Masta Ace... you are seriously on mark here and I wish to give you kudos.
In the past I've had some problems with Pier's opinion on certain acts but this season he and I seem to agree more than not and for similar reasons. Howie, Sharon and the public seem stuck on listening to their heart strings pluck away when it comes to cute or the sympathy angle, etc. instead of looking at acts critically as Piers has done.
When it comes to magicians on ANY talent show, the onus is on the performer to do the best they can do and censor themselves when it comes to material that simply is not ready to be seen... such is the case with Dan and how poorly he did the Arm Amputator... Hell, if he had a proper one, they have blood squirters mounted in the table... I'd exploited that due to how Howie reacted to the Dental Floss previously... Howie's reaction alone would have misdirected the audience to a great level and possibly obfuscate the poorly made gimmick to some degree... then again, it just love seeing Sharon laugh at Howie's silliness.
IF you consider yourself a "Professional" entertainer, it is up to you to make certain EVERYTHING is as it's supposed to be for "selling" the bit. If you don't do this and if you do not exploit every possible asset available to you for the sake of improving the look and in our case, deceptivity of the act, you are not a professionally minded performer... someone that takes his/her obligations seriously.
Elsewhere we have people arguing over what is more important; the Trick vs. Presentation -- magic being plagued by folks that think the right set of tricks is all it takes. But owning the equipment and knowing the mechanics behind an effect HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH PERFORMING MAGIC. The Magic happens when you start looking at each trick and understanding how to make it the best version of that effect YOU can do... what kind of lighting is best, costumes, even the size and "complexion" of the assistant/animal working the routine. When you start getting this maticulous with your material you have started down the path towards being a true magician... btw, this is exactly how FISM champions stand out from the rest.
Maybe it's time to stop introducing new tricks and just start learning how to work with what's already out there?