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Pure AGT Season 11 Semi-Finals Week 1 – Power Rankings

So last week my Power Rankings were pretty off (was especially shocked Kadan cracked Top 5 and that The Passing Zone didn’t even manage to be in the Dunkin’ Save) and I’m fully expecting to be wrong about a few things again tonight. But I’ll try to make an educated guess as to how things will play out:

And as a reminder, this is a list of what I THINK the results will be, not necessarily what I’m hoping for.

1. Grace VanderWaal – The hype for this girl continues, and doesn’t seem like it’s letting up anytime soon. I found Grace’s performance last night pretty forgettable myself, but it seems America has fallen in love with her, and I’ll be very surprised if she isn’t one of the three automatically advancing acts tonight.

2. Tape Face – In all honesty, this spot and the next one are pretty much interchangeable. Both acts seemed to get a very positive reaction from viewers, and have gotten a lot of buzz throughout the season in general, but I think there’s a chance one or both of them could end up in the Dunkin’ Save. As for Tape Face’s performance last night, I enjoyed it but I think I enjoyed the package preceding it even more!

3. Laura Bretan – Between performing last-AGAIN-and the story about her grandfather, I have a feeling she’s making it through to the Finals, but I’m still not quite sure if opera is popular enough for her to crack tonight’s top three. I’m going to tentatively guess it is, but we’ll see.

4. Musicality – This was the other major tearjerking story of the night, but unlike their showing in the Quarter-Finals I think their performance actually backed it up quite nicely, and I predict that one way or another, we’ll be seeing them in the finals.

5. Malevo – They were good before, but they really stepped up their game last night to give us a very unique performance.They may end up in the top three tonight, but after being on the bubble last week I’m thinking maybe not. But I think their standout performance and their running order spot will be enough to get them into the Dunkin’ Save again.

6. Jon Dorenbos – No doubt that this guy has fans, both from the football world and now from this show. But I saw a lot of comments calling his act last night “messy” and I think he may have gotten lost in the shuffle a bit because of that. But I think there may still be hope for him if he managed to get into the Dunkin’ Save zone.

7. Sal Valentinetti – Again, like Jon, Sal seems to have a substantial following among fans of the show, but I fear he may have gotten lost in the shuffle last night (and going first probably didn’t help). If he makes the Dunkin’ Save again I think he might squeeze his way into the finals, but at this point I’m not sure whether or not he’ll be there.

8. Edgar – I love this family, and they gave a great performance last night, but I think this is another act that might not have been in the forefront of a lot of people’s minds when it came time to vote. But I do think they have a shot at making the Dunkin’ Save.

9. Deadly Games – I was very impressed at how much these two stepped up their game and added some nice variety to their act, but for whatever reason I get the feeling the audience has already chosen their favorites, and this act just might not be one of them. They MAY have cracked the top six for the Dunkin’ Save, but sadly I feel like they didn’t.

10. Blake Vogt – Another act I loved, but, due to running order and being up against another magician that I get the feeling might have more backers, I have a feeling his time on the show will be up tonight.

11. Lori Mae Hernandez – I think Lori has improved over the course of the competition, but I get the feeling that a lot of people don’t like her (whether it be for political reasons after the last time she was on or because they simply don’t find her funny) so I’m think she’ll be another act going home tonight.

I’m not even gonna touch the Dunkin’ Save possibilities this week because there are just too many variables at this point in the competition.

Now let’s see how wrong I am this week!

August 31, 2016 I Written By

I'm obssessed with the entertainment industry, especially offbeat and nerdy things as well as those that involve live performance. The only thing I love more than geeking out over the things that entertain me is sharing in my excitement with others who share the same passions. America may have talent, but Canada has an up-and-coming blogger who is ready to take the internet by storm!

Who Will Make the Finals? Predictions for the Rest of AGT Season 13

Hey everyone! As I’m writing this we’re about to start the first Semi-Final show and I wanted to share my predictions for how the rest of the season will play out.

Tonight is the first of the two Semi-Final shows, and five of the eleven acts will move on to the Finals in two weeks. With the acts I predict will be eliminated crossed out, here is what I think tomorrow night’s results will be (this may change in the Power Rankings tomorrow).

