‘America’s Got Talent’ season 18 episode 2 performances ranked: Top 9 acts from worst to best

On June 6, 2023, “America’s Got Talent” returned with the second set of auditions for its 18th season. Host Terry Crews welcomed viewers back to the show alongside judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. But who were the best acts from this episode? And did any move forward that shouldn’t have? Below we rank the nine acts who advanced from worst to best. Do any of Tuesday’s acts have what it takes to win the million dollars this year?

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Season 18 Episode 2 rankings:

9. Ray World: At first, I thought “Oh they seem sweet!” Then, I learned what type of act this actually was and the adorable nature of the act disappeared. Listen to NBC and do not try this at home! Equal parts horrified and bewildered, I could not help but wonder if this was some strange fever dream, but apparently his mother volunteered for this. Needless to say, I was not impressed and was even more bewildered by the fact that he was unaware that his hat was still on fire.

8. Mitch Rossell: I like Mitch and felt horrible listening to his backstory, but equally as important was the fact that his hat was huge and really threw me off at first. As a songwriter, he is amazing. As a singer, I was not as impressed. He sounded okay but in my opinion, his career should be in song writing rather than performing. He could be the next Shane McAnally! I noticed that social media was a bit divided as well, with many not being as impressed by his voice either, but older viewers seemed to really enjoy him. Historically, that is a huge voting block for this show. Just something to think about for down the road if he makes it to the live rounds.

7. Zoe Erianna: Zoe is adorable. She also had no shortage of confidence in the video package, but that did not translate to the stage. Saying that, she is a six-year old and I gave her a pass. Zoe’s voice was really strong for her age and this cover of a Lady Gaga was a lot of fun to watch. I definitely am curious to see how far she advances in the competition even if she seems a little Kidz Bop.

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6. Avantgardey: This dance group from Japan wowed the judges and the crowd with their personality and moves. While this routine was indeed memorable, I was more impressed by their originality. For the second time of the night, I thought of a “Dancing with the Stars” alum that they reminded me of in terms of creativity, former AGT judge Julianne Hough. That is one of the biggest compliments I can give as she is one of my all-time favorites.

5. Lambros Garcia: At the age of 10, Lambros has more swagger than most adults and a jacket that was reminiscent of Lionel Richie on “American Idol.” His confidence and desire for a dog won me over before he even started to dance. Was this the best dancing audition that we have ever seen on the show? No, but there is an X factor about this act and I cannot help but root for him…even if he probably has no shot at winning. He also reminds me a bit of Mark Ballas of “Dancing with the Stars” in terms of stage presence.

4. Sainted: When we first met Sainted, my reaction was, “I never heard of a choir like this before. Might be interesting.” I also loved their confidence, which was an added bonus. The performance was solid and while I personally need to see more (this was a bit too cheesy for me) social media made it abundantly clear that there is a large audience for this choir already. The judges loved it, but Howie, famously harsh on choirs, wanted to see every concert that they play. High praise indeed.

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3. Mandy Muden: It’s a known fact by this point that I love magic so I had high hopes for Mandy. I found it interesting that Simon pretended not to have judged Mandy before as she has been on “Britain’s Got Talent.” The trick was amazing, yet hilarious. Her showmanship was even more impressive. I confidently will predict that Mandy is going to be a huge hit with the voters if she makes the live round as social media adored her and her sense of humor.

2. Putri Ariani: Many fans may have recognized this singer since she’s already been on one competition before. In 2014, she famously competed on and won “Indonesia’s Got Talent” at only eight years old. I recognized Putri immediately. Social media certainly did as well, with many not happy about her participation. I love Putri’s voice and her aspirations are even more admirable. This performance was great and I agreed with the judges that she was meant for the AGT stage. Saying that, Simon’s Golden Buzzer surprised me as this was not the best act of the night. Also, now two of the Golden Buzzers have gone to singing acts this season.

1. Ramadhani Brothers: This dynamic duo of acrobats from Tanzania may be new to some, but to viewers of “Australia’s Got Talent,” they are familiar faces. As happy as I was to see them on the AGT stage, their act terrifies me. Crowd reactions are everything to me and this act produced some incredible reactions. Howie called it “the scariest act that I have ever seen” and honestly, I agree. Easily the best act of the night and they deserved a Golden Buzzer, which blew my mind that they did not get. We have a frontrunner guys!

Which season 17 act is YOUR favorite at this point in the competition? Do you think they can snag the $1 million prize? Sound off in the comments below and with other fans in our reality TV forum. Also be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds.