‘America’s Got Talent’ rankings: Where Freelusion, Paul Zerdin, Piff the Magic Dragon stand

Tuesday night’s “America’s Got Talent” episode is going to tell us a great deal about what the American public is interested in seeing in their big season finale starting next week. So far, what we’ve gotten from them is mostly that they are down for singers and magicians first and foremost.

There is a really good roster of 11 performers on the upcoming show, and it’s really tough to rank them. We’ve been admittedly wrong many times this season, which says a lot about parity and the lack of a true favorite. We’re only voting here based on performance quality, screen time, and also the perceived popularity of each act.

11. Alondra Santos – There are too many singers in this heat, and Alondra barely made it to this point. She is certainly talented for her age, but judging from last week, it’s hard for young female singers to get the votes at the moment. If Arielle Baril couldn’t advance, why would we have confidence here?

10. Uzeyer Novruzov – We’re a big fan of Uzeyer, but there’s a much bigger risk factor here than with any other act. If something goes wrong, then he’s suddenly not getting any votes. We also don’t know how he would be able to find a bigger ladder for him to balance on than the one he did last time.

9. Alicia Michilli – This is a similar situation to Alondra: We’ve got two more singers plus a band performing on this show, and there are going to be some who perform early in the show and are forgotten about to a certain extent. This could be her fate.

8. The Professional Regurgitator – We could be terribly wrong here, but we just have a hard time seeing a guy who throws stuff up getting the support necessary from America to get into the finale. He’s got to have a huge fan following, but also probably plenty of people who will never vote for him.

7. 3 Shades of Blue – A band has never won this show, and it’s tough for them. We almost equate them to a daredevil act in that it’s easy for the judges to love them, and very hard to convey the energy and the rush of being in the live audience to people at home. They have to be really stellar to get that sort of love.

6. Sharon Irving – Her performance last time was almost transcendent, so it feels almost wrong to rank her here! We just have to rank based on the trends that we’ve seen for solo singers so far, and that is unless you’ve got a guitar and a heartwarming story, it’s tough to get through.

5. Gary Vider – Gary’s a little like Taylor Williamson in that you’re either going to really like him or find him overrated. Personally, we’re still a fan and feel like he’s going to really bring it to this show. Plus, the idea of a showdown with Drew Lynch in the finale sounds like a lot of fun, since they both bring different things to the table.

4. Daniella Mass – Daniella’s seriously good, but we do have the same slight concerns that we have with the other singers on this list. The one reason we have her higher is just based on the fact that we can picture her the easiest performing in front of an orchestra at some sort of huge show moving forward in her career.

3. Paul Zerdin – This is us continuing to eat crow after saying that Paul and that creepy baby wouldn’t make it far in the live shows. His last performance was just so amazing, and to go along with that he brings that element of uniqueness. If you look at our top three acts, they are all doing something that no one else is trying.

2. Freelusion – They’re helped in a way by the fact that they have an entire audience to themselves this time around. There’s no real comparable dance act left! Are we a little worried about their future given that Siro-A didn’t advance? Sure, but we have to have some faith that America will do the right thing.

1. Piff the Magic Dragon – We’re probably a little nuts for putting a guy #1 who the judges didn’t even love that much this week, but it’s just that we really get the sense America loves him. He’s funny, snarky, has a smart gimmick, and can do magic. We just hope that he leaves the dog at home this time (he doesn’t need an assistant) and sticks to magic this time.

Who is at the top of your ranking? Let us know right away in the comments or the attached poll! Also, you can sign up here to get some additional news on almost everything we cover, sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)