Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26983547-20190710214653

'''                Really producers? You really had to do us like that? Season 14 auditions have just concluded and for the most part I am disappointed. It was a huge step down from last years auditions, which left me satisfied and excited to see what potential the contestants had in store for us. We had many promising contestants such as Shin Lim, Zurcaroh, Glennis Grace, Brian King Joseph, Courtney Hadwin, and MANY more. This year, theres….erm…. Maybe about 8 or 9 acts that I am willing to actually sit down and watch another performance of without having my attention  distracted by instagram. So, what exactly went wrong? Is there still hope for a good season? '''

'''First lets talk about…. KODI LEE (A name that will be mentioned many times in this recap)'''

'''Kodi Lee is clearly the producers favorite this year. He received the closing spot on both the Season Premier and the Best Of Auditions episode, which shows that the producers are REALLY trying hard to make him this seasons winner. He also has the most viewed audition this season with close to 40 million views on youtube and as of now I believe that he is currently the one to beat. Will it happen though? That is a question that will be answered with time. Last year when the producers tried to pimp Courtney Hadwin to extreme limits, they failed. But, they did succeed with Grace Vanderwaal and Darci Lynne in Seasons 11 and 12. Kodi’s audition has shown that he has a ton of potential in store, but will it be enough to support him in the long run? '''

The Pros of Season 14

'''1. Solid Golden Buzzers- Compared to other years, this year's group of Golden Buzzers is proving themselves to be very promising contenders in the live shows. Tyler Butler Figueroa and Kodi Lee have practically gone viral and they are very talented in their respective areas. While Joseph Allen, the Detroit Youth Choir, and Luke Islam may not be as deserving of the GB as Tyler and Kodi are, I think all of them have a chance to reach the finals if they continue to improve and show off their talents like they did in this round. '''

2. More Variety- After years of us complaining, we finally have a handful of great variety''' acts that haven't been montaged or shunned! Ex. Verba, ADEM Crew, Bir Khalsa, Eric Chien, Light Balance Kids, etc. '''

'''3.   Great Singers- Out of the singing acts that we do have, they are possibly some of the best singers that we have seen in awhile. Ex. Carmen Carter, MacKenzie, Charlotte Summers, Kodi Lee, Luke Islam, Benicio Bryant, etc.  '''

The Cons

'''1. Too Many Joke Acts- Better acts could be shown instead of having these shown. Ex. Ben Trigger, Gingzilla, Andy Rowell, Johnathan Burns, Yuriyan Retriever, Sethward, Cirque Du Sewer, etc.'''

'''2. Mediocre Performances- This is an opinion based topic, but I feel as if the acts in this seasons auditions did not entertain me as much as others have in different seasons. Maybe they are trying to set the bar low? Maybe they are trying to play it safe? I don't know, but this was a huge let down for me this year. '''

3.  Average Pool Of Talent- Even though I noted in the pros section that this season had '''above average singers and variety, those contestants make up only about ⅓ of the Top 36 IF they manage to make it through  Judge Cuts. One theme I have realized this season is that if almost ALL of the acts that were shown this year in auditions auditioned for other seasons of AGT, the most likely won't make it as far as they are going to this year. Ex. Jackie Fabulous, Sophie Pecora, GForce, Emerald Belles, Ansley Burns, Dominguez Poodles, Robert Finley, etc. '''

4.  Not Enough Auditions- Many montaged/not shown contestants that are EXTREMELY talented were not introduced to the world this year because the producers feel the need to show stupid acts instead of acts with talent!

'''5.  The Parallel Rule- I would like to give a mini shoutout to Saf for coming up with this  theory. Basically what it means is that almost every act on this Season has an act that is almost Parallel to them in another season. Ex. MacKenzie/Johnny Manuel, Ryan Niemiller/Samuel J. Comroe,  Dominguez Poodles/Pompeyo Dogs, Christina Wells/Carmen Carter,  Gingzilla/Hans etc. What I am trying to convey here is that since every act has a parallel, it could help us predict when they will be eliminated and how long they will last in the competition. This shows how predictable and unoriginal the show is becoming due to the talent pool being so similar every season. '''

6.  Simon Stopping Singers- It needs to stop, and thats all Im gonna say.

My Favorite Auditions

Based on my ratings system, these are my Top 5 favorite auditions of Season 14.

1. Kodi Lee (92%)

2. Verba (90%)

3. Eric Chien/Luke Islam (88%)

4. Detroit Youth Choir (87%)

5. Carmen Carter (86%)

'''Honorable mentions to MacKenzie/Tyler Butler Figueroa/V. Unbeatable (85%) and Michael Paul/Ndlovu Youth Choir/Light Balance Kids (84%)'''

So, What Is Going To Happen In Season 14?

'''While the auditions were not as strong as they could have been this year, it leaves us room to be more excited for what potential the contestants could bring to the table in later rounds of the competition! We have 4 amazing guest judges this year and I truly do believe that the silver lining will become more and more clearer as the competition goes on. Get ready for…. JUDGE CUTS (My personal favorite round of the competition)'''

OVERALL RATING FOR AUDITIONS (The Average Score of All Of The Contestants in my Rating System)- 69% ( A solid round with multiple mistakes, but still had a few outliers that made the round shine)

If this thread gets a positive reaction I will continue to do this throughout the competition!  