Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-40260777-20190814030334/@comment-43560933-20190819234125

You probably remember me last year analysing what producers intentions were last year, now it is at the point where the public are voting for the first time, this is where the real work starts. This is my take on what happened last week.

First of all starting with the ones that got through.

Kodi Lee obviously stole the show with his performance. It is obvious he is going to contend for the win, it is clear he will be there at the end in one way or another, and he clearly had producer favour on his side, especially with a pimp slot. He most definitely topped the vote.

The only other act who I believe comfortably advanced is Voices of Service. I think people are underestimating their chances. The military vote is very powerful when the act is strong, it is that that enabled Colin Thackery to win BGT. I don't think the vote will be powerful enough to enable them to win the whole thing with other acts but I can see them being a surprise top 5 finisher.

Talking about the other 4 acts that got through, Luke Islam easily got through but some of the judges comments suggesting he will have a career no matter what seemed to suggest they don't expect him to be there at the end, therefore he may struggle in the semi finals. Performing second may have seemed like a kiss of death for Greg Morton but being surrounded by some of the least likely acts to get through meant as a fan favourite he had no problem. Alex Dowis and Messoudi Brothers both received criticism from Simon which was designed to suppress them but may have worked the opposite way due to the majority of voters not agreeing, especially for Alex Dowis.

Crucially due to the technical issue, an act that would've been in the Dunkin' Save zone automatically advanced. That act, whoever it was would've been doomed and probably found themself eliminated, they would've probably been against Sophie and Ansley, both who would receive massive support in both a Dunkin' Save and a Judges Save. In terms of who that act was, because they performed just after a fan favourite who ended in the save with running order maybe partly to blame for ending up where they were, and only cleared the two girls because of being the only act like this, my guess is the act that was spared the Dunkin' Save by the issue was Messoudi Brothers.

Obviously the big loser of the whole technical hitch was Sophie Pecora. Her treatment was very favourable and suggested producers wanted to get her in the final and high enough to justify signing her, as she is probably the most commercially relevant singer/songwriter in this year's live shows. Placing her fifth in this heat was always going to put her in danger of falling into the yellow zone but producers most likely placed her there as firstly, they thought she'd stand out and easily advance, if she didn't, she'd win in a Dunkin Save against most, and even if she didn't win that, she'd have a judges save. It was basically a perfect storm that had little chance of happening, she didn't get to the green zone, she was against one of the few acts that would challenge her in a Dunkin Save and was pipped, and due to the unlikely technical issue did not have a judges save to fall back on. My guess is their plan was if she got through via the save, they'd use it to enable her to get a sympathy bounce that would get her to the final, like we saw with Evie Clair and Daniel Emmet. Would the same work with a wildcard reprive? If producers feel that way, then she could well be wildcarded. But it can't be denied how unlucky Sophie was due to the technical issue.

Moving onto Ansley Burns. Firstly got to mention I don't think she is worthy of the hate she is getting. In terms of her chances, I think there is a good chance we will see her in the final. She has a legion of support which will likely be enough to get her to the yellow zone, and having already beaten a fan favourite in a Dunkin' Save, if she is there, she will likely win it.

Talking about the rest of the eliminees, Emerald Belles could've easily been a surprise advancer in another heat but didn't stand a chance in this one. Bir Khalsa were always going to struggle in a big hitter sandwich of Luke and Kodi, and Carmen Carter and GForce never stood a chance, although Simon's comments on the latter indicate you can't rule them out as a wildcard, Carmen was allowed to exit with a standing ovation and with dignity.

My personal opinion on this week's results is, nothing against the ones that got through, but I think Sophie needs to be wildcarded, as in the middle of a night full of theatrics, acrobatics and melons being smashed around one of the tallest men in the world, having someone and their guitar performing an original really stood out and created a nice vibe, less is more with her, and there is no one else who performs like that this year, she created a real moment and not having that would be a loss to the show.

In the win market it is easy to say Kodi Lee has this sewn up, but he may have peaked too early and if he stays in the lane he's been in, as we saw with Courtney and to an extent Grace Vanderwall (won by less than 1% of the vote despite producer favour) he could fall back. His main challenger in the win market I believe is V.Unbeatable, who are very Vegas ready and have longevity and could easily pounce if Kodi runs out of steam like other acts who were in his position at this point of the show. Their treatment will be fascinating. To fend them off Kodi is going to need to do something different, his personality makes me think he has it in him to do a more upbeat/fun song in the coming rounds, maybe thats what he needs to do to maintain the lead he has at the moment.