'America's Got Talent' Season 14 Episode 16 Betting Odds

by James Murphy in Entertainment on Aug 23, 2019 5:42pm

‘America’s Got Talent’ is now in its 14th season on NBC.
This is the third quarterfinal elimination round.
Episode Sixteen will air Tuesday, August 27 at 8 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

America’s Got Talent entered the season like a NFL team that had lost their head coach, offensive coordinator and general manager. At the end of last season, host Tyra Banks and judges Mel B and Heidi Klum turned in their notice. Banks had been the host for two seasons replacing Nick Cannon while Mel B and Klum had both been judges for six seasons. All three gave the ‘other projects’ mea culpa. There was at least some continuity as 10 year judging vet Howie Mandel and four year yet Simon Cowell (who will likely have to be pried out of a reality show judging seat of some type a few decades down the road) remain.

Actor Terry Crews replaces Banks as host–he previously hosted the spinoff America’s Got Talent: The Champions. Joining Cowell and Mandel on the judging panel are singer-actress Julianne Hough and actress Gabrielle Union. Curiously, Simon Cowell–who for years had been characterized as a dour and overly critical curmudgeon–is now being lauded for his ‘old school’ judging and refusal to pull punches.

America’s Got Talent is a serious anomaly in the post digital revolution network TV milieu–the ratings have actually improved over the past couple of years. NBC has extended the show through a 15th season and they’ve also renewed a ‘multi-year deal’ with Cowell. The ratings are down somewhat so far this year but they’ve still got the #1 average key demo rating in Summer 2019 by fractions over The Bachelorette and by several points over the BH90210 reboot. Even with the lower Season 14 ratings it remains one of the top 5 shows of all types on the network.

Maybe I’m not in the show’s target demographic but I sure can’t explain the enduring popularity of AGT. Unlike most of the other reality shows there’s little in the way of rancor, controversy, sex, titillation or anything that could be considered remotely offensive. It’s the kind of show that you could watch with your grandmother assuming she was boring as hell and enjoyed this sort of thing.

For example, among the remaining 26 contestants there are no adult female performers with the exception of 48 year old Jackie Fabulous (whom the show roster on Wikipedia refers to as a ‘Comedienne’–a term that hasn’t been heard since the days of Totie Fields and Jean Carroll). In other words, none of the remaining female contestants have anything approximating sex appeal.

Then there’s the format and rules of the show–or more appropriately the lack thereof. While the reality show genre as a whole has always had a ‘make it up as you go along’ structural framework it’s almost impossible to figure out what is going on on AGT. The show has auditions all over the country and in the early part of the show a roster of 72 contestants are somehow cut down to 36 quarter finalists. There are wildcards, golden buzzers, Dunkin’ Saves and new rules being added all the time. It makes the format of RuPaul’s Drag Race look like the World Chess Championships by comparison.

So here we are–in the last of three quarterfinal shows. These are the official SPORTSINSIDER.COM odds to win Season 14 of America’s Got Talent along with specific odds for Episode 16:

‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON 14 BETTING ODDS

TO WIN ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON 14

Kodi Lee                               +350
Luke Islam                             +500
Eric Chien                             +500
V.Unbeatable                           +750
Emanne Beasha                          +750
Voices of Service                      +1000
Light Balance Kids                     +1000
Marcin Patrzalek                       +1500
Benicio Bryant                         +1500
Tyler Butler-Figueroa                  +1500
Robert Finley                          +2500
Chris Klafford                         +2500
Ryan Niemiller                         +3500
Lukas & Falco                          +3500
Messoudi Brothers                      +3500
Berywam                                +5000
Ndlovu Youth Choir                     +5000
Detroit Youth Choir                    +5000
Gonzo                                  +7500
Dom Chambers                           +7500
Ansley Burns                           +7500
Greg Morton                            +7500
Jackie Fabulous                        +7500
MacKenzie                              +7500
Alex Dowls                             +15000
Matthew Richardson                     +15000

THE WINNER OF ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON 14 WILL BE?

Male                                   -155
Female                                 +125
Group/Other                            +500

THE WINNER OF ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON 14 WILL BE?

Age 21 or Under                        +100
22 or Older                            -135
Group/Other                            +450

THE WINNER OF ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ SEASON 14 WILL BE?

Singer/Musician                        -250
Dancer                                 +350
Magician/Ventriloquist                 +350
Other                                  +1000