Arcadian Broad – Is America’s Got Talent Rigged?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 11:30 PM | America's Got Talent
Tags: America's Got Talent, Arcadian Broad

Arcadian Broad a Billy Elliot-wannabe on America’s Got Talent blamed the AGT producers for his routine tonight.

Piers Morgan said that Arcadian was not ready for the finals, and then Arcadian said: “I didn’t want to do High School Musical… and the producers gave me this hand…” before he was stopped by the judges. Wow, poor kid. I would be surprised if he made it to the finals after that comment. You don’t make yourself look better by making the show that you’re on look bad. LOL. I think what these reality contestants forget is that these programs are TV shows. If there wasn’t any variety, then it would be boring. Besides, the High School Musical routine wasn’t bad at all! Piers was just being the bad cop.

In the end Nick Cannon said: “The acts do have a final say on what they do when they perform.”

Watch the video here:

34 Comments for Arcadian Broad – Is America’s Got Talent Rigged?

1

I wonder if this will be edited out in the repeats. LOL.

Funny stuff though..I won’t be surprised if his family is actually in trouble now. No way he’s making it to the finals.

Or will they go easy on him since he’s a kid? Funny stuff.

Klope62 on September 1, 2009 at 11:33 pm
2

All I know is that, after that comment, I’m totally voting for him… haha.

Katie on September 1, 2009 at 11:48 pm
3

I wouldn’t have voted for him before but because of that comment he got all ten of my votes.

Daniel on September 2, 2009 at 1:15 am
4

I really really love his first name. Very cool and unique.

Claire on September 2, 2009 at 1:25 am
5

I think its half & half. Obviously being a 13 yr. old boy he wasn’t crazy about doing a HSM theme to his routine. But A) I believe part of it is he was having trouble finding something to do (theme wise) so B) The producers came up with this idea for him so he just went with it because he had nothing better to do. So the real question lies in the producers motives because it wasn’t a theme he was into but was a theme that could easily get him votes from tween girls based on solely the theme. The producers did make sure to jump in Nick’s ear to make sure he covered up what was said to seem like it wasn’t rigged. So were they just being nice by helping him with an idea or that AND picked a idea that would help him get more votes????

Brent on September 2, 2009 at 1:27 am
6

Tell it how it is kid! Awesome!!!

Xaneth on September 2, 2009 at 2:45 am
7

Now that’s what I call REALITY TV.

Jason on September 2, 2009 at 2:58 am
8

i was going to split my votes between him the fat dancer with his skinny wife. BUT AFTER ARCADIAN SAID THAT IM GIVING HIM ALL MY VOTES! he’s a bad ass, he gained my respect from his comment. im calling in by phone, texting, and voting on their page all that i can and getting other people to vote for him too! GO ARCADIAN GO!

rasier on September 2, 2009 at 3:07 am
9

Arcadian’s comment didn’t make me think that it rigged. I guess I always felt that the producers work alongside all the contestants to help them flesh out their acts. And like Brent said, my guess is that he didn’t have any other ideas so they gave him this one; a suggestion, not a be all end all decision. I’m sure if the judges wouldn’t have criticized him he would have kept his mouth shut and thanked them for saving him.

And no, I didn’t vote him because of this, never have, and I never will. I admire his courage and determination in doing what he does, but the fact of the matter is that Piers was 100% correct in his evaluation. In my opinion, the only thing about Arcadian’s act that’s changed each week is the music – he does the same exact spins and mindless flailing each time. Compared with fresh acts like Kevin Skinner and Grandma Lee, he has zero chance of winning this competition.

Triple J on September 2, 2009 at 7:24 am
10

Every week we see these acts perform with production values far beyond their reach. It’s obvious that the producers have their hands in the performances.
All you had to do is to see the next performer after Arcadian. Kevin was sent out to sing with a horrible Karaoke accompaniment that obviously too fast for his style and, if that wasn’t obvious enough…. where in the hell did they ever get the idea to include that horrible Broadway key change that very nearly train-wrecked the whole song?
Peirs Morgan is a nobody – a talentless and tasteless opportunist. He has no place on any American TV show. And the producers of AGT have taken this show someplace that I do not care to follow.
My advice to future contestants would be to avoid the contest all together – It no longer has any credibility and you’d do better to build your own career.
Arcadian, you are still #1 in my book. But I don’t ever want to watch you or anyone else suffer that kind of humiliation again. Walk away from this farce and make a career for yourself – one that you can be proud of.

