‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 12 Semifinals Part 1 Recap: Darci Lynne, Mike Yung & Evie Clair Dominate

by Hillary Luehring-JonesSeptember 6, 2017, 3:55 pmNews, News Feed, Reviews, TV >

The remaining acts on America’s Got Talent took the stage for the semifinal show last night.

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT SEMIFINALS PART 1 RECAP

11 acts performed in the first of two semifinal shows, at the end of which will see only five advance to the final. As such, some performers had to alter their acts to show their talent potential, rather than just a one hit wonder. Singers dominate the Top 21, with a whopping 13 singing contenders. In this semifinals part one, six contestants were singers.

First up was Yoli Mayor, who sang a rendition of James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go.” The performance was a little pitchy at times and overall not bad, but not explosive. Still, the judges were impressed, as Mayor earned a few “well dones” from judge Mel B and a “Holy moly, Yoli,” from Heidi Klum.

Next up was fun magician Eric Jones, who makes a $2 bill turn into a $100 bill, and then back. His showmanship is impressive, and he keeps the audience engaged, though the trick seems a bit juvenile. The judges, however, believe Jones is ready to enter the finals.

Another singing act takes the stage third, and it’s DaNeil Daymon & Greater Works, a gospel choir. They sing Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” but the performance seemed to fall flat. Simon Cowell still sees the group as the light and soul of the show, and the other judges seem to agree.

Comedian Preacher Lawson was up next and delivers a solid comedy set full of jokes about ex-girlfriends and the women in his life. The jokes were refreshing, and got the entire audience laughing out loud. How Mandel sees big things in this guy’s future, and the other judges agree. Klum, however, is just happy that Lawson slowed down his speech a bit.

Another singer takes the stage next and it’s Johnny Manuel, who again talks about his failed record deal when he was 14-years-old. This time he performs an original song, and it so pays off. His voice is phenomenal, but the judges feel the song choice was perhaps not the best one. Still, they see potential in him.

Next up are roller-blading siblings Billy and Emily England. While their act could definitely get old quick, the brother-sister duo manage to keep their death-defying antics fresh. This time Billy spins Emily around while she holds onto only a leather strap wrapped around Billy’s neck with her teeth. At the end, Billy throws his sister behind him, clearly onto a mound of pillows or some sort of landing pad, and Mandel feigns fear for her life. The judges and audience both love it.

13-year-old singer Evie Clair brought tears to our eyes before she even began singing. She spoke about her father’s losing battle to cancer, and how her time on the show has been the happiest in their lives. She sings Elle Henderson’s “Yours” while playing the piano as well. The performance is emotional, and the judges love the intimacy of her singing.

Next up is Sara and her rescue dog Hero. Her act is barely an act, but more showing what Hero can do. This time, the dog performs CPR on his owner, and somehow the judges love it. In between beats, the dog jumps around and plays volleyball and frisbee, albeit impressively. Cowell urges America to vote for the human-canine team.

Original singer-songwriter Chase Goehring and his latest song is as good as any we’ve heard before. He has a way of making you feel like you’ve heard his entire album, just partway through an original song. This time, the song was about being in bad love so much that you forget what good love should feel like. The judges love him and Mandel calls him the love child of Ed Sheeran and Logic.

The penultimate act of the night is ventriloquist Darci Lynne gets the audience laughing with her characters, especially Edna Doorknocker, who has a crush on Cowell. The teen and her dolls engage in plenty of witty banter before serenading the judge with “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Cowell actually starts to look embarrassed by the attention, and this time Mandel is the judge begging for America to vote.

Subway singer Mike Yung capped off the show with a performance, dedicated to his mother, of Joe Cocker’s “Don’t Give Up On Me.” The judges felt the performance was raw, authentic, and full of meaning. Mel B admitted that she had previously written him out of the competition, but this performance started to change her mind.