Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1609742-20150730191314/@comment-1609742-20150730192940

Near locks:


 * Vox - Acts like the Texas Tenors and Forte have made it very far. They add a tinge of class to the show that I think Piers would really respect. My Golden Buzzer prediciton.


 * Siro-A - The show is in love with these video projection acts. Take Freckled Sky and Freelusion for example.


 * Alex Boyé - He has an unbridled energy that makes him so unique among AGT singers. He really knows how to own the stage and can make it very far.


 * Semeneya - They are now performing as a trio, and with Latin Dance, there seem like a lot of creative opportunities. Their story about losing the member is too compelling to lose them.

Solid chance:


 * Alicia Michilli - I'm not a big fan of singers, but her old-time soul is something the judges always fawn over.


 * Duo Volta - They have a quirky story, but are also plainly good aerialists. We don't have anyone like them in the live shows yet.


 * Stevie Starr - He has a quirky personality, his tricks are one-of-a-kind, and he screams "Novelty." He appeared on BGT with a lot of amazing tricks; he can easily outshine his audition. It will be interesting whether Piers mentions that he saw this exact same guy on BGT as a judge.

Dark horses:


 * Derek Hughes - He mixes magic and raunchy comedy, but I don't know if he can impress enough with some stiff competition.


 * Aaron Smyth - He's a more seasoned dancer than Benjamin Yonattan, but I don't know if he can impress the judges as compared to some bigger acts.


 * Duo Vladimir - What they do is impressive, but how much can they step it up from their audition? Hand balancers really only have a limited amount of tricks. The KriStef Brothers made it far because they infused comedy to their impressive tricks. Duo Vladimir does not have that.


 * Xavier Mortimer - He seems to have a quirky take on magic. We need to see more of him.

Darker horses:


 * Leroy Patterson - Howard's favorite act of all time is Horse. Leroy could surprise, but we can already guess Piers will not approve.


 * Gary Vider - We have only seen a couple of (strong) jokes from him, but I don't think he will stand out.


 * The Gentlmen - They're young brothers who can dance hip-hop. I don't think they have much more to show.


 * The Move - I can't even find any social media sites for this group. They're most likely cannon fodder.

No chance:


 * Duwende, Jamie Costa, Kacey Jones, Kayvon Zand, Technicianz - We did not see any of their auditions (not even in montages). That's almost the Kiss of Death on the Judge Cuts.