Leigh on September 2, 2009 at 8:46 am
11

It was an interesting show after that I can tell you that. I don’t think the show is rigged but I can say that I think the producers to pretty much say look this is what you need to do in the show because it is a show and people want entertainment. I think they were gearing him for other career moves in case he did not win but I can tell you now not many producers will want to pick him up after that even though it was a gutsy move. He might pick up votes out of respect at this point. Who knows.

Robert on September 2, 2009 at 10:24 am
12

I voted for him 30 times!! Go Arcardian

Leia on September 2, 2009 at 10:27 am
13

I believe him. That didn’t seem like anything he’d choose to do. Even so, I don’t think he’s good enough to win this.

DonMI on September 2, 2009 at 12:29 pm
14

Brent – there have been reports prior to this from numerous postings about producers restricting singers to what they can sing and being responsible for other acts as well. How many times do we see singers singing what is wrong for them?

Here are the cases where I specifically read posts on blogs/youtube about singers not being able to choose music that was right for them:
1. during the 2nd season there was a little girl, I don’t remember her name. She was OK in her YouTube videos. She auditioned with “And I am telling you”. She was cut by Pierce, presented as a Bianca Ryan’s wannabe but without Bianca’s talent or charm. I later read a post from her father (supposedly) telling that she was told by producers to audition with this song.
2. Remember Donald Braswell last year? Have you ever wondered why he’d never attempted opera arias on the show given that he used to be an opera singer given that arias would give him better opportunity to show what he really can do? I did, and I thought that he was no longer able to do it after his accident. Recently I read the producers gave him only a few songs to choose from and the list didn’t include opera arias. On YouTube there is a video of him singing Lenski aria from opera Eugene Onegin. He is singing without a microphone and he is very good even by strict opera standards.
3. This year there was one really terrible audition. Some woman claiming to grace us with Carmen than produced some random notes in a shrilly unpleasant voice. Her name was Dorothy Bishop. Strangely, her all other videos on youtube are quite good. I read later that AGT producers gave her some weird semi-classical semi-pop arrangement of Carmen’s habanera to sing about 48 hours before the audition. The arrangement included the transition between the first pretty much straight forward classical part of an aria and the pop part. The transition was very awkward – glissando – and it just wasn’t in her voice (or she couldn’t get it into her voice in 48 hours). This transition is the only part we got to hear.

These are cases that impressed me the most. I am sure there are numerous others. Sure, there may be copyright restrictions on songs, but there are no copyright restriction on classical music. Yet even classical musicians seem to be told what to perform on this show.

kitty on September 2, 2009 at 1:34 pm
15

oh jeepers, i can’t believe a few people still think no extra hands are at work in every talent show on tv. knock-knock. man you of toooooooooooooooooo much faith

henry on September 2, 2009 at 2:11 pm
16

Arcadian is a very unique young man with an extraordinary talent. I hope that he will reach for the stars and hang on. He has a great future! I hope to hear a lot more about him in the future. Thank you Arcadian!

David on September 2, 2009 at 3:05 pm
17

He’s so fantastic. He was absolutely right to stand up for himself. The HSM theme obviously limited HIS own choreography that showcases his true talent (which is immense.)

Speaking of the contestants not being comfortable with what the producers force them to do; remember Tony & Rory’s Baywatch theme? When the judges asked if it was his idea he looked incredibly uncomfortable and gave a definate “No” followed by awkward silence.

Personally my favorite performances are the auditions. It’s real, raw and from the heart, that’s what i want to see.

Bits on September 2, 2009 at 3:28 pm
18

LOL!!! I’m stunned that ANYONE still doesn’t realize that ANY show involving Freemantle entertainment is 100% RIGGED!!! This is no different than their flagship “reality” show, American I-Dull. None of these shows has EVER been a legitimate “talent contest” – they are completely rigged “Reality” shows.

