America's Got Talent: Semifinals Week 2

We have now reached the second of two weeks of the semifinals. 11 more acts performed in hopes of getting reaching the finals and getting one step closer the one million dollar prize and the headlining show in Las Vegas. The pressure is on.


11 acts have performed, but only 5 will be advancing into the finals. Like last week (and pretty much every week), this post will include performance reviews as well as the results.



Week 2 Performances
The lineup for this week did look a lot better than last week, which of course is bad for us voters as it gives us a harder time selecting as few acts as possible to vote for. But did these acts reach my expectations? Let's digger a little deeper and see.

~ Jayna Brown: The second the performance began, I recognized the song. I questioned the song choice at first, but she really did kill that performance of Rise by Katy Perry. She just simply has an amazing voice. If I'm being honest, I think her last performance was slightly better. But I still absolutely love her and I think she has a reasonable chance to make it into the finals. I'm sure Louis Tomlinson (who gave Jayna his golden buzzer in the Judge Cuts) has voted and gotten his fans to vote as well. So she has a decent chance. But honestly, if Sal Valentinetti can make it into the finals, I'm sure Jayna can too. I wish her the best of luck.

~ Kadan Bart Rockett (and Brooklyn): For once, these kids were not having a rivalry where one starts something and then there's revenge and all that. They actually worked together. Basically, they just made an entire fifth grade class (including the teacher) come out of a little cardboard school. It is definitely interesting and I'm curious as to how it was done. But I don't think it's really something worthy of moving forward to the finals. It's a little tough in the magic category this week as we also have Steven Brundage and The Clairvoyants coming up later. They probably won't make it through, but I definitely think what they do would be awesome for parties and stuff, but not necessarily a show in Vegas.

~ Kadie Lynn Roberson: This girl barely made it past the quarterfinals as it was tied between her and ThroWings in the Judges' Choice and she just so happened to have gotten more votes from America. She definitely has an amazing voice and I think the biggest piece of advice given from her last performance was that she should strip it back down to just her guitar and her voice. As far as this performance went, I do think we got to hear some more of her voice. Towards the end, I thought it sounded really good. But at the same time, it wasn't amazing. I could tell that she was nervous, which is definitely understandable. But I think that did have an effect on her performance. I'm not exactly sure if this was her best performance, but I know that she is really talented. I honestly don't know what her fate might be. We'll just have to wait and see and wish her the best of luck.

~ Viktor Kee: I'm not kidding when I say that this man takes juggling to a whole new level. I always thought of it as something clowns do to entertain kids. But this guy has just completely changed my view on juggling. The set, the music, his appearance, and pretty everything really do make his act one of the most mesmerizing things I've ever seen. And let's not forget that he is also a great dancer as well as an amazing juggler. After each performance, my love for him only grows stronger and stronger. I didn't care for him too much in the auditions, but he has really gotten better and better and I do genuinely believe that he deserves to be in the finals. This guy is pretty much the best variety act this season. Hopefully America gets it right and votes him through.

~ Linkin' Bridge: While I was looking at the lineup before the show actually began, I did brush off Linkin' Bridge as one of the acts that probably won't make it through. But after this performance, I honestly don't know. They covered 7 Years by Lukas Graham and I really believe it was a big step up from their last performance. The emotions that these guys convey is insane. I'm literally covered in goosebumps watching this performance. It's no doubt that these guys are very talented and they really showed it this time around. I would say it's arguably their best performance this season. With that being said, I definitely think that they're worthy of making it into the finals. They've worked very hard and they deserve it. Whether or not America will actually vote them through, I don't know. But I would put them in my Top 5 for the best performances of the night. This is the Linkin' Bridge I know and love.

~ The Passing Zone: I was upset when they got eliminated in the quarterfinals because I really wanted to see Simon Cowell involved in these guys' act. Thankfully, Howie Mandel, Mel B, and Heidi Klum all agreed that these guys should be the one wildcard just to see Simon being tortured just like they were before. As far as this performance went, there was a whole lot of setup and only like 10 seconds of actual juggling, which I didn't think was enough, but I enjoyed it. For the small amount of juggling, I came to realization that these guys are really good jugglers. While they're not mesmerizing like Viktor Kee, they are absolutely hilarious. Their constant banter is just so funny. I absolutely loved the set that was supposed to help Simon feel at home. Overall, I really liked it and I really like these guys. My only criticism is that the actual juggling wasn't long enough. But everything else was on point. They probably won't get voted through due to all the hate from America about the judges having wasted their wildcard. But I really liked it and I think the wildcard was used nicely.

