‘AGT’ Live Show #2 Power Rankings: Who Will Move On to the Semi-Finals?
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Later this evening, we’ll find out which acts from last night’s installment of America’s Got Talent will advance to the semi-finals.
This episode’s talent was noticeably weaker than the group we saw last week, and I’m not gonna lie – it’s hard for me to come up with seven acts I think fully deserve a place in the next round, especially after better acts were eliminated last week.
Luckily, this list isn’t based off my personal opinions of the acts, but what the general consensus on each one seems to be. Once again, these power rankings are in order of who is most likely to be safe tonight.
- Glennis Grace:Â This was a pretty straightforward performance without many risks taken, but looking at how many other people struggled in some way this episode that was probably a good approach for Glennis to go with. She seems generally well-liked and had a decent spot in the running order so I can see people making the effort to vote for her. Her act last night was a little too safe for my liking (I like my AGT acts on the quirky and wild side) but after several crash-and-burn performances from other contestants I’d say it probably also makes her the “safest” pick to advance tonight.
- The Sacred Riana: I was worried the American audience wouldn’t take to her as well as the Asia’s Got Talent viewers did, but as I explained earlier I think the cut to commercial people have been talking about since the show aired will ultimately help her advance.
- Duo Transcend:Â They had a very strong showing last night and the pimp spot (last of the night) should give them a boost. I do think they need to change things up a bit next round, but I understood the decision to replicate parts of their Judge Cuts performance since it played into the “redemption arc” the show seems to be putting them on.
- Voices Of Hope:Â This is an act I think will benefit from getting put in the mediocre quarter-final episode. I really didn’t think they were anything special last night, but neither were most of the other acts, and we all know the AGT demo loves kid singers, and they provide a decent option for people who aren’t really into the more outlandish acts to vote for.
- Samuel J. Comroe: I really didn’t think he was all that great either and, like Glennis, played it pretty safe with his latest set. I was expecting him to fade into the woodwork but it’s looking like he has more support than I realized. (Yes, I know a lot of people connect with his backstory about having Tourette’s Syndrome but he seemed to downplay that this week so I guess people just really like dog jokes?)
- Noah Guthrie: I’m having trouble telling exactly how much fan backing Noah has, but people seemed to respond to him decently well last night, Glee history aside. So I’ll put him in the Dunkin’ Save since that’s kind of a middle ground.
- The Savitsky Cats: This is another act I think will benefit from being on a weaker episode. I really like them, and I know a lot of others do too, but it doesn’t seem to be the kind of act that really motivates people to vote upon watching it (I think animal acts have a better shot when they have a heartwarming backstory attached to them, like Sarah and Hero from last season). I’m seeing more love for the kitties than expected, though, so I think they have a shot at making it to the Dunkin’ Save group.
- Da RepubliK: They delivered one of the better performances last night, but the track record for hip-hop dance groups hasn’t been too great and they performed second, which is arguably the worst running order spot on reality TV. On the upside, they got rave reviews from the judges and were the better of the two dance acts this episode, so I think they’ve got a shot.
- Makayla Phillips: Remember when I said Makayala was the closest thing to a lock to move forward this episode? Well…I think that forecast may have been a little bit off. I think she might be able to get on the bubble but I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up here in what I’m calling the Flau’jae spot – a Golden Buzzer act who just wasn’t able to connect with the audience enough to move past their first live show.
- Front Pictures: I am so, so sad to have to put this amazing act this low on the list. While I agreed with Howie it was probably more exciting to watch in person, I thought it translated decently well to TV. The problem here is that growing emotionally attached to the contestants is a big part of AGT for a lot of viewers, and we know almost nothing about the performers in this act. They didn’t compete in Judge Cuts, so we only have their audition package and the one from last night to go on, and neither of those told us much. I’m hoping their spot as last night’s penultimate act will help them out, but I have a feeling this is going to be another case of being likeable without a huge motivator to draw in votes, which is a real shame.
- Yumbo Dump: They’re not dead last because I know a lot of the more hardcore fan have been voting for them (mostly ironically and/or as a middle finger to the show) but I don’t see any way they advance…unless they somehow end up as the semi-finals wildcard act.
- Quin and Misha: They have all of the audience disdain of Yumbo Dump but none of the ironic charm. Like I said last night, if they’d just gone all-out cheesy I could see some people getting on board but it was just kind of timid and bland. I appreciate what Quin can do at her age, but I don’t think that’ll be enough to get them by.
Dunkin’ Save
I have Noah Guthrie, The Savitsky Cats, and Da RepubliK on the bubble this week, with an outside chance of Samuel or Makayla being there instead of one of the others. I think if it does turn out to be the first three, Noah would be safe, and the judges would either choose Da RepubliK to move forward or, more likely, vote 2-2 and go to a tiebreaker for the second week in a row.
America’s Got Talent results will air on NBC at 8/7c tonight.