Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5598112-20160825030830/@comment-25150955-20160831023838

Jeez, this was a weird night. For the first half of the night was sub-par, and the second had me going nuts for some of the acts voting. So, how did everything round out? Well...

11. Musicality Yeah, they've got the amazing story, and there's no denying they sound great. But, really, should they have made it this far? I know I predicted them moving on, but I think that someone like Hara or Sila Sveta would've benefit in the Semis more than the choir. They sound nice, but the song choice was a bit too upbeat for the choir's sound, and the solos sounded...kinda off? When compared to the nice harmonies in the middle. As likable as they are, they're done for.

10. Sal Valentinetti Oh, yeah, speaking of musical acts that fell short, Sal basically did a reverse of his quarters performance, and I'm not sure how much of a good thing that is. The song choice was much better here, but was the singing? Not really. The vibrato felt a bit forced, and I wasn't really huge on the set-up. I dunno, I like the personality and all, but this is where his journey should end.

9. Lori Mae Hernandez Okay, this was WAY better than her last performance, I'll say that. That last joke in particular was a laugh-out-loud moment, something that I haven't gotten from Hernandez since...the Judge Cuts? I don't even remember. With that said, it still hasn't replicated the great first two performances and their great jokes, and this was just...okay? Definitely better than her last performance, but not enough.

8. Edgar What a disappointment. I was actually relatively excited for this family, especially after they cured their biggest problem the group had in their Quarterfinals performance, only to bring it back in full force. They aren't focused enough on the star, instead giving everyone their own solos and evening it out, even though it shouldn't be like this. I dunno, this wasn't enough for me.

7. Blake Vogt Did Blake Vogt shock America? I'm not even sure, because, while I do love the guy, this is the second trick in a row where his performance was relatively underwhelming. It was still a good trick, but was it enough? I kind of wish he did something more complex or stunning, because that, AND the fact that Jon Dorenbos completely blew his trick out of the water later in the night, could be his downfall.

6. Malevo This is where things begin to get tricky. I always knew there was a reason I'm a homosexual, and I think these guys are it (yes, I am actually gay in real life...but that doesn't matter too much). It's been relatively repetitive nonetheless, and they're probably up for the Dunkin' Save again this week.

5. Deadly Games Once again, I'm not sure if they are gonna go through or not. Mostly stepping away from the knife throwing was both a blessing and a huge risk, because there was plenty of room for fucking up...but, even though Alfredo almost killed his wife FOUR TIMES, he didn't mess up. Which is why I'm rooting for these guys. Big time.

4. Tape Face I'm sure he'll be up for the Dunkin' Save, in which he'll win because who doesn't love this guy? His performance was relatively short and VERY underwhelming, but the charm is still there, and in full force. And that alone could get him into the finals. Let's just hope he does something clever.

3. Grace VanderWaal Vocal issues kind of marred her chances of getting any higher in my rankings, because, while the song was great and she has a lovely voice, her squeaky tone and pitchy moments held her back. But of course she's gonna go through, just look at her fanbase!

2. Jon Dorenbos We all knew he was gonna do well in the first place, but DAMN if he's not going through automatically. It was at inning, had a few cool twists, entertaining (Heidi having a better aim than Simon when she's upside down) and an overall great trick.

1. Laura Bretan We all knew she was a guaranteed spot in the finals, and she proved it tonight with a stellar performance. I wouldn't be shocked if she won the whole thing (speaking of which; dammit America, where's our female winner?)

Laura, Jon, and Grace are shoo-ins, while Musicality, Sal, Lori, and Edgar are easy eliminations. I'm gonna guess Blake misses the cut too, which is a shame, since I do quite like him. That leaves Tape Face, Deadly Games, and Malevo. I'll say Tape Face for the save and...probably Malevo for the Judges Choice. Or Deadly Games. It could go either way, I dunno.

Finalists Laura Bretan Grace VanderWaal Jon Dorenbos Tape Face Malevo / Deadly Games