The kid that spoke out has my respect, and even though Freemantle will kick him to the curb immediately, he still has his self-respect intact. Something that NO finalist on American I-Dull or AGT can really say.

TFB on September 2, 2009 at 3:47 pm
19

Hey, they let that guy who plays the piano move on, because the audio was bad. Bri, the gal who went home instead of the piano guy SHOULD have stayed.

Eric on September 2, 2009 at 4:14 pm
20

ITS THE PRODUCERS JOB TO DO THAT SO NOBODY SOULD GET ALL WORKED UP THE PRODUCERS GET PAID TO DO THAT

Kalee on September 2, 2009 at 4:19 pm
21

To Kalee:

Okay, I know that producers have a right to do whatever they want to THEIR show, but if they are telling contestants WHAT TO DO instead of letting them do their own thing, they need to admit it.

Adumb on September 2, 2009 at 5:49 pm
22

What was Arcadian gonna say?

“I didn’t want to do High School Musical and the producers gave me this hand…” ??

Why would they give you a hand??????

Adumb on September 2, 2009 at 5:52 pm
23

There’s quite a difference between telling someone what to sing and outright rigging the show. I think some misguided producers are giving the contestants numbers that they actually believe will go over well with the voters without considering the contestant’s ability to perform them well enough in the time allowed.

DonMI on September 2, 2009 at 5:52 pm
24

This is the first year I have watched this show. I have watched since the auditons and I though Arcadian Broad was incredible. Even during his performance last night I was telling my husband that I was really suprised he chose this routine, it was just not his style and did not show his talent. So I was not suprised that he made the comment he did. I have never cast a vote for anyone on this show before, but he got my votes last night. He deserves to go to the final, certainly before Rory and I love dogs!

Tina on September 2, 2009 at 6:48 pm
25

They didn’t even show his comment on tonight’s reshow of it LOL

SaucyAussieCookFan on September 2, 2009 at 8:56 pm
26

hahahaha go Arcadian. I hope he goes through. You could tell by his little smile at the end that no matter what, his self-respect is intact. I’m loving it.

hesterprune on September 2, 2009 at 9:50 pm
27

In the live show on Tuesday, when Arcadian spilled the beans, it was obvious that Nick was being told by the producers through his IFB to do “damage control”. He did so by stating that the acts “have the final say”.

Then I tuned in on the Wednesday rerun just to see if the statement by Arcadia would be edited out. Yep! For me, that says a lot about this show.

I was a loyal follower until this hogwash. The damage control by the producers just showed it was indeed rigged.

Poor Kid. I thought he was very good…a heck of a lot better than the three “tone deaf” tenners.

timtrent on September 2, 2009 at 10:58 pm
28

Wow haha – shut him up quick producers! Don’t worry about the fact that people who NEVER call in to vote are voting for this kid. Ignore the news articles and blog posts on the Internet that draw attention to this show BECAUSE of his comment. Whatever you do – get rid of this kid who is generating interest in the show as quick as you can. All that attention he has received for speaking up HAS to be bad for keeping viewers interested right?

Once he’s gone, do a little homework on “irony”.

Alternatively, you could just LET him talk, let him choose his act, and LET him be him and call the shots so that we don’t get fed up watching some fabricated sugar-coated clearly-not-Arcadian junk routine. Viewers might actually be interested in that – whether it turns out to be flashy or not. I’m okay with imperfection but not deception.

Way to go Arcadian! You rock!

Rocker on September 2, 2009 at 11:45 pm
29

wow this reminds me of land of the free and the home of the brave.
way to go AGT producers.

Oh wait!! Simon is not american, opps, thats why.

chuck on September 3, 2009 at 1:03 am
30

If they had let Arcadian talk and then let Piers stop him and explain, as Piers observations were fairly good and then left it at that and moved on, all is well. Or at least better than it is now.

Instead, the producers did damage control, which in turn did more Damage than control. The fact that Nick was told through his IFB to say that acts have final say, tells me that the producers had some sort of part in it. Be it giving him a suggestion, telling him to do this routine, or whatever it may be.

