‘America’s Got Talent: All-Stars’ episode 8 performances ranked: All 11 acts from worst to best

Vincent Mandile
·6 min read
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“America’s Got Talent: All-Stars” aired the first part of its finale Monday night with 11 acts performing for the big win. The new spin-off series features former “Got Talent” contestants from America and beyond, competing in a seven-week showdown to determine which ultimate all-star will claim the title of “Got Talent World Champion.” Longtime series judges Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum return to the judges’ panel with Terry Crews on stage for hosting duties.

Below are my Top 11 rankings for the Monday, February 20th episode of “AGT: All-Stars.”

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Season 1 Finale Performances ranked:

11. Mike E. Winfield: Comedians have historically never claimed the prize on AGT, which has angered some viewers. Those who are bitter that a comic has yet to win might want to take a drink next week because my gut instinct is that history will repeat itself. Despite having what I call “the money spot,” opening the second hour of the finale, Mike had an advantage that went underutilized. The material this time around was not exactly hilarious. The judges may think that he has a shot at the win, but odds are it is not happening.

10. Power Duo: In a previous article, I said that Power Duo needed to up the ante in order to be remotely in the same airspace as Aidan Bryant. Good news, they upped said ante. The opening was a bit slow, but after that it was smooth sailing. The crowd and judges were impressed, but at the end of the night, another aerialist act stole the show.

9. Tom Ball: Song choice is key for any singer in a TV competition. Tonight Tom made a misstep. Vocally, he sounded solid but “Creep” by Radiohead was not exactly on my bingo card for Tom. He ended up wowing the judges and studio audience, but left viewers at home either loving it or thinking “That was nowhere near as good as his past performance(s).” To quote one of my best friends, “This is such a safe and boring song to do in a final after so many singers on shows like this have done so before.”

8. Aidan McCann: This illusion was not as memorable as his previous ones. Social media seemed to agree, with many noting their experience seeing the trick before. Can someone get Nickelodeon to see his work though? The never-ending showings of a certain yellow sponge could use a dash of magic at night. Will vote splitting come into play since there is also another child sized juggernaut competing? Yes, but who will get more votes than their closest competitor? More than likely Ana-Maria.

7. Ana-Maria Mărgean: If there was ever a time to top your last performance, it’s the finale where everything is on the line. In a previous article, I noted that a more recent song might be a great idea, but Ana-Maria opted for another classic and proved me wrong. This performance was better than the one that got her into the final, but I cannot help but shake the feeling that she got lost in the shuffle by the end of the night.

6. Bello Sisters: The video package, complete with a letter from Bello Mama, left quite an impression on viewers. By that I mean, many fans were gained in those brief minutes alone. The performance exceeded their previous one by miles, and given that they are in a lane of their very own in this final, there was no risk of vote splitting from super fans. Also, good to know that there is a fourth Bello Sister waiting in the wings to join the act one day.

5. Detroit Youth Choir: Kicking off the night was none other than Terry’s Golden Buzzer act….times two. Whoever chose the order for the night did this act a major favor as they not only benefited from their placement but seemingly set the tone for the rest of the night. Not kidding here guys, there were so little mean or demeaning comments on social media for the night as a whole and I attribute that to the good vibes provided by this performance. This actually was the best performance from Detroit Youth Choir I’ve seen. The judges were impressed as was the crowd.

4. Avery Dixon: Avery Dixon remains the giant question mark of the season. He once more wowed the judges, audience, and social media. There was no missed note and his energy was infectious. The song choice fell right into Avery’s sweet spot with viewers. Older audiences and super fans will gravitate towards the danceability while younger viewers will see it and say, “I want to learn an instrument now.” As Simon said, this performance was “astonishing.”

3. Light Balance Kids: This is the act that excites me the most this season. These kids have gone through hell and we all know the reason why, so pray that situation ends soon! The performance itself was just beyond fun and exciting. I could watch them all day, but I am sure they have to go to school and stuff. If any act deserves a show in Las Vegas, it is them. Just picture the billboards and the crowds they can attract since they appeal to adults and children.

2. Kodi Lee: Before I go any further, I want to note that having Kodi Lee ranked second is not a bad thing. I loved his performance and thought he was perfection once more. The video package was the best one of the night. The song choice was once more perfection and I would never have thought of that one for him. I’m thoroughly convinced that Kodi is incapable of giving a bad performance or hitting a bad note. The judges, crowd, and social media agreed with me. In fact, social media called him the one to beat.

1. Aidan Bryant: I am going to make a bold statement here: Aidan Bryant had my favorite performance of the season. There is so much that I want to say about this performance but it can be summed up with one phrase: “That was insane!” Totally fearless! He flew around up there like Spider-Man traversing skyscrapers. Everyone in the room seemingly lost their collective minds, including the judges. Social media had the same reaction as well. After that performance, he is my pick to win this entire show. What a way to close the show!

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