Blake Vogt
Deadly Games
Edgar

Grace VanderWaal
Jon Dorenbos
Laura Bretan
Lori Mae Hernandez
Malevo

Musicality
Sal Valentinetti
Tape Face

If I am wrong about one of these, I predict it will be Musicality going through in place of Sal.

And now for next week’s (September 6th performance) episode. Not sure who the Wildcard will be, but no matter who it is I don’t think they will make the Finals.

Brian Justin Crum
Calysta Bevier
Clairvoyants
Jayna Brown
Linkin’ Bridge
Kadan Bart and Brooklyn Rockett
Kadie Lynn Roberson

Sofie Dossi
Steven Brundage
Viktor Kee
*wildcard*

If I am incorrect about any of these acts, I imagine it will be Jayna Brown going through over Sofie or Calysta.

UPDATE: It’s Wednesday night and on the Semi-Finals Round 1 Results Show it was announced that the final Judges’ Wildcard of the season will be The Passing Zone. I’m personally very pleased by this, since after all the buildup over the season I felt cheated when I found out we weren’t going to see them torture Simon. I still think it’s unlikely they’ll move forward, but it’ll be nice to have some closure there!

If the last week of the season is formatted like how is has been in the past we’ll have ten acts and then a Top 5 will be announced. The ten (with those in spots 6-10 crossed out) will consist of….

Brian Justin Crum
Calysta Bevier
Clairvoyants
Grace VanderWaal
Jon Dorenbos
Laura Bretan
Sal Valentinetti
Sofie Dossi

Steven Brundage
Tape Face

….leaving a final five including:

Brian Justin Crum
Clairvoyants
Grace VanderWaal
Jon Dorenbos
Tape Face

Not sure which of these five will win, but I feel pretty confident one of them will be walking away with the Title of America’s Got Talent Season 11 Champion! If there is a change here, it will probably be Steven Brundage in place of one of these acts, but I do not think he will win.

Do you agree? Let me know, and I’ll see you later for tonight’s Power Rankings!

August 30, 2016 I Written By

I'm obssessed with the entertainment industry, especially offbeat and nerdy things as well as those that involve live performance. The only thing I love more than geeking out over the things that entertain me is sharing in my excitement with others who share the same passions. America may have talent, but Canada has an up-and-coming blogger who is ready to take the internet by storm!

Pure AGT Season 11 Quarter-Finals Week 1 Power Rankings

Now that we’ve had our first live show of the season, it’s time for the Power Rankings! For those who don’t know, this is a list of the acts starting with who I think is most likely to be safe and going down from there. I’ll start by doing a list based on how I think the viewers will vote tonight and elaborate from there.

1. Tape Face – Some of the judges may have been underwhelmed by this act tonight (and while it was one of my personal favorites of the night I do agree that out of his three performances thus far this one was probably my least favorite) but based on the response I’ve seen online, the audience certainly wasn’t! The silliness and unpredictably of Tape Face doesn’t seems to be as beloved as ever, and I’m already predicting we’ll be seeing him in the Finals in September.

2. Jon Dorenbos – This was an act that the judges unanimously loved, and it seems like a lot of the audience did as well! Jon’s magic isn’t fancy, but his tricks are endearing and entertaining, and he’s done a great job presenting them thus far. And he certainly got people talking tonight; I’ve been seeing lots of speculation as to how he pulled off tonight’s trick with the drawings so accurately!

3. Laura Bretan – To be honest, before tonight I thought it was very likely that Laura would be eliminated in the Quarter-Finals. She’s amazingly talented, but American audiences don’t always connect to opera the way they do with other musical styles. But after Laura’s showstopping performance tonight, I think a lot of people will be picking up the phone to vote for her. She started off a little timid, but by the end she’d commanded that stage, and I think many viewers took notice of that. Great stage presence, and what a voice to boot!

4. Jayna Brown – While I wasn’t quite blown away with this performance like I was last week, Jayna is a very talented singer and seems to be gaining quite the fanbase (who she recently dubbed the “Brownies” on Twitter). That, along with her story about her family’s financial troubles, will get her through to the next round, I think. And Louis Tomlinson, who used his Golden Buzzer on her in last Wednesday’s episode, gave her another endoresement on Twitter tonight, which might help her as well.

