'America’s Got Talent' Season 8 – Semi-Finals 1 – Rank the Contestants

I'm hoping that the KriStef Brothers can recover from their injury in a week, but I'm hoping they also don't push themselves too hard. I am glad that Howie gave Red Panda a last-minute chance after she had to pull out of the competition because of family emergencies. If the brothers can't make it back, I hope that 3Penny Chorus & Orchestra, Deanna DellaCioppa, or Sprice get another shot. There is also still Howard's pick next week.

12) Tone the Chiefrocca - Mel B. wasted her wildcard. As much as the production value was interesting and the dancers were giving their all, it was still the same song, same personality, and same level of disappointment. The B-double-O-T-Y song could have been cool in 2008, during the era of Usher's "Yeah" but it doesn't match 2013's styling. My Grade: D

11) Duo Resonance - With the KriStef Brothers not being a direct competition for this couple, the two could have used the opportunity to shine. Instead they tried to play with a box. I get that they gave a new angle to their performance, but there was a lot of time wasted with lifting the woman out of the box and the performance ended almost too abruptly. My Grade: C+

10) Red Panda - I have a personal love for Red Panda because she reminds me of every nice Asian mom. She falls in the same category as Alexandria the Great (the escape artist) where I appreciate that these older contestants are still passionate about their craft. Let's give her credit in the fact that she did the act on a smaller platform and the lone bowl that fell was not because she missed catching it, it was because the bowl was overthrown. I'd love to give her another shot where production could be better with timing and camera angles. My Grade: B-

9) Innovative Force - The large scale performance didn't resonate with me as much as their first performance. This time it looked messy and scattered. There were a few tricks that came off sloppy and Howie was right to compare the act to a cheerleading group. At least a cheerleading squad would have tighter formations and cleaner tosses. My Grade: C

8) Angela Hoover - Angela did a decent piece about celebrity mothers but I don't think any of her impressions was that good. Think about it this way: all her impersonations were just "foreign" accents. Kardashian? California valley girl. Sharon Osbourne? British accent. Sofia Vergara? Spanish accent. Arianna Huffington? It could have been Zsa Zsa Gabor and I would have believed it. If you're looking for a good female impersonator Google Christina Bianco. My Grade: B-

7) Jonathan Allen - Jonathan took a shot by trying an airy and emotional piece from Les Misérables, but the combination of his nerves and his weak upper register destroyed his chances. I prefer Jonathan over Branden James, but I fear for both with Forte being there and being given better performance slots. My Grade: B

6) Dave Fenley - Dave's performance of "Say You'll Be There" came off like it was an audition piece, not something worthy of Radio City Music Hall. His beat boxing was an interesting touch. Was if effective? It helped the song gain a different perspective, but the whole performance lacked emotional pull that "Trouble" had. My Grade: C

5) Collins Key - I've grown tired of Collins' tricks, though the scale has been quite grand for Radio City. He's a good looking guy with a nice smile, but he needs to do some real magic tricks and stop doing the perception/psychic style tricks. In his interview clips he's doing the fireballs or playing with a deck of cards. Let's see some of that as well next time. My Grade: C

4) Catapult Entertainment - I love that this group attempted something mature and more of a love story, but that's exactly what tellAvision did and they failed. The rigging took too long to attach and detach the dancer. Once I finally realized it was a story of how a woman dove into the ocean to find the Gorton's Fisherman, it was actually quite moving. I've never heard Charlene Soraia's version of "Wherever You Will Go" and it was beautiful, but I shouldn't think that the song was better than the act. My Grade: B+

3) Cami Bradley - As much as Heidi loved this version of "Fools rush in" I find that every indie artist sings a version of this song with that airy style. Yes I liked the growing confidence in Cami's performance and how she was on a small stage, but when she comes back, she'll need much more to survive the Top 12. My Grade: B

2) Taylor Williamson - In a week of lackluster performances, the gawky-awkward comedian hit a homerun right when he needed to. I love that Taylor ended his routine correctly using the word "bitch" and still made Heidi laugh. Of the two "comedians" Taylor was much better than Angela though I wished that he had a better flow between his jokes. My Grade: A-

1) Forte - I personally don't like Forte, but I appreciate their strong voices, smart song choices, and correct arrangements. My only problem is that Il Divo does the same exact thing, but better. They did warble near the end, but they'll sail through and steal Jonathan Allen's votes along the way. My Grade: B+

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