‘America’s Got Talent’ rankings: Are Siro-A, Benton Blount, Drew Lynch set to rock semi-finals?
We have to start this “America’s Got Talent” article with a bit of disclaimer: NBC made it incredibly hard on us today to figure out exactly who is going to be performing. Judging from what we’ve seen across social media, the acts below are the ones who seem to be hitting the stage tomorrow. Apologies in advance if we’re off on one or two, but the show really needs to do a better job of making this clearer throughout the week.
If this group is locked in, then we at least feel like the show has done an okay job separating different acts. For example, Piff the Magic Dragon is separate from other magic acts, Drew Lynch and Gary Vider are performing on separate nights, and Siro-A is not competing against Freelusion.
As always, we’re ranking here based on performance quality, screen time, and of course past voting history, both this season and last.
11. Ira – No terrible offense to Ira, but We’re somewhat surprised he’s made it this far. He’s fun, but the show really isn’t the right venue for a puppet act like this. He’s better off in some short films or skits where he can build a long-term story. For “AGT,” all he really does is perform cheeky songs with his mother hanging around.
10. Samantha Johnson – It feels so weird putting her here, but she needed the Dunkin’ Save to advance, and there are singers in this group that are probably going to get more attention than her … and we’re not in the age of singers being a lock to advance anymore.
9. Metal Mulisha Fitz Army – They were the judges’ wild-card act to get this far. What they do is super impressive, but it just does not translate well as a prerecorded segment. We don’t think you could ever throw them on the stage, so it is what it is.
8. Arielle Baril – She’s one of the few we’re really on the fence about in terms of her appearing Tuesday, but information suggests that she could be. She is very good for her age, but the only reason for this lower ranking is that she needs more time.
7. Mountain Faith Band – They are a very solid bluegrass group, and we were impressed by the support that they had online and in the voting last time. They have more competition this week, but with the right song, they’ve got a good chance.
6. Derek Hughes – We’re not sure that two magic acts (Oz is a mentalist technically, but close enough) will make it into the finals, but we’d be more than happy if they did. Derek’s very good at what he does, and our simple advice to him for Tuesday is just to go big.
5. Oz Pearlman – The only reason that we’re putting Oz ahead of Derek right now is recency alone. We saw him just a week ago, and we feel like he may stand out more in the minds of viewers.
4. The CraigLewis Band – They’re that rare performing act who legitimately gets better every time we see them. Sure, there is more competition this time around, but we feel like they are innovative and memorable enough to stay put.
3. Benton Blount – If you look at who the public really is supporting on social media right now, it is Benton for the most part. He’s a good singer, but he’s got that story and that down-home charm that people really like. It should take us completely by surprise if he is not in the finals.
2. Siro-A – What we did this time around is think first and foremost about acts we could not stand to lose. Siro-A is one of those acts. They are just so energetic and dynamic that they really stand out. They and Freelusion are this point so far and ahead of many dance acts we’ve seen over the past two seasons, we’d be devastated if the finale did not have him.
1. Drew Lynch – For the time being, we’re going all-in on Drew thanks mostly to him being so funny. He’s a good story for sure, but he’s a talent different than any we’ve seen on the show so far this season. It’s really hard to imagine this show without him at this point.
Who tops your ranking going into Tuesday? Share in the poll below, and head over here to read some other “AGT” news! Also, you can sign up here to get some other TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)