5. Deadly Games – This was a great act to begin with, but they really stepped it up tonight. The blindfold raised the stakes, and the costumes and overall theme enhanced the dramatic effect even further. In Deadly Games performances, the “target” really is the star, which makes this act stand apart from similar ones we’ve seen in the past. Now apparently, a lot of people are feeling differently than I do, because I’ve seen a lot of comments saying this act (and every one below it, for that matter) was boring/terrible tonight. I agree it’s getting a bit repetitive but I still thought it was one of the evening’s better performances. But I think these two just might have the juice to get enough votes for a guaranteed place in the Semi-Finals, and if not then I’m pretty sure they will at least be in what I call the “Yellow Zone”, aka the acts that will not automatically go through but could potentially be saved by viewers or judges.

6. Lori Mae Hernandez – Well, this was a polarizing one. Some viewers loved Lori’s passion for current events and her wit, while others were not pleased with her political views at all. Howie was right when he said she’d turned off any potential Republican voters, but it seems a lot of left-leaners were very impressed with her. Enough, I think, for her to likely make it to the Yellow Zone.

7. Hara – This was one of my personal favorite acts of the night, but I fear going so early won’t bode well for him since this was another act that drew a lot of mixed opinions. Some people loved it, while others thought it didn’t look very good on television. I’m thinking a lot of people just forgot about him, but I think he might have gotten enough voter support to be in the Yellow Zone.

8. Musicality – The judges loved this one, as did some viewers, but I and some others were not as impressed. I think their previous performances on the show were much more memorable and this one just wasn’t. However, I think their backstory might be enough for them to make it to the Yellow Zone.

9. Sila Sveta – This act was one of three Wildcards chosen to be included in the live shows, so congratulations to them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like they made a very good or memorable impression on certain judges along with a good chunk of the audience tonight, especially in comparison to Hara, the act most similar to them. I do think there’s a small chance of them being in the Yellow Zone tomorrow since I have seen some support for them, but even if they do manage to make it there I’m pretty sure they’ll still be getting eliminated.

10. Dorothy Williams – Well, we all knew what was coming with this one. It was great to see Dorothy live out her lifelong dream, but I think tomorrow will be the end of the road for her. Again, small chance she might end up in the Yellow Zone since I actually think she’s going to end up with more votes than a couple other acts, but she’ll be gone unless she gets the Dunkin’ Save (I’m operating under the assumption that it will be a thing again this season). Glad to see her having fun out there, though, and I think she recognizes that it’s likely she’ll be out tomorrow.

11. Daniel Joyner – Daniel has come a long way from his timid first audition, but his act seems to have gone too far in the other direction. Now he’s trying to pull off a “big” performance, and it just isn’t his thing. The song choice didn’t help either. His performance just didn’t hold up very well against the other vocal soloists of the night. The dedication of his performance to his girlfriend might have got him some votes, but I don’t think it will be enough for him to escape elimination seeing as I haven’t seen a lot of support for him tonight at all.

12. Outlawz – I didn’t think this was the worst act tonight, but this is the only one I’m sure will absolutely be in the “Red Zone” tomorrow night. Like I said, they were okay but it just didn’t feel like a million dollar act and this is another one that I’ve seen almost no support for tonight. But I originally thought they’d be out before the live shows, so they’ve already exceeded my expectations.

Okay, so those were my rankings based on how many votes I think each act will end up with. If things work like they have in recent seasons, the top 5 acts will definitely go through and those in 6th through 8th place will have the chance to be “saved”. One will be saved through a second audience vote, and the judges will decide which of the remaining two will go through. If the voting plays out the way I mentioned above, I think either Lori or MAYBE Musicality will get the audience save. When it comes to the Judges’ Save it’s hard to call, but I’m inclined to say Hara will get it if it comes down to him and Lori, and Musicality will get it if it comes down to them and either of the other two acts.

Do you agree? Comment below, and share who you voted for tonight!

July 26, 2016 I Written By

I'm obssessed with the entertainment industry, especially offbeat and nerdy things as well as those that involve live performance. The only thing I love more than geeking out over the things that entertain me is sharing in my excitement with others who share the same passions. America may have talent, but Canada has an up-and-coming blogger who is ready to take the internet by storm!

PureAGT Season 11 – Auditions Week 3 Recap

Hello! My name is Julia and I’m excited to be writing for the PureAGT this season! I’ve written for various other sites about various entertainment news,  but never about AGT, so this should be a fun new endeavour!

