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'AGT' Season 17: Who is the frontrunner this season? Singers blow minds of judges and the studio audience

Even though Drake Milligan seems like the judge's favorite and is also a hit with the studio audience, fans don't want a singer to win again on 'AGT'

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: The Season 17 finale of 'America's Got Talent' is almost here, so it's time for fans to make their 2022 AGT predictions about who will finish in the top ten. We've made it through auditions but now it's time for the actual talent to compete and win fan votes. The results will be out on Wednesday, August 10. 

Despite the fact that the show has revealed the identities of the 54 performers in the live concerts, there will be 55 talented people competing this year, with the last  contestant being a wildcard entry chosen by viewers. Comedian Jordan Conley, sword swallower Auzzy Blood, singer Debbii Dawson, and vocalist Ben Waites were the four remaining contestants. As soon as their performances concluded, voting began online. Terry Crews, the show's host, revealed on the live show on August 9 that comedian Jordan Conley had won the final position in the live shows. Given that he was competing against two vocalists, he garnered a lot of support from the audience. He will perform later in the qualifiers, said Crews.

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A contestant's remarkable demonstration of expertise may not have the 'wow' effect the second time around. As a result, it's critical to have participants that can perform several times and still dazzle the audience. A few candidates have already got the Golden Buzzer, allowing them to proceed to the quarterfinals but they still need to take one more step to make it into the top 10. However, they do have a significant advantage over their competitors. The first 11 artists performed in the first round of the qualifiers during the broadcast. The two performers that receive the most votes will advance to the finals. The results will be revealed in the finals, which will include a performance by last year's winner Dustin Tavella.

Who did the judges love during the first live show?

On August 9, country artist Drake Milligan returned to the stage with his band to perform another original song, 'Kiss Goodbye All Night.' He had a great stage presence and showed some of his moves. The judges loved it with Sofia Vergara calling it "perfection," claiming Drake's song has "been playing on the radio for years." Cowell described Drake as "the real deal" and a "great songwriter." He dubbed it the finest performance of the night so far, and Howie Mandel predicted he'd win the entire thing.

The evening concluded with a performance by saxophonist Avery Dixon, who received Crews' Golden Buzzer. He sang a fantastic cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground.' The judges remarked on his growing confidence, with Cowell predicting "he'll be a superstar." Mandel said Dixon had "grown by leaps and bounds." The Players Choir, vocalist Ava Swiss, dog trainer Amazing Veranica, and acrobatic ensemble Amoukanama all delivered great performances. However, just two artists can go ahead on Wednesday.

Who are the top picks by the #AGT fans?

Drake Milligan seems like he has the most attention on the internet. He is the type of musician people already believe is renowned. Despite the fact that a competitor like Justin might be incredibly entertaining, vocalists are likely to win this year because distinctive acts are difficult to replicate after people have seen them, whereas singing is fluid. Fans can sense Elvis' influence in Milligan's style and singing. But being compared to the 'King of Rock and Roll' is never a bad thing and if he earns a fraction of the kind of adulation Presley got, 'AGT' is all his.

Milligan, like Elvis, was not hesitant to show off some of his skills, which impressed the girls in the audience. Even non-country fans took to Twitter after his performance during the first live show and wrote: "Not a fan of Country music, however, Drake Milligan BLEW ME AWAY! Energetic to the core! #AGT." Another fan wrote how they believe Milligan could have sold out shows in years to come, "Drake Milligan should easily take #AGT this year. A 1 year residency in Las Vegas wouldn’t be enough, Drake will be on a solid big tour in 2023. #DrakeMilligan." A fan predicted how Milligan and his band could be seen topping the Country Music charts soon, "look out for drake Milligan and band from AGT they will be going to the top in country music real soon." One fan tweeted how his win wouldn't impact his career in Country Music: "Even if Drake doesn't win, he's got a big future in the country music world. #AGT"

The next Vegas-level performer for this season according to the fans is Ben Lapidus aka the Parmesan Guy. Lapidus, a singer who was controversially selected for the live concerts following a divisive audition. He was one of the participants in the first live event. Despite being X'ed by all the judges (and Heidi Klum's respect), he passed through due to the audience's affection for the catchy melody after delivering a hard rock song about Parmesan cheese. Nevertheless, he stated in his confessional that he intended to strike a serious tone with his comeback, and while it began that way, it swiftly shifted.

Forgetting his words, he took off his top to expose a leather suit below, opting for an even more rock-inspired Parmesan song. He received X's from all the judges right away. However, Heidi claimed that "someone else" did it for her when she rose up to sing along with him. The audience exploded in applause and shouted for an encore, drowning out the judges' critiques with their voices. Nevertheless, the panel was evidently not convinced, as Howie stated that Lapidus left him "lactose intolerant," as the crowd booed behind him.

Heidi even tried to hush the audience in order to tell him, "I think you wrote the greatest earworm of all time." Sofia said, "Ben, you seem like a super nice guy. I don't understand how you made it here. How?" Simon, on the other hand, was left stunned and generally annoyed, and was dubbed "speechless" by Terry. When the host encouraged Lapidus to make his case to voters, he began talking about "big parma" and how they'd infiltrated the media, and Terry swiftly removed the microphone, saying, "OK, no big parma."

Fans quickly took to social media, to pour their love for the 'cheese Man.' "i’m sorry but y’all who don’t like parmesan cheese guy need to loosen up a bit. he’s funny. he’s different. a lot of acts at this point bore me but that definitely did not. if u want a vegas act, there it is for you. #AmericasGotTalent #AGT," said a fan. Looking forward to another performance from Lapidus, another fan wrote, "I expect a full-blown parmesan opera if this guy makes it to the next round. #AGT." Calling out the judges for putting Lapidus through to the live shows yet complaining how he made it, a fan tweeted, "The judges put him in and then they complain that he made the lives ??? Anyways vote Parmesan Guy and don't let Big Parma win <3 #AGT #AmericasGotTalent."

However, some fans are not looking forward to see another singer win this year. A fan tweeted, "Can singers please stop going on #AGT PLEASE!!??!? Almost every time it's some sob story and then, some person that sings like 100 other people on American idol, somehow Simon gives, a standing O like high fives, a complete opposite of American Idol, he has turned into." Speaking about how 'AGT' is not the place for singers to win, another fan tweeted, "imma say it, singers shoud NOT win AGT, go on Americal Idol, The Voice or anything f***ing else #AGT."

So, who do you want to see take the crown this season? Don't forget to tune into NBC on Wednesday, August 10 for the next round of live performances.

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