The 11 acts competing for the $1 million and a chance to headline “America’s Got Talent Las Vegas LIVE” at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas are Avery Dixon, Celia Muñoz, Chapel Hart, Kristy Sellars, The Mayyas, Metaphysic, Drake Milligan, Nicolas RIBS, Sara James, Mike E Winfield and Yu Hojin. This year is all about originality on America’s Got Talent and we’ve seen some very creative acts, but for me, and as original as some of the magicians have been and as inspiring as The Mayyans are, it all comes down to two musical acts: Drake Milligan and Chapel Hart. Drake’s honky-tonk infused “Kiss Goodbye All Night” earned a standing ovation from all four judges and the live audience on the first night of qualifying rounds—and America voted him through to the finale. Sofia Vergara said he was “the whole package,” and Howie Mandel said, “I will predict that tomorrow that song will be No. 1 on the country chart. You have a good chance of winning this whole thing.” While Simon Cowell added, “In my opinion, you are the real deal. You are a great songwriter. You have charisma. I am with Howie here. Based on tonight, let’s forget the cheese thing, this is, in my opinion, the best performance of the night.” But Chapel Hart are also serious contenders. The country trio, comprised of sisters Danica and Devynn Hart along with their first cousin Trea Swindle, were only the second act to ever be awarded a group Golden Buzzer, as all five Golden Buzzers had already been awarded by the time that they auditioned. For the qualifying round, Chapel Hart performed “The Girls Are Back In Town,” again receiving praise from the judges. “That was fantastic,” Simon said. “I love you and I love the choreography you have going on around you. It was just brilliant.” The next night when they were voted through to the finale, Heidi Klum told them, “Well deserved girls. You sang your way into America’s heart and my heart.” This is definitely a contest that is too close to call at this point, so it will all come down to which act has the best performance on Tuesday night! Of course, as this is just my prediction, no one can be completely ruled out, which means that The Mayyas, who Howie calls “the best act he’s ever seen in his history as a judge on AGT,” are still in the money. That said, dancers haven’t had a great track record of winning with the exception of Kenichi Ebina, who won season 8 in 2013, and V. Unbeatable, who won season 2 of America’s Got Talent: The Champions. But if I had to pick a third artist that I feel has a shot at winning, it would be ventriloquist Celia Muñoz, who finished in third place in her qualifying week, but won her way back into the competition as the winner of the final Wild Card for season 17. Her act is unique in that she doesn’t use the standard dummy to throw her voice to, and if she had performed on a less competitive night, she might have actually gone through on the first vote. America’s Got Talent’s season 17 finale will take place over two nights: Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC will be the performances; then on Wednesday at 9 p.m., following a night of entertainment, the winner will be revealed. Next, Howie Mandel Reveals the Best Act He’s Ever Seen in His History as a Judge on America’s Got Talent
