From Left to Right: Comedian Tom Cottor, Host Nick Cannon, Sand Artist Joe Castillo, and Earth Harpist William Close

Only three acts were eligible to advance to the finals of America’s Got Talent this week. Surprisingly, the competition actually got serious. There were 12 acts performing for a spot in the finals. Certainly more than three of the acts deserved to advance, but the AGT is finally realizing its potential. The tough eliminations made the hour exciting.

The hour opened with an unnecessary commentary on the semifinalists from guest comedian Steve Harvey. Harvey seemed to do a terrible job at crudely connecting the acts to his own personal life. He wasn’t funny at all. On the bright side, he was simply honest when it came time to talk about Tom Cotter, saying that he is pulling for him to win the competition. It’s a  nice sentiment, but Harvey’s appearance was still a waste of time.

To make the show last an hour, Nick Cannon told the viewers that the results would be announced differently this week. First, the four acts with the highest vote totals would be announced in no particular order. Then, the three finalists would be revealed. The first grouping was Joe Castillo, Turf, and The Scott Brothers. It was a great performance night Tuesday with all these acts performing reasonably well. However, none of these acts seemed like standouts on Tuesday. That being said, of the three acts, it makes sense that Castillo got one of the Top 4 spots.

Next up were Academy of Villains, William Close, and Andrew De Leon. Close is so much more talented than the other two acts, it wasn’t even worth prolonging the suspense  for any of them. De Leon and Academy of Villains got a bad break, but Close is just too good.

The third result was between Todd Oliver, Donovan & Rebecca, and Edon. It seemed obvious that Donovan & Rebecca would get their shot at the finals. Edon’s inevitable elimination was unfortunate, but had to be done. Oliver does not deserve to be seen again by the American public, but he was inexplicably one of the Top 4 acts. It was now imperative that Oliver miss the cut for the finals.

After the train wreck of a result, Neon Trees went on stage and performed their hit, “Everybody Talks.” The song was familiar and held the crowd’s attention, but the performance was not spectacular. Luckily for the band and for AGT, it didn’t need to stand out at all. It just needed to eat up time.

The final grouping called for Tom Cotter, Bria Kelly, and Eric Dittelman. Kelly had a decent performance, but it was clear that she was eliminated. Both Dittelman and Cotter deserved to be in the finals, but only one of them even had a shot. Cotter’s performance was better than Dittelman’s, so it was appropriate that Cotter bested him in the vote. However, it’s disappointing that Dittelman won’t be seen on the AGT stage again.

It was then time to finally reveal the three finalists. It wasn’t surprising that Close and Cotter advanced. It will be exciting to see their performances in the finals. That left Oliver and Castillo for the Judges’ Choice. It didn’t matter who Oliver was paired against; it was just very important that he not be a finalist. Of course, Howard championed Oliver from the beginning, so he gave his vote to him. Sharon then chose Castillo on the basis of originality. The decision was up to Howie, who chose Castillo over thunderous applause. It’s nice that Castillo got a spot in the finals, but it was so much more important that Oliver was eliminated.

With Close and Cotter advancing, this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting final rounds in the history of America’s Got Talent. It took a while for the real competition to start, but now it’s in full swing. The best talent seemed to be showcased this week, but hopefully next week will bring more worthy competitors.