‘AGT’ Finals Power Rankings: Who Is Most Likely to Win Season 13?
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It’s time for the final America’s Got Talent power rankings of the season, and this time we’re going to mix things up a bit!
This week, the list will work backwards, starting with the act I think is least likely to take home the million, and moving up to the act I think has the best chance of bringing it home. (Please take note that the order is based on how people seem to be reacting to the contestants and not how much I personally enjoy them, so if your favorite is too low for your liking, I very well may feel the same way.)
10. Daniel Emmet
As I said in the recap last night, going into this final week I think everyone – Daniel included – knew he didn’t really have a shot at winning. But he’s been through a lot over the course of the competition, so I liked seeing him get this last hurrah as a celebration of his resilience.
9. Duo Transcend
As the other act who got into the top ten via the judges’ choice save (or, more accurately in this case, the audience tiebreaker) Duo Transcend was facing a near-impossible hurdle to overcome for the win. While I don’t think they’re getting anywhere close to victory from here, I’m glad Simon’s prophecy that they’d be in the finals turned out to be correct. It’s always going to be hard for AGT trapeze acts to keep things fresh enough to last to the end of the competition, let alone win.
8. Glennis Grace
Glennis probably has one of the bigger fanbases of the remaining acts, but as I’ve discussed before, the issue for her is that the majority of them seem to be from the Netherlands, where she built a name for herself long before this stint on AGT. She already had to rely on the Dunkin’ Save last week, plus her performance last night had some issues and she was put in an easily forgotten spot in the running order. I think the absolute best finish she can hope for would be fifth place, but even that would be a longshot.
7. Vicki Barbolak
Vicki’s humor certainly isn’t for everyone, but even those who dislike her seem to agree last night’s performance was one of her better ones. I was thinking she might be able to break into the top five but I have a feeling going third in the performance order will keep her in the bottom half of the finalists. That’s still a very respectable finish and I have a feeling Vicki may get a lot of opportunities from her time on the show, possibly proving to be one of Season 13’s breakout acts.
6. Samuel J. Comroe
Samuel’s chances are slightly higher than Vicki’s because the reception I’ve seen for his performance last night was better than hers and he got to open the episode’s second hour, which is a pretty good running order spot. I think he’s got an outside shot at finishing in the top five (yes, he did get the Dunkin’ Save in the semi-finals, but he was in the clearly stronger of the two episodes that round) and I have to say, in a finale with two stand-up comedians, it would be pretty cool to see one make it there for the first time in three years. (The last one to make it that far was Season 10 runner-up Drew Lynch.)
5. Brian King Joseph
I have to say, I think Brian got a little bit of a raw deal last night. As I’ve seen other people say, I think he had a showstopping performance they put in the opening slot while Michael had an opening performance they put as the showstopper. What I did find encouraging was the fact that while none of the acts who served as the opener for a ten-act finals round went on to win the competition, all of them finished somewhere in the top five This is a trend I could see Brian continuing tonight, though I doubt he places any higher than fifth; much like last season, the top four seems to be locked in, and from here it’s all a matter of where each of them will place.
4. Zurcaroh
I said it after the show yesterday, and I’m sticking by it now: Based on everything we saw last night and over the course of the season, Zurcaroh deserves to win this thing hands-down. This is the only act who has been flawless in every single performance, and it’s the type of act this show was built for. However, based on their running order, the fact that groups tend to have a tough time actually pulling out the win on AGT, and how much the three acts about them seem to have made an impact on people, I’m going to guess they finish right around here. I’m really hoping they manage to get their own show somewhere and stick around in the entertainment world despite most likely losing out tonight.
3. Shin Lim
Shin seems to be doing remarkably well with voters for someone who did not receive a golden buzzer and has never gotten the pimp spot. Had those two things happened to him, I might be tempted to put him on top of the power rankings, because I’ve seen an overwhelming about of support for him over the course of the season, especially after last night’s episode. However, given the trend of every AGT champion since Season 10 – when the current format of the show started – having a golden buzzer and at least one “last act of the episode” slot under their belt, I don’t think Shin is actually going to win tonight. He’s definitely going to continue to have a great career, but I would have really loved to see a variety act win this season, especially since I felt all six of them really showed up last night while the four singers all faltered to varying degrees.
2. Courtney Hadwin
I’ve been predicting her to win pretty much all season, but between the semi-finals and now last night’s show I feel like she’s lost momentum and the novelty of her act has worn off. I’m not completely counting her out but I don’t think she blew the roof off the place last night like she needed to, and I do wonder how she’ll fare in the entertainment world beyond her current status as a novelty act. She definitely has potential to be more than that, though, and I hope she is somehow able to maintain a successful music career.
1. Michael Ketterer
I’m really really hoping to be wrong on this one. As I’ve said previously, I feel like Michael is the one act who got this far moreso on his personality and inspiring backstory than his actual talent. Most of his performances haven’t been anything special, and yesterday’s was particularly underwhelming as a show closer. I’d normally put him around third or fourth place but him going last yesterday and especially having Simon backing him and pushing him on the audience so much (possibly because he’ll be more marketable than Courtney in a long-term sense?) makes me think he might actually win this. Michael is definitely a great person who deserves wonderful things in life, but I just don’t think an AGT victory is one of them.
The special two-hour America’s Got Talent season finale begins tonight at 8/7c on NBC.
