Julia Delbel
Julia is a writer at Talent Recap and hails from the Greater Toronto Area. She is currently pursuing a degree in Media Studies. When not sharing her latest reality TV hot takes she's likely enjoying a game night with friends, collecting enamel pins, or spending time with her cat, Zoey.
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| August 29, 2018 SIGN IN TO SAVE POST
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This last week of America’s Got Talent Season 13 quarter-finals brought us 12 more acts in search of stardom. So, who were the standouts, and who dropped the ball?
The Future Kingz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eT7TjlCnNQ
This dance group was one of the biggest underdogs this week, and I was really hoping they’d be able to pull off a surprise like Junior New System and Da RepubliK in the previous live shows. However, despite being fun and having a lot of personality, nothing about their performance tonight was especially memorable. However, it was much better than their other two AGT routines so at least they stepped it up for the quarter-finals.
Us the Duo
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I think these two also stepped up their game a little for the live shows. This song was much more catchy than their previous ones on AGT, and the fact that it was about their soon-to-be-born child will probably win some points from the parents among the voting audience.
Daniel Emmett
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Hands down, one of the best vocal performances we’ve seen so far this season, and with opera being a less-represented musical genre on AGT than, say, pop, the novelty factor is strong as well. Daniel truly delivered a performance we likely wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else on American TV, and that’s what AGT is all about!
Brian King Joseph
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On thing Brian has no lack of is passion. Seeing the played-out strings and expressive facials while he’s onstage shows how much he loves what he does. Unfortunately, the background contortionists were very distracting; I wish they hadn’t been there and the song had been more upbeat so we as viewers could just enjoy watching Brian move around as he played (something he wasn’t really able to do much while playing a slowed-down version of “Centuries”). Still, I definitely think he deserves a spot in the semi-finals after this performance!
Aaron Crow
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There’s a lot to unpack with this one. Suspenseful acts like this definitely suit Aaron’s style, and I really liked how he kept up the tension throughout the performance. However, the whole hammer thing with Howie was unnecessary and it – along with his initial misunderstanding of the task – drew out the segment much longer than it should have gone. Also, I think the switcheroo at the end might have been a mistake, but if it was I kind of see but as a happy accident because it added to the fear and danger factor of the whole thing. So I’m fairly mixed on this one, but one thing I can safely say is it did make me want to see more from Aaron.
Joseph O’Brien
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I’ve never found Joseph all that interesting, and that remained true tonight. I like it when AGT acts perform original songs on the show, but there wasn’t really a hook or a “wow” moment in this one, so it fell flat for me. That doesn’t change the fact that I was super-annoyed at the judges for making him reveal his crush on live television. That was definitely a step too far, even for them.
Hans
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This was everything I wanted from Hans and more (he even tap danced!). I get that a lot of people don’t like him, but I think his kooky brand of drag and performance art is a great fit for AGT!
UDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR3U0HchSdo
The judges were waaaaaay too hard on them this episode. Easily one of the best acts of the night. Unfortunately, the comparisons to Front Pictures are probably going to do them in tomorrow, which makes me sad. I loved the video game theme and how they incorporated different “levels” into the act. Again, this is the kind of thing we need on AGT because a lot of the acts are becoming pretty generic and these guys just showcase their own awesomely wacky skills.
Christina Wells
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This was pretty good. Not perfect, but with Christina you can always tell she is putting her all into every second of every performance. I find a lot of the AGT singers tend to “mail in” certain portions of their songs until they get to the grand finale of the piece but Christina absolutely sells it from beginning to end.
Zurcaroh
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I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect after their audition (which was very good) but they came out with a mind-blowing follow up. The storyline, choreography, and aesthetics were all on point. Best performance of the night by a landslide, and one of the few variety acts I think has a shot to win the season.
Rob Lake
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It’s clear Rob listened to the judges comments and tried to put together an act more suited to his strengths than his previous ones. I’d say the results were mixed. While I feel like he works a bit better as a silent magician letting the act speak for itself, I just could not buy that “bad boy” persona I think he was going for with the motorcycle and dancers tonight. I’ve seen other magicians do very similar routines and pull that off, and it makes a world of difference. If Rob makes it through, I’d like to see him allow the magic to be the focus over him as the performer again like he did tonight, but to just be himself next time.
Michael Ketterer
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Michael can definitely sing very well, and I neglected to say this with Glennis Grace last week and Christina tonight but I do think it’s nice that AGT doesn’t have a “ceiling” for their singers (and other performers) age-wise like other reality talent competitions do. What bothers me here is that the focus is squarely on his story rather than his talent. And while Michael has done some amazing things in his life, I would like to see more focus on his performances. I don’t even think the judges commented on his choices and abilities as a singer tonight, and while the emotional stuff might help get him some votes, I think it’d be good for him to actually get their input on his act in order to grow as an artist.
Stay tuned for Power Rankings for this episode tomorrow, and be sure to watch tomorrow night’s America’s Got Talent results show on NBC at 8/7c.
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