America's Got Talent Recap: Down in Flames >>Hollywood

Following a questionable YouTube round, the Wild Cards were faced an extra challenge in order to prove they were worth a second chance.

It seemed like the judges were lenient as they gave their reviews to the contestants, less critical of this group than the previous one. Let's give each act a grade, shall we?

Spencer Horsman - Spencer was smart enough to listen to Howard's suggestion of being front and center instead of inside a bag. The steampunk visuals were a great touch as the quick cement filled up. There was something disappointing knowing he starts with a lock pick in hand, but he was efficient. It hysterical watching Spencer's dad telling the crew to keep dumping cement on his son. The act had a better level of danger than ever before.
Grade: A-

All That! - Sharon wanted All That! but with less clothes. They started off with a song that I believe that Team iLuminate may have used. The shadows were awful; they shouldn't try being Peter Pan. Who wants to look at the shadows when there are real people in front of us? Less bad acting, more precise dancing. The shirt rip was not as effective as it could have been either. Are the rest of All That! concerned about their man boobs?
Grade: C+

Jarrett & Raja - After New Jersey turned on Jarrett & Raja, they had one last chance to redeem themselves. They returned with another box/piano trick, this time the box made out of "wood." The box was lifted and was destroyed as the pianist appeared off stage. The biggest issue was that it was too similar to their Vegas act. If they had to create a Vegas show, would it just be all boxes and disappearing?
Grade: B-

Jake Wesley Rogers - Was "Toxic" a wrong choice? Yes. This time, he attempted the song "The Edge of Glory" and it wasn't as bad as "Toxic," the enthusiasm of the song was a good change of pace; his word pacing was really odd. He tried to show charisma, but it didn't work.
Grade: C+

Cristin Sandu - After falling down during his act, Cristin was devastated after claiming that he never fell before. He brought his father along for moral support like Spencer, his father helping with the tubes. He tried his best to build a better centered tower this time, his father holding the base. The fire worked for a bit as he was turning, but halfway through his circle, he fell over. The fire turned off and he was saved from being burned to a crisp.
Grade: D-

Todd Oliver (pictured) - Todd tried to play up the elections with his act and there was something cuter about his act this time, trying to make as many dog-esque puns as possible. There were some hits, some misses, but since there were so many quips, the misses got buried by the better jokes. I just don't get the appeal of this act, it's ventriloquism and sub-par jokes.
Grade: C+

The Bandbaz Brothers - After getting cut in Vegas, the uncle/nephew act got a second chance and claimed to do their most dangerous trick in the book. If that's true, that means that they have nothing better the next time if they were to make it through. The two set up knife/pipes and lined their poles up while balancing. They succeeded with their trick, but it was too short.
Grade: B

Sebastien "El Charro de Oro" - Sebastien started off sounding screechy but listened to my suggestion of expanding beyond the mariachi songs and attempted "New York, New York." His vocals lacked depth in the beginning like his last performance. He still hasn't found the perfect song for his voice, but he did make a wider appeal to the masses. The higher keys and vocal holds were strong, but I still didn't like his song choice.
Grade: B

Horse - There was something ironic about Horse being in more pain from his eyes than his nuts. He went for a more classic, less story-driven, nut-destroying action. The Jackass fans will like this act, especially the unnecessary mouse trap section. Horse got up to a really high section and then landed on two wooden boards as his big ending.
Grade: B

Lindsey Norton - In a season full of group dancers, Lindsey had a second chance to be the solo dancer to look for. The release from the hoop made no sense whatsoever, but the fire juxtaposed the icy-white performance she did before. The holds she did before were nice; the pacing of this performance made more sense. Her contortions were the best part; her dancing could have used polish.
Grade: B-

Andrew De Leon - Andrew's elimination shocked me considering how much exposure Andrew got from the production team. He seemed destined for a Wild Card. This time, his staging was improved as he did the Il Divo version of "Unbreak My Heart." There were minor moments where he sounded like a dying cat, but the verses were nice. His choruses occasionally got drowned out by the accompaniment but he didn't choke like he did before.
Grade: B+

Ben Blaque - The interesting thing about Ben was that his act was accurate. He had an easy first shot, then set up his domino ending. It felt like forever passed before his assistant placed a hood over his head. The bell section was silly and took longer than expected, but the arrows shot correctly and right into the middle of the apple.
Grade: B+