America’s Got Talent 2018 Recap Live QuarterFinals 2 Performance Videos

The winning act will receive 1 million dollars and will headline their very own Vegas show. Only SEVEN acts will advance to the Semifinals. FIVE acts will be eliminated by the end of tomorrow’s Results show.

VOTE for your favorite act via NBC. com, XFinity X1 Voice command, or the AGT Phone app!

McKayla Phillips  – 15 Year old Singer is Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer. That means she hasn’t performed since her audition. Heidi laments that fact as she introduces the young singer. McKayla’s dad is a firefighter. We see a shot of McKaya and her dad driving into the fire station where a slew of hometown fans are waiting for her. She sings “Issues” by Julia Michaels. Hm….she’s OK. She could use a few more years of experience. She’s got the look and ingredients to be a pop singer. But she’s not quite there yet. She does hit a couple of impressive high notes. She’s vying to be the next  Ariana Grande. Heidi says, “I’m so proud of you! You belong on this stage.” Heidi claims her version is better than the original. Howie believes she stepped up her performance from her audition. Mel B calls her interpretation “on point.” She wasn’t completely down with the high notes, though. Mel’s buzzer goes off by accident. Simon also sees a big improvement from her audition.  There really is a disadvantage to receiving a golden buzzer. I barely remember this girl. 

OH. There are tech issues. Stage doors that would normally hide the technicians aren’t working. 

Da Republik  – Dance Group from Dominican Republic – There are no jobs for dancers in the Dominican Republic. That’s why they’re here. There are literal cars on set, which the dancers use as props. Fire and smoke too. Still. Eh. There are some pretty cool tricks. Oh look. A flying saucer! Mel B loves their hair. OK, then. “You left everything on that dance floor. You were representing,” Mel says enthusiastically. Heidi calls it “Beyond exciting…I really want this for you guys.” Simon calls them “The best dance group that we’ve seen in the live shows so far.” Howie puns, “Da Republic is Da Bomb.” The lead dancer thanks AGT for changing their lives. 

Noah Guthrie   – Singer, Glee alum – Once again, dad is featured in the video package. He talks about how shy Noah was as a kid. Noah says after Glee ended “there was nothing.” Just did a search…Noah is taking a big chance with an original song called “Show Me Some Mercy.”  It’s a decent song. At some point, I suppose, he needed to prove he can be a viable artist. Still, his covers are better. Heidi calls him a “double threat…a triple threat. You’re very handsome tonight.” He tells Simon he wrote the song. Simon is proud of him, calls him the “comeback kid.”  Howie doesn’t like the song. Doesn’t think it will resonate with the audience. Mel B agrees with Howie. I’m rooting for this kid. I liked him a lot on Glee. 

Yumbo Dump  – Japanese Comedians – They are actually from Tokyo. Their accents sound fake. But they are probably exaggerating to make racist Americans laugh! I mean. This act is like Step n Fetch It the Asian version. Mel B buzzes them right off. As well she should. I don’t even get the noises they are trying to make? They are definitely running out of shtick. They started off bad and have devolved to completely unwatchable. Heidi and Simon buzz them next. They finish with a “dolphin love story” involving dolphin heads and “You Light Up My Life.” Howie gives them a standing ovation. Simon and Mel loved the dolphins so they take back their Xs. “This act is important,” insists Howie. Heidi stands firm on her X. Somebody on that panel has to be the sensible one. 

Samuel J. Comroe  –  Comedian with Tourettes – Like Noah, Sam’s dad features into his video package. Oh. Dad wanted to be a comedian too. “In my eyes, Samuel is the best comedian ever to walk this earth.” Aw. “It’s a dream come true to follow two dolphins doing whatever it is they were doing,” OK that’s kind of funny. Next, it’s jokes about his pug dog. Who doesn’t love doggos? Ha. Simon LOOVES pooches. Smart move. A mildly humorous routine gets a standing ovation. “Well done,” says Howie. Heidi didn’t love this week’s routine. His best was his audition, for sure. Simon thinks Sacred Riana put a curse on the show.! He loves Samuel and hopes America votes for him. Mel B says ditto. Tyra does a spot on imitation of Samuel’s “accent.” It’s strange, because the dude is from Los Angeles. Is that vocal affectation part of his Tourettes? 

