Free America's Got Talent Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on America's Got Talent sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other AGT fans who subscribe to Pure AGT for FREE!

Pure AGT Season 11 Quarter-Finals Week 2 Power Rankings

Well, last night was certainly interesting. There may have been a few mistakes in some of the performances, but on the whole I found the show to be much more entertaining than last week’s…which means we’re in for quite a heartbreaking results show tonight. It also means these Power Rankings are much more likely to be off from the actual results than last week’s were.

Remember, this list is in order of who I think got the most to least votes last night, NOT necessarily who I personally want to see move forward or go home.

1. The Clairvoyants – Amid some speculation of some people on the internet possibly figuring out the secret to their previous performances, these two truly stepped up their game last night and brought something very different than what we’ve seen from them in the past. They are also the only act I am absolutely sure will get through based on last night’s votes alone.

2. Steven Brundage – The power of the internet strikes again! Steven Brundage is BACK and ready to play! It really is amazing how much this guy can do with just a few Rubik’s Cubes and a paper bag, and even though it is starting to get just a little repetitive, I think the audience’s votes will allow us to see him perform for us on the Dolby stage one more time.

3. Calysta Bevier – As Musicality proved last week, the inspirational vote is a powerful thing, and Calysta’s story is certainly inspirational. Fortunately, I think she gave a great performance to back it up, though I’m not a fan of her song choices thus far (I don’t really like generic “bravery” anthems in general). But yeah, I have a feeling she got enough votes to continue on to the Semi-Finals.

4. Sofie Dossi – I think this is one of the few “child” acts (okay, maybe “underage” would be a better term for some of them) that is just as impressive when you take away the age factor. Sofie’s performance last night was very similar to some things we’ve seen from her previously, but I definitely see her getting a spot in the next round. (The fact that she managed to successfully perform a move with her feet and blindfolded that we saw someone earlier in the night fail to complete while using her hands without a blindfold couldn’t have hurt her chances either.)

5. Sal Valentinetti – There’s only so much variety a singer can have in their performances, especially when sticking to one specific genre of music, but Sal managed to put a fun twist on it by rearranging a One Direction song! I know that turned some people off, but a lot of people seem to be responding well to him so far, so my guess is that he will go through to the Semi-Finals.

6. Viktor Kee – I think Viktor absolutely deserves to move forward, but I fear he may have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle last night, especially due going so early and making that mistake. However, I have seen some support for him so I’m thinking he’s gonna be on the bubble but make it through via the re-vote or the Judges’ Save tonight.

7. Kadie Lynn – This girl already seems to have built up quite the fanbase, and being the only country act remaining bodes quite well for her. But again, I fear between the running order and the fact that she didn’t do anything particularly new she’ll be at risk tonight. But depending on who else is in danger I think she has a decent chance of continuing on.

8. ThroWings –
This was another “more of the same” act and I originally had them lower on this list (aka definitely being eliminated tonight) but the surprising amount of support for them I saw last night makes me think they could make it to the yellow zone. If they do get there, I think their best shot at moving on is the audience vote, because the judges didn’t seem quite as impressed with them as they were with a lot of other performances this week.

9. Moya Angela – This was the act I originally had at #8 and I still think she has a shot at making the yellow zone but if she does I have a feeling she’ll be the one going home, as the judges seemed underwhelmed by last night’s performance (which was actually my favorite of hers yet because I felt like she had great stage presence and wasn’t over-singing the song) and I didn’t hear very much buzz about her from the viewers. But I did notice she got some votes from people who are normally very anti-singer when it comes to this show so that could mean something good.

10. Sos and Victoria – I was pleasantly surprised when I found out this act got the coveted “showstopping” slot of the night, but after an evening of excellent performances this one didn’t quite measure up to the majority of them for me, especially because of the mistakes. And if by chance we do see them on the bubble tonight, I don’t think they’ll get the Dunkin’ Save or the Judges’ Save.

11. Ryan and AmberLynn – First and foremost, I’m very happy Ryan is going to be okay. The two of them handled the mishap professionally and I admire them for that. I think there’s a very small possibility they could make it to the yellow zone tonight since I did see some votes thrown their way, but I imagine they’re going to be eliminated by the end of the evening either way.

12. FLIP – This act wasn’t a bad one by any means, but it wasn’t anything special compared to most of the others. Just goes to show just how good this week was, because if these ladies had performed on last week’s episode I think they would have had a decent shot at going forward (same goes for pretty much all of this week’s acts). But as is, I jut don’t see them moving forward, though it was nice to see them perform one last time as Wildcards.

