Locals Share Mixed Reviews For Michael Buckley's Live! Performance

It was a quick hour filled with rapid-fire banter between co-hosts, celebrity guests and some bizarre foods, but at the end of it all Meriden resident and Xavier High School graduate Michael Buckley was still smiling.

And so were many of you who watched the one-hour Live! with Kelly show on Tuesday morning, although some of you were more critical of the local man's performance.

After a series of competitions held last week, Buckley won the right to sit next to Ripa on the set of Live! and act as her co-host or the day.

Just prior to going on stage, Buckley tweeted, "Oh.....My.......God........It is like today is my Olympics! I have been training my whole life for this! GO USA!!!!!!!!!"

When it was over he shared this with his Twitter followers: "Wow!!!!! That was so incredible!!! I can't even process how wonderful I feel!!! Thank you for watching!!! I will breathe in a few hours!"

Several local viewers from Meriden and Middletown had their own strong reactions to Buckley's performance and whether his excited personality injected life to the show or his charismatic personality was too over the top.

Meriden Patch Facebook page reader Eileen Cahill Horton had this to say about Buckley's debut: "When Kelly first joined the show, I knew she was the right one for the job because she was edgy, quirky and you never knew what she would say. The exact same thing is true about Michael. He's unpredictable and hilarious which makes you want to keep watching. Great job representing!"

Middletown Patch reader Karen Rodenbach wrote that she "had not watched much of Live with Kelly, since Regis left as she (Kelly) fawn's over everyone. It is nauseating." But Rodenbach tuned in Tuesday to see how Buckley fared and here is her take on his performance: "He was fantastic. He brought a much needed variety to the show."

Middletown Reader Barbara Williams disagreed with Cahill Horton's and Rodenbach's conclusion.

"Michael Buckley was too hyper and tried to monopolize all the conversations with Kelly and guests. Will definitely not watch if he returns," Williams wrote.

Middletown reader M. Smalling said Buckley's banter was too "loud and over the top."

'I had to change the channel. Didn't enjoy the show at all, Kelly couldn't get a word in," Smalling wrote.

What do you think? How did Buckley do this morning? Share your opinion in the comments section below.