Voices of Hope – Children’s Choir (Ken Jeong’s Golden Buzzer) – OK. We’ve already got a choir moving on to the semifinals. We don’t need another. It’s yet ANOTHER song from The Greatest Showman, “A Million Dreams.”  Cute kids galore. So sweet I need to brush my teeth stat. Mel B says they sound amazing, but she didn’t like the song choice.” Simon buzzes her for that. “I could not disagree more,” he says, “Absolutely perfect choice.” He insists, “I want them in the show all the way to the end. He calls them bottled happiness. Heidi compliments the solo voices. “Children are our future,” says Howie, a little tongue in cheek. 

The Savitsky Cats   – Ukrainian Cat Act – The video package features the kitties with funny dialog. That was more entertaining than the act! Sometimes the kitties need a little handling before they cooperate. The mom/daughter duo who handle the kitties are like cat whisperers. Because your typical cat attitude is basically “eff you.” Heidi goes full pun. “Puuurrrfect,” she says. Howie is not sure they stepped it up from last time. Heidi disagrees. Simon takes a bit to recover from Heidi’s bad puns. Heidi says she enjoyed the music more than the cats. They run out of time. No critique from a giggling Simon. I’m with Mel and Howie. Sure, cats are typically not trainable. But once they are? Eh. 

Glennis Grace @GlennisGrace  – 40 Year old Singer – Glennis shares her feelings of inadequacy and how it has held her back. She performs “Never Enough” from GUESS WHAT THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. All these songs will be sung on singing shows forever and ever won’t they. The thing about Glennis: She’s got iron pipes. She can hit those incredible high notes and hasn’t met a key change she couldn’t totally blast through. But she’s super generic and lacks real connection to what she’s singing. Simon calls the performance “a moment.” Howie calls it a “crazy moment.” Paul Stanley from KISS is in the audience. Mel B admires that she’s taking back her power. She doesn’t like the black stripey jacket she’s wearing though. 

The Sacred  Riana   – Horror Magician – The video package features a bunch of creepy Sacred Rianas and FIRE. Of course, she’s picking on Mel again. She presents a photo of the panel. “She is coming for one of you.” Riana intones. HA HA HA. Suddenly, Mel’s face is magically burnt out of the picture, with it stuck on the head of a voodoo doll instead. A twin appears. Now it’s the zombified mutants from the video package. Riana climbs up a wall to escape. And then a commercial break! I don’t get it. We’re back. Time for the judges. “You’re brilliant, I hope we see you in the final,” says Simon. Heidi calls her creepy and memorable, but she was expecting more wow in the magic. There was literally no magic in that act. OVERRATED. 

Quin and Misha  –  Dance Duo, Female is 71 (Martina McBride’s Golden Buzzer) – She’s a former tennis player, so she’s been training and working out all of her life. Quin’s dance partner tosses her around like a rag doll. And she has the strength to stay strong and hold impressive poses. But she doesn’t actually dance! They dance to “Maniac” from Flashdance and finish with Quin pulling a rope like in the movie–only it’s confetti rather than water. Heidi says they don’t miss a beat, “Fantastic…age is just a number.” Simon calls her “really really fun…I really hope you make it to the next round.” Howie is not sure the act is worthy of moving on. He’s correct. “What you do is incredible,” says Mel. 

Front Pictures  – Projection act – Initially eliminated, the group was brought back as a Wild Card.  I guess that was fun? A story with special effects. I dunno. Heidi calls it “innovative and futuristic.” Simon is messing with his mic. So many tech issues tonight! He wants to hear more applause for them. Simon felt like he was in a movie. “It was absolutely fantastic.” Howie hopes it translates at home. That’s the problem with projection acts. They are probably way more impressive in theater. Mel B didn’t get the story.

Duo Transcend  – Married Acrobatic Duo, Husband is going blind – During the judge cuts, the legally blind husband dropped his wife. DUH. HE’S BLIND! But she jumped right up, proving the stunt actually wasn’t all that dangerous. What will happen this time? The blindfold is back on. The thing about this couple–they incorporate their “passionate” relationship into the act, and it works. The blindfold bit is kind of kinky! She positions herself on his crotch, drops off the trapeze and he catches her with one hand. Was the blindfold supposed to come off? It does. They finish the sexy act without a hitch this time. “Hands down one of the best act of the night,” says Heidi. “Brave, incredible, nuts,” says Simon. He wants the fire back. Howie loves the trust and passion. 

It has just dawned on me that I’m not enjoying this season as much as I did last year and even the year before. The acts just aren’t surprising me anymore…

The stage doors that typically hid the tech people moving around props were broken through the whole show. That was kind of a mess. Oh well. Live TV. 

See you Wednesday night for the results!