This past Tuesday was the third episode of auditions and I couldn’t help but notice the night’s lineup seemed to consist mainly of singers. While I tend to enjoy a lot of these acts, I prefer to see a bit more variety in the audition episodes, especially since most talent competitions on TV seem to focus solely on singing and the “anything goes” theme of AGT (and the other shows in the Got Talent franchise) is what makes it be so exciting and stand out. However, I will say that at least the singing acts shown this week spanned a wide variety of genres which kept things from getting too stale. Let’s take a look at them along with the rest of the Week 3 auditions!

Good Girl: A group of four best friends who claimed that their dream was to be the “American Spice Girls”. I think that goal did sort of go with their image since I felt their performance seemed very reminiscent of several 90’s girl groups. Simon said they seemed like a “copycat” of other famous acts but in a good way, and that they needed to take it to the next level in order to set themselves apart. Heidi said she loved their attitude, and apparently so did the audience, who immediately gave them a standing ovation as soon as they started their song and cheered throughout. Definite crowd-pleasers!
The Verdict: 4 yes’s, so they moved on to the next round!

After the first act, we saw a montage of various dance groups. They didn’t show enough for me to form specific opinions about any of them but they all seemed very good. The judges gave each of them positive comments and they were all sent through to Boot Camp. Included in the montage for behind-the-scenes clips but given a segment of their own were…

John Rothman and his dancers: 79 year-old choreographer (John) and several other dancers who were all ladies above the age of 70; the oldest was 81! Their routine didn’t have much energy to it and it was pretty silly, but to me it seemed to be at least somewhat purposefully tongue-in-cheek. The audience went wild for them-especially when John did the cartwheel-and gave them a standing ovation. called for microphone person to take away and bring back the mic as planned backstage
The Verdict: 3 yes’s from Heidi, Simon, and Mel B. I highly doubt they would have made it through if not for their ages, but I suppose that was part of the charm and the “package” as a whole. However, I must say I find it pointless and a little annoying when the judges put through acts like this which they are obviously not going to send to the live shows.

Diane Barnard: Diane was a returning act who had auditioned for the judges back in Season 9, and was determined to make the cut this time around. Unfortunately, all she did were some pretty amateur-ish hoop tricks and was very quickly buzzed by Simon and Mel B. Nick came onstage to play around with the hoops and actually out-performed Diane before ushering her off stage…yikes. Heidi also got in on the fun after Diane had left.
The Verdict: 2 buzzers, meaning an automatic no.

Russian Bar Trio: Another returning act, this time from way back in Season 3! One of the members got hurt during that season and the group had to drop out of the competition as a result. It was a real shame, but it was so nice to see them back on the show in hopes of redemption! I vaguely remember being impressed by them eight years ago, and I definitely was so again this week! As Simon said, it was simple, yet still suspenseful. It really was amazing that they were able to do so many different tricks with just the bar and minimal props. The audience and judges were holding their breath during this act, but thankfully no one was injured. (Let’s hope things stay that way for the rest of the season!)
The Verdict: 4 yes’s. Well deserved, and good on Christine for getting back out there even after being so severely injured!

Kadie Lynn Roberson: 12-year old Texan country singer (we get a short segment about how she was adopted at birth). Kadie and showed no fear when talking to the judges or during her performance. Her voice sounded much richer and more mature than that of the average 12-year-old, as commented on by the judges. This was the third week in a row we’ve seen an audition from a female singer around this age, and even though Kadie didn’t get the Golden Buzzer like the previous two, I think she could be a serious threat to them if she makes it to the live shows. She exudes confidence, has a sweet and loveable personality, and is likely going to be appealing to the big country fanbase this show’s audience seems to have. Watch out, Laura and Grace!
The Verdict: An unsurprising 4 yes’s.

Duo Guerrerro: This was a married couple who kept the audience on their toes throughout their segment. I found it odd they made a big deal of him stepping on her skirt as they walked onstage because I don’t recall said skirt being present in the actual performance, which turned out to be a tightrope act which they went outside for. judges. Some of the tricks included doing the splits, sitting and standing on a chair, and one of them jumping over and later standing on the back of the other. The judges and live audience were captivated the entire time (lots of audible gasps during this one) and they even put a commercial break in there to build suspense among the television viewers.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s, so we’ll be seeing them again in the next round!

