Broadcaster AXN Asia Genre(s) Shadow play group | Origin Philippines | |
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Broadcast from March 12 – May 14, 2015 Judges Anggun
David Foster
Melanie C
Vanness Wu Host(s) Marc Nelson
Rovilson Fernandez | ||
The first season of Asia's Got Talent (AGT) started airing on March 12, 2015, across 15 countries in Asia, 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.
Contents
The show is hosted by Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez; while the judges are Anggun, David Foster, Melanie C, and Vanness Wu. 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, causing dismay among netizens due to the spoiler nature of the leak.
Auditions
The following were the locations for the open ground auditions:
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. They would be screened across five episodes.
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. 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.
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.
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.)
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. 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.