Do you agree with my predictions? Disagree? We’ll find out in an hour who’s moving on!

August 3, 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 Judge Cuts – The Live Show Acts Determined

There’s been an abundance on AGT on our screens lately, with NBC airing four episodes over the past two weeks, each featuring a guest judge and some tough choices for the panel. That’s right, it was the Judge Cuts round, which determined the rest of the acts moving on to the live shows!

The acts moving forward from the first night, which featured guest judge Ne-Yo, included:

Hara
Edgar
Lori Mae Hernandez
Jon Dorenbos (Golden Buzzer)
The Passing Zone
Ronee Martin
Linkin’ Bridge

Dorenbos was the first Golden Buzzer of the season that was not given to a singer, which was refreshing to see. I loved Jon’s act and think he absolutely deserved to go through, as did the other six. The Passing Zone is a particular favorite of mine; I love how they manage to combine a lot of different tricks without feeling like they’re going overboard. No complaints from me about this group!

Reba McEntire joined the panel for the second episode, and she and the others decided to send through:

Kadie Lynn Roberson
Vello Vaher
Sofie Dossi (Golden Buzzer)
Moya Angela
Kadan Bart Rockett
Julia Scotti
Deadly Games

Another great group of acts! I was so thrilled that Sofie got Reba’s Golden Buzzer because she has great showmanship and her act is exciting yet polished. And while I’m not thrilled with the abundance of singers, I was very happy to see Kadie get through, though Moya I could take or leave. I feel like she over-sings the songs sometimes, though I enjoyed her performance last week more than I did her first audition. Was also pleasantly surprised by Kadan, who I think polished up his act as well. The rest were great too!

The acts sent forward in the George Lopez episode were:

Daniel Joyner
Blake Vogt
Alla and Daniel Novikov
Tape Face
Malevo (Golden Buzzer)
Ryan Stock and AmberLynn
Brian Justin Crum

Okay, here’s where I started to disagree with the judges a bit. I don’t think it’s a good sign that as I look at this list the only act I have a clear memory of is Tape Face, and this episode only aired three days ago at the time I’m writing this. Well, okay, Blake was pretty good too, as was Brian, but that was expected since he’s already starred on Broadway. And I just have to say that even though I think the judges let through way too many singers, cutting Madison Watkins on a night where she clearly had a better showing than most was criminal.

And finally we had this past Wednesday’s episode featuring Louis Tomlinson as a guest judge. The advancing acts were:

ThroWings
The Outlawz
Jayna Brown (Golden Buzzer)
Viktor Kee
Sos and Victoria
Musicality
The Clairvoyants

So another singer got the Golden Buzzer, but I wasn’t surprised since I thought Louis, having been a singer discovered on a reality show himself, might want to “pay it forward” in a way, and I think Jayna really stepped up her game for this round. I was surprised to see the Outlawz do so well (even though I liked their first audition) and while I wasn’t quite as impressed by Musicality as I was the first time around I’m glad they got through. Not surprised about the rest at all, and looking forward to seeing them perform again in the live shows, which start NEXT WEEK!

Be sure to share your opinions on the advancing acts below, and if there were any you were sad to lose. See you next week for the first live show of the season!

July 22, 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!

AGT Season 11 – Auditions Week 5 Recap

Well, it turned out Tuesday night was another round of auditions! Next week is looking to be that way too, and they teased on twitter that it’ll be the episode in which we’ll finally get to see who Nick pressed the Golden Buzzer for, so that should be exciting. But in the meantime, here are the acts they showed this week.

Ryan Beard – Avid AGT fan who is 18 years old from Kansas City, who I thought he was going to be a comedian but turned out to be a singer. Although, he was actually kind of both because the song he performed was all about the struggles of being a homeschooled teenager. The audience gave a standing ovation and the judges were laughing throughout (in a good way).
The Verdict – 4 yes’s.

Then it was MAGICIAN MONTAGE TIME!

The first guy flaunted a very mundane magic trick and got buzzed by Simon. It was also a no for a guy who spent most of his performance licking a lollipop. Last was a husband and wife “escape act” which was really just the husband flailing about while trying to get out of a straitjacket while the wife just stood there. They got two buzzers.

Kadan Bart and Brooklyn Nicole Rockett – 10-year-old magician and 8-year old assistant who were siblings. Brooklyn got into a big cardboard box that said “turning my sister into a princess” (I guess the amateurish set was part of the charm.) Once she was in, Kaden revealed to the audience what the REAL trick was by changing the words “turning my sister into a princess” to “sawing my sister into pieces”. He was handed a chainsaw which used to to “cut the boxes in half” and the feet move in the bottom half once the boxes are open.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

After the break we got a montage of animal clips, including acts involving snakes, ducks, and dogs, and the judges hanging out with their own dogs.