One Voice: This was a 12-member high school a-capella group. All the members had great stage presence and their voices complimented each other well. Simon did the infamous “I didn’t like it…I loved it!” cliché, and the rest of the judges enjoyed it as well. There was also this strange but sweet bit where they were asked about their love lives and one of the guys said he had a crush on another member. After the performance, Mel B pressed on about who it was and he went backstage and surprised the lead singer (I think her name was Hope?) with a prom invitation via a reference from The Office.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s

Following this we get a montage of comedians leading into…

Lori Mae Hernandez: 13-year-old stand-up comedienne. She got a whole backstory bit before her routine about how she wanted to make her dad smile again after he was diagnosed with Bells Palsy. Her jokes were pretty good but it sort of felt like she was reciting them at times and some of the punchlines were oversold. In the end, Lori got a standing ovation and lots of praise from the judges.
The Verdict: Through to the next round with 4 yes’s.

Next was another montage of various out-of-the-norm acts including a woman with a “singing” chihuahua,) a shrill operatic duo, a married couple that used everyday objects as musical instruments (which actually sounded intriguing but turned out to be more “toddlers in the kitchen” than STOMP the Yard) and some act involving a giant bird puppet which had a face that reminded me of the social worker from Follow That Bird. They were all shown to be rejected, and then to close out the montage we got to see…

Miranda Cunha: Seemed to be some sort of burlesque dancer and singer. She brought Simon up onstage and kissed him square in the mouth (which would have provoked a bigger reaction in me had we not seen it several times previously in that night’s “coming up!” clips).
The Verdict: She got through with 3 yes’s, which was quite surprising to me. I’m guessing she’s be another act they put through for the heck of it but clearly won’t be getting anywhere near the live shows.

Viktor Kee: Came out in a sort of “inside out” bodysuit and announced he had been a juggler for the past four decades, first learning the skill at age 5. Juggling acts on this show are usually boring at best and a hot mess at worst, but he did it in an acrobatic way which kept things fairly interesting. The judges were all very impressed, and, like me, Simon said this was one of the few juggling acts he’d actually enjoyed.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s. Definitely deserving, but I’m wondering if Viktor is going to be able to keep this act interesting and fresh enough to be a long-standing competitor this season.

Sal Valentinetti: 1940’s-style singer from New York. Apparently he’s only 20 years old which surprised me. His audition song was “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and the crowd went wild for him. The judges seemed to love him just as much, and he even got a hug and some kisses from Heidi!
The Verdict: GOLDEN BUZZER FROM HEIDI! I would have actually been surprised by this had they not shown Heidi hitting the Golden Buzzer in the teaser bumpers and had the clock not been very close to the 10 pm mark. It was the same situation last week when Grace’s audition was obviously the last of the episode but I guess that’s just how this show works. Maybe it’s because we’d already seen two singers get the GB this season, but I didn’t have that “wow” moment with Sal like I did the others. He was great and was certainly worthy of making it to the next round, but I can’t say I’m quite as excited about him as I am for some of the other acts we’ve seen so far.

So for those keeping score at home, we have now seen three of the Season 11 Golden Buzzer acts: Laura Bretan from Mel B, Grace VanderWaal from Howie, and now Sal Valentinetti from Heidi. Since next week is the final week of auditions (from the first round, anyway) we’ll presumably be seeing Simon’s choice, and for the first time ever Nick also has Golden Buzzer privileges this season so I guess we’ll be seeing his as well? I’m still not entirely sure how the host’s Golden Buzzer powers work…

Another interesting note: All three of the GB acts we’ve seen so far have been singers…will the trend continue? We’ll find out next week, but in the meantime I invite you to share your thoughts on this week in the comments section. Do you have a favorite act so far, or is there anyone we’ve seen you think will go far? I’m also wondering if anyone would like a post covering the first two episodes of this season since we’re starting a little late. It might not be a full recap, but maybe just something covering the highlights of the first two weeks. Let me know if that’s something you’d like to see, and I’ll talk to you in the comments soon!

June 16, 2016 I Written By

I'm obssessed with the entertainment industry, especially offbeat and nerdy things as well as those that involve live performance. The only thing I love more than geeking out over the things that entertain me is sharing in my excitement with others who share the same passions. America may have talent, but Canada has an up-and-coming blogger who is ready to take the internet by storm!