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America's Got Talent S15 Power Rankings (Semifinals, Week 2)

Sep 21, 2020 by PowerRankings101

I didn’t love the last week of semifinalists, but in comparison, I think this one is even weaker. With the exception of literally 2 acts, I genuinely don’t think any of these acts are as strong as the five that advanced last week (Brandon Leake, Broken Roots, Roberta Battaglia, Alan Silva, and even Archie Williams). Spoiler alert: BAD Salsa and Cristina were in leagues of their own tonight. I genuinely think the rest of the talent either underperformed from their last time or just flat out missed the mark. I’m genuinely disappointed, but hope that the five that end up advancing step it up a notch come finale night. Right now, it looks like Brandon Leake has a pretty dominant path to victory with only a few true obstacles in his way. Let’s rank.

11. Max Major- Max’s act would’ve been a lot more impressive with a better showman at the forefront. I think the thing with Max is, he recycles tricks that we’ve seen before, even if they’re not completely identical. I’ll get to Brett later, but I think Brett does do something a bit newer with his act (even if his execution was sloppy). Here, we see the same old “pick random numbers and they appear in another place” trick. I think Max lacks the right charisma for big stunts like this. That’s just my opinion. I didn’t feel engaged throughout. I also felt like his act was a tad cheapened by the fact that the little girl clearly said a different number than Max used. She said 13 clearly, but he repeated 14. She even REPEATED the number to clarify, but he talked over her. It’s important for an illusionist to sway the numbers or cards his or her way, but the way he so blatantly chose a different number than his volunteer just made the act seem much weaker. I wasn’t lost like Howie and Sofia, but I just felt like I’d seen it all before, felt annoyed by the number switch of 13 to 14, and didn’t think he presented it well. The build up took far too long, and while the payoff was exciting enough, it just didn’t have the same wow factor and theatricality that we’ve seen from illusionists like Shin Lim or Mat Franco in the past. Max just isn’t the greatest showman.

10. Voices of Our City Choir- I’m not sure if I listened to the same choir tonight. I felt that this was an incredibly weak vocal. The harmonies seemed off, and I don’t think their presence was as felt as some others. I do love their message and what they stand for, but I thought it was easily the weakest vocal performance of the night in my opinion. The judges loved it though, so I might be in a huge minority here.

9. Kenadi Dodds- Kenadi was fine, but again, nothing special. Especially given that Daneliya gave a much stronger performance and has a similar archetype, I just don’t see Kenadi lasting any longer. Her ambiance is always overshadowing her vocals, and that’s not the goal here. Sweet voice, but incredibly forgettable.

8. Brett Loudermilk- I feel like this is an act that (if viewed a few times), you can figure out every part of the trick. The way he had the judges select the deck of cards, knowing exactly what it would lead to. When the camera froze after showing Howie’s face before showing the ducky in his throat (was that second half of the video even live??). Whether he even swallowed the duck or not? All these questions that raise suspicions. It wasn’t seamless is what I’m trying to say. I will give him credit in two areas: showmanship and creativity. I think the showmanship was far stronger than Max Major. His obnoxious shtick really landed with me much more now, where I really appreciated his dry sarcastic humor. In terms of creativity, I do think he showed that the sword-swallowing act could go further and more creative. Where he loses it for me is a bit on execution. It was a tad messy, and all over the place. It wasn’t the best of his, but definitely stood out more than the similar illusion act Max Major did.

7. Bello Sisters- I do think this was a step up because there weren’t lights to distract the act. That being said, I feel like the stunts themselves are about the same. It’s not something I need to see again, though they definitely redeemed themselves in my eyes from last time where they totally lost me.

6. Jonathan Goodwin- I feel like Jonathan did step it up, but even then, I don’t really know if I need to see more from him. His act was exciting, but I knew where it was going the whole time. Especially when you’re coming off of Alan Silva from last week, I just don’t think this is as well suited for a variety or Vegas show as Alan’s act. The dude has guts, I’ll give him that. It just wasn’t a standout within the night for me.