~ Calysta Bevier: I absolutely love this girl's story about how she was fighting cancer and all that. But this performance of Human by Christina Perri was not her best. She didn't really show off her voice that much and I know that she's really talented. There wasn't that big moment I was waiting for. Her cancer story is very sweet and maybe that'll get her some votes. But I don't think she really brought enough to be one of the five voted into the finals. But she is a really great person and an inspiration.

~ Steven Brundage: I still have to actually solve a Rubik's cube. Yet this guy manages to turn a mixed one into a perfect one with the snap of a finger. I personally think those tricks are the best. The other trick with the picture of Brad Pitt I didn't enjoy as much. I kind of like where it was headed, but I felt that it was hard to tell that the final picture was a person. Then again, Nick Cannon could've easily picked a completely different person. So I'm not exactly sure how he did it so that it was Brad Pitt. I'll consider his performance good and put it in green, but I didn't think it was as good as his last performance. He may have a hard time going through with the competition this week.

~ Sofie Dossi: I don't typically like contortionists, and if I do I usually get over them at this point in the competition because it's usually the same stuff over and over again. But there's just something about Sofie that makes her stand out. Maybe it's because of how young she is. Her past couple of performance have been similar, mainly with the whole shooting a bow and arrow with her feet. Thankfully, she eliminated that this time and just focused on her contortion and even focused more on her hanging by her neck on this huge ring, which she did so gracefully. So it was good and not exactly the same thing we've seen before. But I still can't really see this as a show in Vegas. Because the competition is so tough this week, I can't really see her going through to the finals. But I enjoyed her while she was here.

~ The Clairvoyants: It makes sense that they were towards the end of the show. I mean, you gotta save the best for the end. These two continue to amaze me with their mind-blowing abilities. There will always be people who are just too skeptical and refuse to enjoy these kinds of acts without knowing how they did it. Thankfully, I am not one of those people. I like being amazed by the magic acts that these two have done now four times. It's honestly really freaky how they can do what they do. It's actually pretty scary. But the good kind of scary. And not only do they have these superpowers or whatever, but they also know how to put on a show. With just the right set, they have been able to make their performances one hell of an experience. Last time, I said that these two were easily the most qualified act to have a show in Vegas and I stick by that statement. Especially since, like I said, they put on such a spooky, freaky performance and makes it quite the experience. I would totally pay to go see them. Based off of what we've seen tonight, I do believe that they should be voted into the finals. They are amazing and just mind-blowing. They have always had and will continue to have my votes.

~ Brian Justin Crum: Choosing between this guy and The Clairvoyants for the better performance was really tough, so I thought, "Why not go with both?" Brian is honestly the most memorable person currently on this show. Ever since his audition, he has consistently given us A+ performances. This performance in the semifinals was no different. It was incredible. Every time he hits those high notes, it literally sends chills down my spine. He is without a doubt the best singer this year. Absolutely no competition. This year was very heavy with the singers (most likely due to Simon Cowell becoming a judge), but honestly none of them reach the height Brian is at right now. He is absolutely phenomenal! I don't think I've heard a singer this amazing since Emily West from season 9, who was the runner-up that season. The more and more I listen to this guy, the more I realize how much he reminds me of Adam Lambert. If I recall correctly, the acts that make it into the finals will each get to perform with a celebrity during the finale. If Brian makes it into the finals (which I'm positive he will), I would like to see a duet between him and Adam Lambert. That would be epic. But in order for that, he needs to be voted into the finals. I genuinely believe he has a good shot at winning this competition. He is just that amazing.



Week 2 Results
Like last week, 11 acts have performed. America has voted and only 5 acts will be advancing into the finals, which will take place next week. The 5 acts from this week as well as the 5 acts from last week will battle it out for the one million dollar prize. But let's get to this week's results for now.

The acts that came in 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th place in America's vote were announced first as the three acts in danger of elimination. However, one of them will be saved with the live Dunkin' Save. During the episode, we had time to search "Dunkin' Save" on Google and pick the one act that we want to save. The act that receives the most votes is to be announced later in the episode and will be put through to the finals. In alphabetical order, the three acts are:

• Sofie Dossi
• Steven Brundage
• Viktor Kee

I'm not too surprised about Sofie or Steven being in this position. While they were both good, they weren't exactly anything amazing. Viktor being in this position did surprise me a little bit. I do think he'll get the Dunkin' Save and then the judges can choose between the other two, because I honestly don't really care who goes through between Sofie and Steven. The winner of the Dunkin' Save will be announced later. First up, there were a couple of performances/skits, so I will quickly review those first.

