‘America’s Got Talent’ finale rankings: Kenichi Ebina, Forte, and Jimmy Rose hope to win

We’re not going to blow smoke and say that this is the best finale for the show we’ve ever seen, because it’s not. There are three or four acts that we personally believe to be pretty spectacular, but only even two of those would we consider to be true winners with the potential to break barriers and come back to the show later with success all over their resume. In our rankings below, we’re considering personal preference, but we do also concede that America has a say here, and we have to look somewhat into what they have traditionally voted for in the past.

6. Collins Key – A magician who is really lucky to even be here at this point given his recent performances, and is largely here because a throng of teenagers who support him since he’s got the cute boy factor. We’re glad that there is finally a magic act in the finale, but we sure wish that it was a better one than this. Had he come on the show a few years later, he probably would have been sensational.

5. Taylor Williamson – We’re a major Taylor supporter, but still, we’re surprised to see him at this point given that his style of humor is so quirky. While we know that he’s capable of absolutely killing it on stage and coming up with great material, you really need something epic with the finale to succeed. We just don’t know if a comedian can replicate that with the limitations that the show puts on you.

4. Jimmy Rose – We’re ranking him this high generously, since we really think that Taylor is a better act. But Taylor is a country singer, a coal miner, and a dude everyone relates to. The only thing that we hope is that the show puts him early on in the broadcast rather than at the end, where he has camped most of the competition. The person to get the final spot is traditionally the one that producers are the most confident in.

3. Cami Bradley – She’s a very good singer, and would probably fare better if this was strictly a singing competition. But given the ratings for many of these shows these days, we think that America is to an extent tiring of just watching someone who is a singer. Someone should give her an opportunity to make an album out of this, but we don’t see her winning.

2. Forte – This is where things get interesting to us. Forte is a predictable winner, and we would not be shocked if they come out on stage Tuesday, kill it, and then take home the grand prize. We have no doubt that they could go out, sell out orchestra halls, and be one of the next big things in opera. But are they the sentimental favorite?

1. Kenichi Ebina – There is just something about this season that feels special and different, almost like the finale is Kenichi’s for the taking. There has never been an act like him on the show that is so original, and does so many different things right from the performance to the staging to the creativity. The other great thing about him is that we see his vision translating to a full Vegas show, to where what he does could go on beyond him and create a show completely new to what the world has witnessed.

Be sure to vote below for your favorite to win “America’s Got Talent,” and also click here. That’s where we have our most-recent updates related to the show, and our review will be posted there after the show Tuesday night.

Photo: NBC