Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1609742-20150827204240/@comment-1609742-20150902003101

There have been exceptions (Samantha Johnson only placed sixth, ACTE II got out in Judges' Choice, Kelli Glover needed Judges' Choice, etc.), but it tends to help.

A lot of it is correlation, not causation though. Producers will want to end the show on a high note, usually with a phenomenal talent, so they tend to get through because they're more talented.