(Facebook/America’s Got Talent)
Last night, Howie Mandel said that this season of America’s Got Talent features the most competitive group of performers he’s ever seen. Now that America is left to decide who advances to the next round, however, things change a little bit.
We have to take into consideration the demographic that watches the show, how different the acts are, and in many cases, how good looking the contestants are to decide who has the best chance of moving forward.
Here are our predictions for which five acts will proceed to the semifinals.
1. Miguel Dakota
Twenty-two-year-old Miguel Dakota is a shoe-in to advance. The Colorado construction worker has garnered far more attention than any other contestants so far because of his sultry voice, modest smile and good looks. Every time he finishes a performance, girls squeal and Mel B can’t stop saying how “hot” he is.
On top of that, Dakota sang a fan favorite Beatles song for his live performance and had a more daring and darker flare than in his other performances. He came across a bit like a bad boy. He showed everyone a new side to him, which is indicative of the variety we’ll see from him in the future.
Dakota has 12,500 thousand Twitter followers and 15,000 Instagram followers. Some of his competitors, Valo & Bobby, have only 558 followers, which pales in comparison. Put lightly, the guy has way more fans than any of his competitors.
2. Emily West
West’s popularity surged after her performance last night. Not only did she receive a standing ovation from all four judges, but Howard told her she was the best thing on the stage all night. It’s hard to say whether West will advance past the next round because she’s a 33-year-old woman whom people may not like because she’s had a lot of success in the past.
America may not think it’s worth handing $1 million to a woman who’s already experienced fame after making videos with Keith Urban and being signed to Capitol Records. Regardless, West’s talent is undeniable, and after the judges’ overwhelmingly positive remarks about her, it’d be a shock if fans across the U.S. who truly value talent above anything else in this competition didn’t put her through.
3. The Willis Clan
It’s true that the Willis Clan didn’t give their best performance last night. Though they all looked adorable, they weren’t able to fill up the stage as they usually do. Mel said they were drowned out by the size of Radio City, and we agree. What we can’t forget, however, is that they’ve received a lot of attention from the media in the past few weeks and are a family that America just eats up. Fans across the country will probably put them through based on their first couple acts as opposed to last night’s.
4. Flight Crew Jump Rope
Their performance last night was insanely good. The crew members were completely on point, and all their choreographed moves were completely synchronized. On top of that, they incorporated fun neon lights and much harder tricks into their act, which got the entire crowd on their feet. The only reason they wouldn’t advance is if their act didn’t translate as well as it did live to audiences at home, but we don’t think that’ll be the case for the semifinals.
5. Baila Conmingo
This one’s a toss-up between Julia Goodwin and Baila Conmigo. America loves children and children who sing, but Baila Conmigo brought their game last night, and if America wants to diversify the acts and have an underdog to root for, it will be Baila Conmigo.