‘America’s Got Talent’ recap: Acts raise the bar in last quarterfinal performances

The final 12 quarterfinal acts took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent, hoping to do enough to impress the viewers and get into the semifinals.

In case you missed it, here is a recap of all the performances as well as my predictions on who will make it through to the next round.

Detroit Youth Choir

Host Terry Crews’ Golden Buzzer pick was up first and performed a very moving cover of “The Champion”. It was the perfect way to kick off the show as they earned a massive round of applause and a standing ovation.

“This is bigger than AGT,” judge Julianne Hough said. “This is a movement bringing music and dance together.”

As I said, the choir made Terry proud and stepped it up. The performance was miles better than their audition and should have them in a good place moving forward.

Lukas and Flaco

I’m a sucker for a good dog act and I’ve always loved Flaco. He and his human owner Lukas returned with a really cool performance featuring flips, tricks, and some dancing. Yes, a dancing dog!

“We have five dogs at home and they don’t do anything,” judge Gabrielle Union told him. “You guys went back to the drawing board and upped the ante to a high standard.”

While the act was cute and adorable, I just don’t see how the act can grow moving forward. So as much as I loved it, I fear we may be saying goodbye to Lukas and Flaco tonight.

Dom Chambers

It was time for some magic from down under! Australian magician Dom Chambers had a lot to prove after an underwhelming performance in the Judge Cuts round of the competition. And boy, did he step it up!

Dom did a simple trick using technology, cards, and some math. He had Terry come and picks cards, the audience navigate their way to the picture of their choice and they all landed on Tape Face. And the best part was he made Tape Face appear!

“You make magic cool,” Julianne said. “It was interactive. That is one of the greatest acts that you have done.”

It was easily Dom’s best performance of the season and he was one of the standout acts of the night. As soon as he finished, I felt like he’d be advancing to the next round.

Benicio Bryant

The teen singer was next to take the stage, performing an original song called “Who I Am”. I’ve been hard on Benicio before because his songs and his voice were mediocre at best. But he turned me into a fan with this performance.

“You have a natural talent,” judge Simon Cowell said. “My advice would have been to strip the song down. We just needed you, your voice, and maybe one instrument. You are someone, I guarantee you this, that has a great future. You don’t need all that stuff going on behind you.”

I think Benicio may have won a lot of fans over that previously were on the fence about him with that song. It would surprise me if he was in any danger tonight.

Gonzo

I’m not even going to waste my time on this act. It was a waste of three minutes. Why was he even put through? Gonzo + tambourine = no.

Marcin Patrzalek

Luckily for Marcin, he followed a truly bizarre performance and woke the audience up with some cool guitar skills. He performed both “Misirlou” and “Paganini” in just over two minutes.

“Technically, you are one of the most talented people we have ever had,” Simon told him. “The song, to me, was all over the place, but you are a contender.”

Marcin could very easily make soundtrack or background music for shows after this. He is one gifted young man and every single time I see him, I’m in awe of his talent and skill.

Eric Chien

The second magician of the night saw Eric bring out some M&M’s and had Julianne join him on stage. Eric made several rubik’s cubes appear as Julianne shuffled them to make each color different. Eric has a great sleight of hand technique and despite his minor mistake, he still did well.

“If I had to put my money on a magician tonight, I would have said Eric,” Simon said. “But on the night, I would have to say Dom. I am getting used to the close-up magic and that didn’t wow me.”

I’d have to agree with Simon here. There was a reason Shin Lim has won this show twice; not only was he a great magician, he also had amazing stage presence. Despite his trick being simple, Dom presented his better and therefore had the better act.

Berywam

The Belgian beatboxing group was next up as they sang a mash up of “Old Town Road” and “O Fortuna”, showcasing that they are much more than beatboxers.

“Your voices, your range, the high notes you hit, I loved you guys,” judge Howie Mandel said.

I was really let down by the guys’ performance, particularly after their Judge Cuts performance got the crowd pumped. With that said, Tuesday night showcased them as much more as beatboxers. Will that help them move on? We will have to wait and see.

Matthew Richardson

The aerialist was sent home in the Judge Cuts round only to be brought back as a wild card. He stepped up his performance and performed with “rain” in a puddle of water; it was so dangerous that his performance was actually pre-recorded.

“On that note, you and that hoop and some water, that is a spicy Tuesday night in my book,” Gabrielle joked. “This gave us spice and fire …. and Jennifer Beals‘ Flashance.”

Simon commented that while he liked the act, he doesn’t see it moving further. I actually agree with him. While I did like the act, I don’t see where he could take it from here. I fear he may be in danger in the results show.

MacKenzie

The singer hoped to impress the viewers with David Bowie’s “Life On Mars”. While his voice is great, I don’t think this was the right song to showcase his voice. He missed the mark and was overall disappointing.

“I am a big David Bowie fan,” Howie said. “We hand it over to America tonight. I think you are special, but it is just singing; it is just that song. Was it enough?”

To answer Howie’s question, I don’t think it was enough. I don’t think it will be good news for MacKenzie tonight when the results come in.

Jackie Fabulous

The comedian was the penultimate act of the evening and she did not disappoint. She performed a hilarious set about online dating that was not only funny but very relatable.

“You are my favorite kind of person,” Simon said. “You are naughty. This is the Dolby Theater and it felt like you belong here. I pray that America puts you through. This was one of my favorite performances of the night.”

In my opinion, Jackie did her best set yet! Her joke about hiking had me laughing hard. And her response of “Hell no! That’s a white activity” was the perfect punchline to end the set. She was my favorite act of the night by far.

Emanne Beasha

The 10-year-old opera singer closed the show with a stunning rendition of “Ebben”. While there is no denying her amazing voice, I was not a fan of the choice of song. But honestly, it did not matter.

“What you did transcended anything I have ever heard,” Julianne complimented. “You are literally an icon at 10 years old because people are going to try to follow in your footsteps. I am in awe.”

If Emanne was not going up against favorites Kodi Lee and V. Unbeatable, she would have a real shot at winning this whole thing. However, she’s at least a lock for the semifinals.

Predictions

So who will advance to the next round? Fun fact: I’ve actually correctly predicted 13 of 14 semifinal acts but this week is harder to call. I think Detroit Youth Choir, Dom Chambers, Eric Chien, Jackie Fabulous, Emanne Beasha, Marcin Patrzalek, and Benicio Bryant will all advance to the semifinals.

What did you think of the show? Let me know in the comments below!

America’s Got Talent continues tonight at 8/7c on NBC with the results show LIVE from the Dolby Theatre where seven more acts will advance to the semifinals.