Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5598112-20160905195102/@comment-1609742-20160905230258

If last week was a division between frontrunners and fodder, this week is much more even. I honestly think every performer has a passing chance of making it.

Locks: Brian and Caly seem like the safest locks. Brian is probably the most technically gifted singer. It would be bizarre for Caly to be the only Golden Buzzer from a main judge not to make the Finals.

Likely: Clairvoyants and Steven are in the next tier for me. The Clairvoyants are just pure pros (heck, they're technically already a part of the "The Illusionists" brand). Steven has the advantage of being a Wild Card success story. America loves magic when it's done well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see another Finals with multiple magicians (a la Season 10 with Oz, Piff, Derek).

Save Territory: Jayna would probably occupy that fifth spot for me, giving us a Finale with 6 singers, 3 magicians, and 1 Tape Face. That seems about right with this season. Jayna has a good following and the One Direction crowd backing her up. I wouldn't be shocked if she makes the Top 3 or wins a Judges' Choice against a variety act. Viktor Kee can go either way. I think he's brilliant, but I'm still not sure if America can go for him over those Top 5 I mentioned. Sure he has an emotional back story, but he's also a foreigner with an out-there outfit. I'm rooting for him though.

Dark Horses: Kadan and Linkin' Bridge are dark horses. Kadan has a pretty big fanbase, but can he compete against two magicians who are much more polished? Linkin' Bridge faltered in the Quarterfinals; can they make a comeback like Sal did last week? Both of these acts have big fanbases.

Bottom Tier: Like Smackdown said, Sofie needs to mix it up. Kadie is nothing special and couldn't even capitalize on the country vote in a much easier round. Passing Zone will probably repeat a Season 1 act again.