Patrick and Ginger – Patrick adopted Ginger who was abused beforehand and Ginger has helped Patrick deal with OCD and anxiety. I believe Ginger is a mixed breed but I could see some collie in her. She was very in tune with Patrick and performed several tricks including standing in a bowl, doing jump rope, and riding a scooter! She also jumped around on two legs and climbed on a rope! Interesting to note that Patrick seems to carry Ginger around everywhere!
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

After the commercial break they showed a quick clip of a Gospel choir making it through with 4 yes’s!

Raii and Whitney Smith – This act was a gospel singing married couple who work as background vocalists for a lot of famous artists. Both proved to have very lovely soulful voices which complimented each other well. I have to say Whitney’s was clearly stronger, but Raii managed to work well with what he had. The crowd roared in appreciation about halfway through and the judges loved it.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

Next came a montage of circus-type acts like juggling and clowns. The latter were fighting an uphill battle since Simon is afraid of clowns and so we got a lot of clips of him looking visibly uncomfortable whenever one was featured in an act.

Richie the Barber – This guy went so far has to have his face tattooed to look like clown make–up. He rapped while juggling and while Howie was entertained, Simon, Mel B, and Heidi all buzzed him and he proceeded to throw what I think was feathers on the judges.
The Verdict: Howie gave an enthusiastic yes but the other 3 said no so he did not make it through.

ThroWings (Annie and Andre) – This was a married couple doing an acrobatics act. Annie was hurt while performing in the past a few years ago when she broke her spine. They were very graceful and the performance seemed effortless. Mel B and Howie looked nervous the entire time (understandably, since there was no net) but the audience went wild!
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

Next we got YET ANOTHER MONTAGE. This time it was a bunch of gross-out acts, like a professional eater who consumed a dog food burger live onstage which got rejected and Simon said it wasn’t even an act. This was followed by a guy who used his (very long) tongue to paint and got 4 buzzers. Interspersed with various other gross-out moments.

Dan Meyer – Sword swallowing act! Described what he had to do in order to successfully swallow a sword (I’ll spare you the gory details) before performing. Warned everyone he had not attempted this particular feat before and a lot of people looked away. Swallowed a sword and then a 1929 car axel. Called a reluctant Nick out to assist him in swallowing an entire car and then we went to a commercial break. When we came back we found out his plan to attach a 20-inch sword to a vintage car and drag it across the stage without using his hands. Nick sat in the car, jaw agape the entire time, while the judges hid their eyes.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

Guess what was next? Another montage. This one didn’t even bother to have a theme. It started with a group of dancing girls who got through with 4 yes’s (one also got a hug from Howie). Next was a married couple who juggled with fire while one sat on the other’s shoulders while riding on a unicycle who also got through. Lastly, we saw a 14-year-old powerhouse singer named Brynley who reminded me of a Disney princess (she was also accepted).

Sofie Dossi – A 14-year-old hand-balancing contortionist who performed on a homemade set. She showed lots of personality while performing (Mel B commented on her stage presence) and did tricks with an apple, including taking a bite of it while posing. Other feats include spinning on a post, doing gymnastics, and shooting a bow and arrow with her feet! Simon’s reaction? “What planet are you from?”
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

Montage #8677123 featured a group of guys doing a dance performance and clips of various other successful group acts interspersed with clips of…

Christopher whose last name wasn’t mentioned – A 54-year-old man from Las Vegas who’d always dreamed of performing in a music group but never found anyone to be in one with. After claiming he had been working on this act for 30 years, he walked backstage, returning with a contraption using himself and 4 full-body puppets resembling the Village People and performed a dance to YMCA. The Audience claps along enthusiastically and the judges were impressed.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s, followed by a mini-encore with Nick joining in the fun!

Brian Justin Crum – Last up was a 28-year-old Californian singer who performed “Somebody to Love” as a tribute to his mom for getting him through tough times growing up. The crowd went wild as he belted the song out. “You took us to church and back!” said Mel B after the song was over.
The Verdict: 4 yes’s.

There were a few too many montages for me this week, since I like seeing more of each act we’re shown, but I appreciated that there was a wider variety of performances than we’ve seen so far this season. I think next week is the last week of auditions, so comment below with who your favorites are so far and let us know if you have a guess as to what sort of act Nick’s Golden Buzzer might be!

July 1, 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!