Could Tyler Butler-Figueroa Beat Kodi Lee in the AGT Votes?

The finale of America’s Got Talent season 14 airs live on Wednesday, September 18 at 8/7c on NBC. Throughout the season, singer and pianist Kodi Lee and 11-year-old violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa have been frontrunners. Both overcame immense obstacles to make it to the AGT stage and their incredible talents make either performer a worthy winner, but it’s up to America to decide who walks away with the $1 million prize.

At the top of the live finals show, judge Simon Cowell reflected on how every season 14 finalist was an inspiration to America in some way, and that the winner would be determined by who proved with their finals performance that America should vote to change their life. Both Tyler and Kodi did exactly that in their final acts, as they have all season.

Kodi Lee, who is blind and autistic, has touched the hearts of the show’s celebrity judges and viewers at home and emerged as the season’s likely winner after his audition, which earned him Gabrielle Union’s golden buzzer. Tyler’s triumph as a cancer survivor and inspiration to other young people battling illness is also a major part of who he is and what he brings to each performance, and don’t forget that he was a golden buzzer-winner too. It would hardly be an “upset” if Tyler won season 14.

So, if these two talented musicians are the ones to beat this season, which one is more likely to win the vote? Truly, it’s anyone’s game, coming down to their final performances and how effectively they reached the voters at home.

Let’s recap Kodi Lee and Tyler Butler-Figueroa’s finals acts:

Kodi Lee Sang ‘Lost Without You’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bwK05Oja2c

For his final performance, Lee was accompanied onto the stage by his mother, Tina. Alone at the piano, with a minimalistically-designed stage, he brought the judges and audience to tears with his stirring performance and the whole theater was silent until he played and sang his final notes. Then, the Dolby was filled with thunderous applause that evolved into the whole audience chanting Kodi’s name. He was at ease throughout his entire stunning performance, and the joy he expressed after the song was over proved that he was born to be an entertainer, and deserves a career in music, no matter what place he finishes in the competition.

That being said, the judges seem to be hoping that the vote goes in Kodi Lee’s favor. After his performance, Howie Mandel said he predicts that Kodi Lee will win the competition, although he added that he thinks Lee is worth more than the $1 million prize. Gabrielle Union, who has been invested in Lee since that first audition, took to Twitter to encourage her followers to vote for him.

Tyler Butler-Figueroa Performed ‘Survivor’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP_Vmf453s8

Before Tyler Butler-Figueroa performed, the show played a pre-taped package that featured Tyler and his mom watching a video compilation children battling cancer wishing Tyler luck in the finals and thanking him for being an inspiration. The package did a great job of reminding the viewers what Tyler and his family went through, and what it means for other families going through similar situations to see Tyler, healthy and happy, performing on a national platform.

The song he performed, “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child, was aptly chosen considering all he’s overcome, and the act was a great final reminder of the remarkable talent and stage presence he possesses at such a young age. Winning season 14 could change Tyler’s life and help him continue to inspire others who have or are battling cancer, and if enough voters recognize that, there’s a real chance that he could win AGT.

Of course, it’s possible that neither Kodi nor Tyler is crowned the America’s Got Talent season 14 winner. Every finalist delivered a solid finals performance, and an act like young opera singer Emanne Beasha or the acrobatics troupe V.Unbeatable could easily be voted the champion. What do you think? Let us know by taking the poll below.

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