act Order Performance description Result
Thailand The Talento 1 Boys' rock band; sang "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Fourth place
China Gao Lin and Liu Xin 2 Dancers/acrobats; performed a ballet and acrobatics routine to the tune of "Unconditionally" by Katy Perry. (An actual and unexpected wedding proposal ensued between the two after the performance.) Bottom three
Philippines Gwyneth Dorado 3 Singer/acoustic guitarist; sang "Titanium" by David Guetta featuring Sia. Bottom three
Singapore (Australia) Dance Thrilogy 4 Girls' tap dance group; performed a dance routine to the tune of "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" from the musical 42nd Street. Bottom three
Mongolia Khusugtun 5 Musical ensemble; performed an original composition with the use of traditional Mongolian musical instruments. Second place
Japan Triqstar 6 Neo-traditional dance troupe; performed a dance routine wholly inspired by the traditional Japanese arts, highlighted by dancing while still kneeling, contortionism, and popping routines. Middle two
Philippines El Gamma Penumbra 7 Shadow play group; performed a routine themed centrally on man's destruction of Mother Earth's resources, its effects, and ecological salvation, set to the tune of "Colors of the Wind" by Vanessa Williams. Winner
Philippines Gerphil Geraldine Flores 8 Singer/soprano; sang "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" from the musical Man of La Mancha. Third place
Philippines Junior New System 9 Multi-genre dance act; performed an American football-inspired multitrack dance and stunts performance using a medley which included, among others, "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé, "Let Me Clear My Throat" by DJ Kool, and "Who Let the Dogs Out?" by Baha Men. Middle two

References

  1. ↑ "AXN bringing in 'Asia's Got Talent'". The Philippine Star. September 20, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Marc, Rovilson to host 'Asia's Got Talent'". ABS-CBN News. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Search for first 'Asia's Got Talent' winner starts March". Manila: The Philippine Star. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "PH dance troupe El Gamma Penumbra wins 'Asia's Got Talent'". Rappler.com. May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Mendoza, Arvin (May 14, 2015). "Netizens express dismay over ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ results leak". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Happenings - Arts : Asia's Got Talent auditions, ITE Dance Emblazon and Kitchen Confidante". The Straits Times. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Dhillon, Rajina (September 28, 2014). "'Asia's Got Talent' kicks off Malaysian audition". The Rakyat Post. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ "'Asia's Got Talent' holds audition in Manila". The Philippine Star. September 26, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Audition key dates". Asia's Got Talent. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Asia’s Got Talent at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios". Iskandar Malaysia Studios website. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Moon, Pamela (January 30, 2015). "'Asia’s Got Talent' kicks off with high expectations". Yahoo! Celebrity Philippines. Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom. Retrieved January 31, 2015.

External links

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