Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-40260777-20190814030334/@comment-36158916-20190821212246


 * 1) Charlotte Summers - This is her worst performance by far. Song choice was not it but I think she was also a bit more nervous than the previous times. She’s talented but this was not her night.
 * 2) Nick and Lindsay - Absolute trash and well worthy of the double buzzes. The knife throwing was trash, the song didn’t match the act and they didn’t do anything new other than the bottle smashing. Also it seems to me that the judges don’t understand the physics behind the spike board and how it’s not actually painful.
 * 3) Chris Klafford - I do agree with Simon on this one also, if he hadn’t had the emotional context than the song wouldn’t have been as good. That being said, I still think he’s one of the best singers on the show. Also props to him for trying an original.
 * 4) Marina Mazepa - This honestly was one of the better performances of the night despite its flaws. She was just way more engaging and fun to watch. I don’t think she’s a one trick pony either. The only thing I wish she did was do something to Simon because that buzz was completely unwarranted.
 * 5) Robert Finley - Personally I preferred his song from Judge Cuts but this was also a great performance. I loved how he brought in some backing vocals yet his voice was still able to be the main focus. His original songs are some of the best on the show. I think Howie’s completely wrong on the whole “youth voting” thing. Most of the people who watch this show from what I’ve seen are adults and the teens I do see seem to like him. Even if they don’t connect to the style of music, they can at least connect to the lyrics or his backstory.
 * 6) The Sentimentalists - This could’ve been a better performance but it just dragged on for too long and the fact that they messed it up was just hard to watch. It was also just incredibly awkward after they messed up, at that point someone should’ve buzzed. Howie eating was the best part. 
 * 7) Ryan Niemiller - Best act of the night, his jokes were even funnier than before. He’s one of the few acts tonight where I was thinking, I don’t want it to end. Not much to say other than I think he’s top 10 material.
 * 8) V.Unbeatable - Speaking of top 10 material, easily the best dance crew of the year. I love the energy, the acrobatics, and the kids. Seriously that center kid has great charisma. Jumping through the hoop midair was the highlight for me. After the mess that was the Sentimentalists, it was a breathe of fresh air to see Ryan and V.Unbeatable put in the work.
 * 9) Joseph Allen - I think Robert and Joseph are two sides of the same coin. Both are genuine humble dudes whose songs come from the heart. One represents the struggles of the older generations and the other represents the struggles of the newer generations. While I do prefer Robert, I see Joseph’s appeal. His lyrics aren’t as cringy as Sophie’s and I could see him becoming big with the right song.
 * 10) Light Balance Kids - Did not expect them to step down but it’s unfortunate. In addition to the song choice which wasn’t bad but wasn’t good either, I think there were technical issues at some point. I think there two suits at the beginning that didn’t light up and there was definitely one that didn’t during the electricity scene. I also don’t think the story was as engaging as their previous ones, once again partly due to the song choice.
 * 11) Tyler Butler Figueroa - I have nothing against the kid and I truly admire his story but there’s a point where you have to say, this isn’t a million dollar act. He has a ton of potential and still has room to grow but as of now, would you really take him over BKJ or Lindsey? Compared to another instrumentalist like Marcin who is a definite prodigy, Tyler just seems like a kid playing violin to an overpowering backing track. If he didn’t have the sob story, he wouldn’t be here. Howie even stated that people should vote for him for just being brave enough to be there. Not bad, just mediocre and forgettable if it weren’t for the story.
 * 12) Ndlovu Youth Choir - They did good this round, glad to see an act that didn’t step down. Their energy is the best part of them and I totally understood while Julianne and Gabrielle were dancing on their feet. Good way to end the night.

'''Now my predictions were totally off the last time with my bottom 4 being in the Dunkin’ Save so at this point take my words with a grain of salt. We can all agree that Nick and Lindsay and the Sentimentalists were the worst of the night and have no chance whatsoever. I think Marina’s buzz has also ended her chances of making it despite her technically being one of the better acts imo. V.Unbeatable, Ryan, and Ndlovu were undoubtedly the best of the night and they’re definitely going through one way or the other. Tyler can definitely get through on his story alone. I think Chris can make the top 5 based on his sheer talent alone and his appeal to voters who generally dislike singers. Everyone else is kinda up in the air. The judges were surprisingly really critical last night which makes it difficult to predict. While I debated Howie’s comments, in the end I do think that Joseph’ GB status and appeal to the youth will give him the slight edge over Robert who will be in the bottom 4. Charlotte and LBK are likely to be in the Dunkin’ Save for me with Charlotte being voted through. If it comes down to LBK and Joseph, I think the judges are going to lean more to Joseph but if it’s a tie, America’s probably choosing LBK. My ideal pipe dream would be: V.Unbeatable, Ryan, Ndlovu, Chris, Robert, Marina and either LBK/Charlotte.'''