Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25433488-20190905212924/@comment-36158916-20190911215818


 * 1) V.Unbeatable - Was quite surprised they were the ones to start the night but they definitely set the bar high. I will admit though that they’ve honestly set the bar very high for themselves. It’s so high that I don’t even think this was their best performance. The ladder prop was neat but I wish they had a little more time. Vegas act for sure.
 * 2) Dom Chambers - This was pretty disappointing. Dom really excels in the showmanship and presentation department, he’s a naturally energetic and likeable guy. The problem is that his magic at times can seem obvious and novice. Tonight was definitely his worst act in terms of the magic itself although his presentation and camera angles were better than Eric’s.
 * 3) Luke Islam - He did well as always, another pretty consistent act. He’s likeable and has a bright future in Broadway for sure. Honestly I liked his QF performance more than this one though.
 * 4) Lukas and Falco - Worst act of the night and a waste of a wildcard. Is it just me or are a lot of these animal acts making mistakes in the live shows. I’m pretty sure Pompeyo and Savitsky cats also made mistakes. It makes me somewhat appreciate Sara and Hero a lot more. The mistakes were really obvious and I thought that stepping on Howie’s buzzer was part of the act but nope. Agreed with Howie all the way and it’s clear that Simon is biased. That opening package was kinda funny though.
 * 5) Chris Klafford - I thought he did better than his QF round and it’s honestly a shame he got heavy criticisms both times. He’s definitely one of the best singers in terms of sheer talent this year. I guess he just got unlucky with his og songs, music is subjective and the judges didn’t like it. The issue is that we have seen how the judges are able to influence votes with their criticism. 
 * 6) Detroit Youth Choir - Compared to Ndlovu, I feel like most of last nights’ DYC performance lacked that energy until the rap part came in. For a song like High Hopes, their voices felt flat to me. The rap and dancing were good though. Not one of the strongest acts of the night.
 * 7) Alex Dowis - Hands down best act of the night imo. I think this was definitely his best performance beating out his Judge Cuts round. I think he does a really good job in timing the painting to the audio and choosing the music to go with it. I basically agreed with everything Queen Latisha said who btw was a pretty good judge surprisingly. The thing is that I didn’t even realize it was necessarily about 911, I thought it was some kind of car crash. Even if I didn’t know the context, I still understood the story and arguably realizing it at the end made it more powerful. I was surprised Howie of all people was confused. I don’t know if he personally requested it or if it’s coincidence but the timing of his act coinciding with the events he depicts make them more powerful imo. I’m just hoping he truly is genuine about his tributes and is not just using it to exploit viewers’ emotions. He seems like a great guy so that’s likely the case.
 * 8) Marcin Patrzalek - I listened to his Shape of You cover on YT prior to this performance and honestly it’s one of the best guitar covers I’ve ever heard. At first, I was afraid that the background drummers would overpower him but I was pleasantly surprised that he was not only match but exceed them. They perfectly compliment him like it should be and shows off how truly talented he is. The choice of Shape of You was also good as more people are familiar with that song. Definite step up from before and I hope America appreciates it.
 * 9) Emane Beasha - Emane is in pretty much the same boat as Luke. Both are likeable child singers with bright futures. I think Emane did slightly better than him though. I don’t think both are making it, I think it will come down to whether or not the people who like Opera are more than the people who don’t like it.
 * 10) Ryan Niemiller - Was really disappointed with Jackie last week but thankfully Ryan was able to remain consistent. I think America has really connected with his style of humor and I’m all for it. Somehow just when I think he has exhausted all his disability jokes, he comes back with more quality material. One of my favorites for sure.
 * 11) Voices of Service - I liked this one better than their last performance. They’ve been consistent throughout the season and that’s one of the key points I look at when deciding who I think should be in the finals. Not my favorite act of the night but I was glad they ended the show like they did.

'''I think it’s clear that Lukas and Falco and Dom were the weakest of the night and aren’t making it through. I don’t think America is willing to vote for another choir into the finals and they weren’t one of the strongest acts of the night or even of one of the strongest vocal acts so I think DYC is out too. I think Chris has one of the largest fanbases of this season but being in the middle 3 last time and getting harsh criticisms last time and this time have also likely compromised his chances. It’s really hard to pick between Emane and Luke as I think they’re both close in talent. Judging from the views, I think America may like Luke more but I think some may vote for Emane just so we have an opera act and not another male singer. Also contrary to what I just said, we also must account views from foreigners and who don’t vote. As for who I think is going through, Ryan and V.Unbeatable seem like America’s favorites. Even if many of V.Unbeatable’s views are from foreigners, I think they have that solid fanbase to put them through. Voices of Service were really inspirational and as the closing act, they have a pretty good shot of the top 3. For the middle 3, I think it will be Alex, Marcin and Emane. I think Alex is going to be the Dunkin’ Save, he has to go through either way. If it comes down to Marcin and Emane, I think Howie’s definitely voting for Marcin. Simon’s definitely going for Emane. Gab and Julianne are up in the air as always as they seem to like every act. If it comes down to the vote, I think Emane will win. If I had to pick, I would go with Alex, V.Unbeatable, Ryan, Marcin, and Emane. Sorry Voices of Service.'''