World’s Most Amazing Dog season 1, episode 1 review: Don’t Drop the Balls

World’s Most Amazing Dog is a new series on Facebook Watch.

World’s Most Amazing Dog is kind of like America’s Got Talent – Canine Edition. It debuted February 7, and new episodes are released on Facebook Watch each Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Hosted by comedian Preacher Lawson (America’s Got Talent), and with actor George Lopez (George Lopez, Swing Vote, Beverly Hills Chihuahua) and TV personality Lisa Vanderpump (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules) as judges, each quarterfinal episode showcases six dogs and fans vote on the winner to advance to the semifinals, while the judges also pick one dog to advance.

The voting window is open on the Facebook mobile app for 48 hours after the episode drops, and for each vote cast Facebook will donate $1 to animal welfare causes.

The judges’ votes have to take three criteria into consideration: Difficulty of the Trick, Personality, and the Wow Factor.

The winner of the show will receive a custom doghouse worthy of an HGTV special and $100,000, which could buy a lot of treats.

The first dog up was Liv, a 5-year-old Yorkie mix from Chicago, who belongs to Natalie Aguila. Liv is a bit of a clotheshound, with over 500 outfits, according to Natalie. In her audition video, she raised her paws when told to “stick ’em up,” and then dropped dead when Natalie’s finger pistol went off.

Up next was Toshiro Flores, an 8-year-old Chihuahua from Sonora, Mexico, who belongs to Hermes Flores Manriquez. Hermes described him as “a little angel with a tail.” In his audition video he didn’t do anything interesting other than listen really attentively, which is a very important skill to have, but it sure isn’t flashy.

Phoenix, a 3-year-old black Lab from Linderhurst, New York, came next. He belongs to Mark Tupot, and lives in a heated-air-conditioned doghouse. In his audition video, Phoenix caught! a football. “Impressive,” you might be saying, “but isn’t that just an elaborate variation on fetch?” Not when he catches it with his paws like a human! Sign him up for the next Dog Bowl!

The fourth dog was Hercules from Crockett, Texas, who belongs to Leroy Golden. Actually, he chose Leroy, jumping into his convertible after being dumped down a dirt road. Hercules’s talent is his incredible balance.

5-year-old Rev the Border Collie came next. He belongs to Maddisen Phelan, and they’re from Georgetown, Ontario. He’s very helpful around the house, putting away loose socks, and smart, too – in his audition he played a game of Connect Four with Maddisen.

The final dog of this episode was Wink from Colorado Springs, who belongs to Anneliese Dearagon. Wink is a 2-year-old deaf and partially blind Pit Bull. They met when Wink was brought in to the rescue where Anneliese works, and in his audition video Wink shows off his agility skills.

Despite being impressed with Toshiro’s connection to Hermes, Lisa voted for Hercules, and while George was leaning towards Wink, he was convinced to also vote for Hercules to advance. If I (Wes) was judging I would have picked either Phoenix or Rev, because of their incredible athletic and mental skills, respectively.

World’s Most Amazing Dog also features adoptable dogs available through their partnerships with the ASPCA, Battersea in England, Soi Dog in Thailand, Vanderpump Dogs and World for All in India.

Which dog from this episode was your favorite? Let us know on the Dog O’Day Facebook or Twitter pages!