After reading some posts online, in newspapers and watching and listening to some interviews of previous contestants from previous seasons, its clear that the show “high encourages” the acts to do whatever they say to do or whatever is on the “hand”

The show probably isn’t “rigged” but it is certainly nurtured to its liking and not necessarily to what the performers do. But contestants sign a contract and in the contract is probably something about “producers have right to green light a performance or deny it, and if they deny a performance the producers reserve the right to change, adapt, and/or modify the perfomance as they see fit” or something along those lines, but in probably more legal jargon that we cannot comprehend.

Also anyone that thinks Reality TV is actually “real” or unscripted , you are very mistaken. Just look at Keeping up with the Kardashians. At least one episode I know of (The Nanny episode) was 90% scripted. (want proof? I can send you a youtube video of the woman that played the Nanny – but word of warning she is an Adult film start)(Though there’s no nudity or sex in the interview video)

But as some here have stated, you DONT badmouth producers in hollywood, IF you want to stay there. I commend Arcadian for speaking his mind, but if he wants in this biz, he must learn to tell off the producers in a clever way, a way that will benefit him and the producers.

This business is very very cruel at times and it is VERY un-loyal. It’s like in the Dark Knight when the Joker said to Batman “Oh sure they need you know, but when they don’t they’ll cast you out” That is the epitome of Hollywood. If you have self-confidence and a thick skin, you’ll survive, but if you don’t..you better take classes before you try to get in.

Mat "The Source" on September 3, 2009 at 2:40 am
31

I will also say that I believe Ellen will have Arcadian on her show, as she seems to be the one of the few who snubs the producers and does want she wants (Another on is Jay Leno.)…

AND THEY LET HER..

Because they know that she’s popular and she will speak her mind and if they kick her off the air, they will have death threats and hate mail flooding into all the channels and stations Ellen is syndicated on.

Also remember one of the Executive Producers on AGT is… SIMON COWELL, hmm.

Mat "The Source" on September 3, 2009 at 2:59 am
32

“There’s quite a difference between telling someone what to sing and outright rigging the show. I think some misguided producers are giving the contestants numbers that they actually believe will go over well with the voters without considering the contestant’s ability to perform them well enough in the time allowed.”

Except for they thought that an opera aria Nessun Dorma would work well and let Neal do it; never mind that the aria is beyond his abilities as anybody who has ever heard real opera (not POPera) singers would tell you.

At the same time they wouldn’t allow a trained opera singer like Donald Braswell to sing any opera arias at all. I think the audience would’ve enjoyed both of them singing the same aria – this would’ve provided an interesting comparison. Or he could’ve done “La donna e’ mobile” – an aria that would’ve appealed to non-opera audience but would’ve allowed him to show what he can do. Audience votes on overall impression and someone singing a music that stood the test of time, that was written by a genius, that has the power to touch you has a tremendous advantage.

No it’s not the same as direct rigging, but the choice of music gives them more control over who’d audience will like. Combine that with judges comments that often praise singers who are off pitch while put down better singers with vague comments how they didn’t impress them or didn’t stand out, etc. Same with dancers.

Additionally, how often do we hear singers criticized for the choice of a song or dancers other acts for choice of material or staging. I think most of the audience would prefer to watch a real talent competition….

Unrelated – for people who were impressed by opera singers on AGT and who are genuinely interested to know what it takes to become a real opera singer, there is documentary called “The Audition” about 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions – a very prestigious opera competition held every year. It was in the movie theaters last spring, and I read that it is likely to be shown on PBS this fall. If you look for “The Audition Metropolitan Opera” on youtube, you’d probably find a preview. Now, this is a real competition where talent matters more than ratings….

kitty on September 3, 2009 at 12:58 pm
33

You guys realize that ” the producers” are Simon cowell? I just don’t understand how with his critical eye he can pick no talent skinner to win it over baby barishnakoff (spelling?). Arcadian probably got the most votes because of his comment but they couldn’t risk having him draw that kind of attention to the show. To be fair though, I’m not sure how they would market him in vegas.

Danielle on September 4, 2009 at 2:01 pm
34

I was going to say something else but I’ll say this…I wish the performers could sing, dance, act what they wanted to do, take their own risks and chances. Not have choices influenced by sob stories and charisma and money. Then the show would really be a competition. Same with all these other shows. That would be nice.

ME on September 16, 2009 at 11:08 pm