‘America’s Got Talent’ results preview: Dunkin’ Save candidates include Malevo, Tape Face, Deadly Games

Last night, “America’s Got Talent” brought out its first semifinal show, and we would argue that for the most part, almost every person who hit the stage delivered in their own way. With that, we’ve got a lot of interesting contenders, but there will only be five in total who make it through to the next round. That’ll include more than likely another act selected by the judges, and then there is also the Dunkin’ Save.

As a note, what we’ve got for you below are predictions. We’ll post an update link for our results-show article when it’s online. Update: See who’s up for the Save tonight, and our full take on the results, at this link.

So how do we narrow down such a complicated field? For us, it begins by identifying the three acts we feel are going to get the votes to go straight through to the finale: Grace VanderWaal, Laura Bretan, and Jon Dorenbos. Two of them are singers who are getting nothing but glowing reviews from America, and the other is a really creative magician who just so happens to also have a ton of Philadelphia Eagles fans voting for him. He’s also got a lot of celebrity support, including Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles from “Supernatural.”

Now, things are going to get a little trickier. Let’s start, as always, by narrowing down some of the other contenders. Musicality, Edgar, and Lori Mae Hernandez are probably out of the running. They were all good in their own way, but paled in comparison to the other acts. Also, we’re going to rule out Sal Valentinetti because he had the misfortune of performing first on the night. This in turn leaves us with four acts competing for just two more spots in the finals: Deadly Games, Tape Face, Malevo, and Blake Vogt.

In the end, much of this one could come down to what we personally want to see happen versus what we think America will decide. On a personal level, we love Deadly Games and want them to move on. They continue to improve, and the fact they’ve been on point with every single move in the live shows is remarkable. Tape Face admittedly did disappoint us slightly in the amount of content in his act (he’s been in our top 3 favorites to win before this week), but the overall body of work still feels strong enough to send him through. This is no slight at all to Malevo or Blake, given that both have been extremely solid and entertainment.

There are some projected results for tonight that are better than others from our vantage point, but in the end we do foresee several combinations that are easy to be satisfied with. Our main hope is that there is real variety in the finale, and not just a chorus of singers.

Interested in more? Then head over here to see our most-recent “America’s Got Talent” review. Meanwhile, sign up over here to get some other TV news on everything we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)