5. Daneliya Tuleshova- Daneliya has such a brilliant tone, which I’ve come to love from her. I just don’t know if she’s ready for a win though. She’s very much a talented girl who needs a little more training and refinement. She’s hands down better than Kenadi, so I will give her that. I think her annunciation lacked some precision, which made me lose a few words. Closing on the night, however, AGT is confident in Daneliya as the potential matchup for Roberta in the finals. I do like Daneliya, but I even felt that this was weaker than Roberta’s vocal last week. Her tone is great, but I still don’t think it stands out too much amongst some stronger talent, especially singing talent, in the competition.

4. Celina- I liked Celina. I did feel that her vocal last time was better than this one, though I still love her voice and think she gave the best vocal performance next to Cristina. And that’s just where the trouble is. Like comparing Daneliya and Kenadi, you can’t help but compare Cristina and Celina. They’re both female singers who sing emotional ballads. That’s why I don’t think Celina will advance, though I feel like she could do some serious damage on a season of American Idol or The Voice. She is a great talent. It wasn’t a step up, but still good.

3. W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew- I didn’t dislike them at all, and felt like their dancing was pretty well done. I just felt like, by the end of the night, I honestly forgot about them a bit. Again, I loved the dancing and felt like they gave a performance that was pretty much equivalent to their last. They didn’t up their game, but didn’t do worse either. I think they’re a pretty safe bet to advance, given the weak night of talent, and the fact that they’re still riding the high of Simon’s golden buzzer helps (if we see Simon in the finale, which I hope we do). Not the best of the night, but probably my favorite next to my two clear favorites of Cristina and BAD Salsa.

2. Cristina Rae- This was a beautiful vocal. It’s clear that Cristina is the best vocalist left in this competition, with Broken Roots right there as the next best. She is a true talent, and she should sail through to the next round. Remarkable is a good word.

1. BAD Salsa- BAD Salsa was a breath of fresh air the first time I saw them perform, and proved once again that they could entertain. I almost thought their act was sped up, they were moving so fast. It’s clear we’ve never seen dancers like them EVER on AGT. They are just incredible. On a night where you had a man hanging from his teeth with a flame about to drop him to his plummet, these salsa dancers bring a much more adrenaline inducing danger act. It’s really impressive. They’re my favorite act next to Brandon headed into the finals, so I hope they get their due. They might not click with voters as much as me, but I damn love them.

Looking back, I may have been a TAD harsh. Celina, W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew, Daneliya, Jonathan, and Bello Sisters all did enough to at least not garner a negative review from me, though I feel like all pale in comparison to many of the acts last week. As for Brett, Max, Kenadi, and Voices of Our City Choir, I didn’t vibe well with them. I do think, however, America might have some different opinions. I do think Voices of Our City Choir, being a golden buzzer act and crowd favorite, may honestly be in our Dunkin’ Save after all, along with W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew and Brett Loudermilk, who spent time in the Dunkin’ Save previously and have been favorites of the audience. I also think America will be on board with BAD Salsa and Cristina Rae, as I was. I think Daneliya going last in the night also likens her chances of advancing. Max doesn’t make it in because Brett is similar and better, Kenadi doesn’t make it in because Daneliya is similar and better, and Celina doesn’t make it in because Cristina is similar and better. Bello Sisters and Jonathan are just overshadowed and likely won’t make it either. Between W.A.F.F.L.E., Brett, and Voices of Our City, I do think America will send the dancers through. Between the two, I think the judges will pick Voices of Our City to advance, despite me thinking they were off last night.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Through- BAD Salsa, Cristina Rae, Daneliya Tuleshova, W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew, and Voices of Our City Choir

Going Home- Brett Loudermilk, Celina, Bello Sisters, Jonathan Goodwin, Kenadi Dodds, and Max Major

#casting

Comments

Actual: Cristina Rae, Daneliya Tuleshova, Bello Sisters, Kenadi Dodds, BAD Salsa

I am absolutely FLOORED that Bello Sisters advanced, especially over acts like W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew
I am also shocked that Max Major and Kenadi Dodds even ended up in the Dunkin' Save, and that Kenadi got more votes than BAD Salsa. SHOCKED. I am glad that 3 of my top 5 acts still made it through, especially BAD Salsa who could've been sent home but thankfully didn't

Sent by PowerRankings101,Sep 21, 2020

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America's Got Talent S15 Power Rankings (Semifinals, Week 2)

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