America’s Got Talent: Leavin’ Las Vegas

America’s Got Talent was back on Wednesday night with more semi-finals auditions. After Tuesday night’s snoozefest I can’t say I was looking forward to the episode. There were eleven spots remaining out of the 48 available places for the Hollywood finals, and everyone from Group B would be battling it out for the spots.

A few of my favorites were back, like singing group New Directions. They were good, although the “heart” and “inspiration” factor definitely plays a role in their likability. That’s also true for singing sisters Christina and Ali, who both suffer from Cystic Fibrosis. They bring an inspirational story and sing inspirational songs. Without coming across as too insensitive, I’ve got to admit that choosing Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home” was a good strategic decision for them. It tugs on heart strings and speaks to their story. There was one tiny problem, though – the girls aren’t particularly amazing singers.

I thought one of the strongest vocalists was the female singer in the group that Sharon Osbourne described as “cabaret”. I thought they were great. I just couldn’t get into the guys who play air guitar as their talent. How is that a talent? Anyone can do that! I didn’t even understand how they got through to Vegas.

The judges said more male singers than ever before made it through to Vegas this year, and it did seem like there was a lot of talent. Too much to keep track of. One of my favorites was Luigi. I love a kid in a fedora, I loved the tone of his voice, his style, his song choices, and I loved how bad he wanted it. Sharon found him too laid-back, though.

The results were good and bad. Luigi and the “cabaret” singer’s group made it through, but so did the ridiculous air guitar band. That one left me scratching my head. The decision to send the singing war vets home will be a controversial one – just minutes after the show aired, I saw several angry comments from viewers on the show’s Facebook fan page.

What did you think of the judges’ decisions? Did your favorite make it through?