~ Andra Day/Blue Journey: Andra Day has that decently well-known single Rise Up. Blue Journey are actually from season 9 of this show. They were indeed finalists. Basically, they're one of the projection dance acts. I thought this was a very interesting performance. Andra Day does an amazing job at singing live and I was captivated watching Blue Journey. Overall, I liked it.

~ Revelations: This was one of those games where the host, Nick Cannon reveals something about one of the judges and the judges need to guess which judge they think he's talking about. There were questions like, "Which judge stole toilet paper from Nelson Mandela's house?" and "Which judge was expelled from high school?" But I'll just let you guys watch the video and enjoy it yourselves. I thought it was pretty funny and we got to learn a little more about our four judges.

Now that those reviews are done, it's time for the results!

For the first result, The Clairvoyants advanced into the finals while The Passing Zone and Kadan Bart Rockett were eliminated. So far so good. We got one amazing act in the finals that I don't have to worry about for the rest of the episode. I'm hoping The Clairvoyants will be able to reach the Top 5 next week. Being the first act to go through in both the quarterfinals and semifinals clearly means that people are loving them, which is great because they are absolutely mind-blowing. Hopefully, next week they'll do something even more amazing that even those skeptical people will have no clue how they did it.

Next, Brian Justin Crum advanced while Kadie Lynn Roberson and Calysta Bevier were eliminated. This night is going really good so far. Brian and the Clairvoyants, my two favorite acts, are officially through into the finals. Congrats to them. I still believe that with the right song choice once again next week, Brian has a great chance of winning the show, and I really do want him to win. He is my favorite act this season. And I hoping he and Adam Lambert will do a duet during the finale. But we'll just have to wait and see who he picks to sing with. For the final result before the Dunkin' Save, Linkin' Bridge advanced while Jayna Brown was eliminated. When they first went up, I was pretty sure Linkin' Bridge would advance. But during the time in which Nick Cannon took forever to announce who would go through, I started second-guessing and thinking that it could be Jayna with how people that liked her. It was Linkin' Bridge, thankfully. Nothing against Jayna, but Linkin' Bridge just killed it with that last performance. The right song choice is really what determines how the performance will go and 7 Years was just the perfect choice. Hopefully, they make another good choice next week in the finals. So far, 3 acts have been put through. There's 2 spots left and it's time to bring out the acts up for the Dunkin' Save.

Out of the three acts up on stage, America chose to save Sofie Dossi. I'm fine with her going through as long as the judges choose Viktor Kee in the Judges' Choice. But as for Sofie, she is really talented and a pro at what she does. We know she's not going to win and she probably won't make the Top 5, but I am impressed with how far she has come along. Maybe that golden buzzer from Judge Cuts guest judge Reba McEntire really showed people that this girl is really unique. I've never seen such a young contortionist before. But yeah, congrats to Sofie. Now two acts remain on stage with only one spot left. It is now up to judges. This is the final Judges' Choice this season and here are the two acts up for grabs:

• Steven Brundage
• Viktor Kee

Judges' Choices:

• Heidi Klum voted first and placed her vote on Viktor Kee.
• Mel B voted second and placed her vote on Steven Brundage.
• Simon Cowell voted third and placed his vote on Steven Brundage.
• Howie Mandel voted fourth and placed his vote on Viktor Kee.

Two judges have voted for each act causing a tie. As a result, the act that goes through is the one that received more votes from America. The act that earned more votes from America thankfully ended up being Viktor Kee. I never thought I'd be so nervous about a juggler potentially going home. But Viktor is so much more than a juggler. He makes juggling an art and that's why I love him so much. Will he win? Probably not. But I can't wait to see what he does next.

Alright. So that officially wraps up the semifinals. We now have 10 acts that will compete next week in the finals for the big prize. All that will be coming next week! I will see you guys this weekend with my countdown post.


My Top 5 Performances
1. TIE: Brian Justin Crum
1. TIE: The Clairvoyants
3. Linkin' Bridge
4. Viktor Kee
5. The Passing Zone