George Stephanopoulos

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By Emily Sheridan

Woman's best friend: Tina Humphreys and her dog Chandi entertained the audience with their dance duet

Tina and Chandi and teen boy band Connected were unveiled as the next two stars progressing to the final of Britain's Got Talent after last night's second live semi-final.

The dancing dog and his owner went straight through after receiving the biggest amount of public votes, leaving the judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden to chose between singing doorman Neil Fullard and Connected for the second place in the final.

All the judges enjoyed both acts' performance and were faced with a difficult decision. Morgan chose to save Connected, while Holden plumped for Fullard.

Cowell was obviously torn between the two acts, but opted to save Connected and offered a genuine apology to Fullard that he couldn't save him because he wanted to see both acts in the final.

Earlier in the show, Tina Humphrey and her 12-year-old dog had wowed the audience with their dance.

It was the first time dog lover Cowell had seen the pair, after he was ill during their original audition.

The new Take That? Teenage boy band Connected were praised for their more independent performance which hadn't been styled by their mothers

Morgan said: 'Great footwork, amazing balance. Chandi is the canine version of Wayne Rooney. After that, Chandi has a very big chance of winning the competition.'

Cowell was smitten: 'I love her. She's adorable. It shows you how important it is to love a dog and the dog will love you back.'

After being told by Cowell that their previous audition was too dated and they needed to step away from their mothers' guidance, Connected put on a much more current performance.

The five-piece, who range in age from 13 to 15, sang No Boundaries, the single released by last year's American Idol winner Kris Allen

That's Life... indeed: Singing doorman Neil Fullard missed out on the final, despite being told he was good enough to be in it

Morgan said: 'I thought you could have been dark horses tonight, you reminded me of a very young Take That, Boyzone, Westlife.

'Tonight it wasn’t perfect but when you came together there were moments when I thought it was knockout.'

Cowell agreed: 'I think that everything I said in your audition was right. It did feel like a bunch of guys put together by their mums.

'Tonight what I was worried about was that you would come out in suits singing a Boyzone song. This is chalk and cheese compared to what I saw before. I think you’ve got a real shot now.'

Too sweet: Dance troupe Taboo performed a sweet-themed dance to a medley

Among the acts that lost out tonight was Taboo, a 32-strong streetdance troupe from Gravesend, Kent.

Dressed as candy-stripers, the group kicked off the second semi-final to a mash-up of sweet-related songs against a busy background of sweets.

Holden said: 'It was really animated, really colourful. I thought you did really well.'

The second dance group performing was the Ruby Girls from London, who were branded 'very cabaret' and 'not cool' by Cowell.

Bottoms up: Sexy dance troupe Ruby Girls were told they were 'too cabaret' by Simon Cowell

Their sexy dance in black lacy leotards and high heeled boots impressed Morgan, who admitted their outfits distracted him from the dancing.

Holden enthused: 'I think I’ve always said that there is room for a Hot Gossip type girl group. You are so sexy and sassy but in a way that isn’t threatening to other women.'

However, Cowell disagreed: 'I think you got all this wrong tonight. I didn’t like the outfits. Girls are going to hate you. It was very cabaret, wasn’t cool and I was really disappointed.'

Jackson tribute: Michael Fayombo Jnr (left) outshone his father Michael Snr in their Michael Jackson impersonation act

Another dance act missing out on the final was father-and-son Michael Jackson impersonators Michael Snr, 38, and Michael Jnr Fayombo, 14

Both Morgan and Holden admitted they thought the dance - to a medley of Jackson classics - was let down by Michael Snr, who was outshone by his talented son.

Holden said: 'Michael Sr I was honestly worried that you weren’t getting off your knees. You were tired then. Your son stole the show.'

The second impersonation act of the night was Lady Gaga drag act Maxxie Oliver

Lost for words: Lady Gaga impersonator Maxxie Oliver left Cowell speechless

Making an entrance: Oliver was lowered to the stage on a giant telephone

He made a magnificent entrance on a giant yellow telephone, but his singing voice and piano skills couldn't come close to the talented Lady Gaga.

Cowell was left speechless and didn't give a proper critique of the performance, saying: 'I don't know what to say any more.'

Also missing out on the final was piano-playing comic Kev Orkian, who pretends to be Armenian in his act, despite coming from north London.

Buzzed off: Piano-playing comedian Kev Orkian reiceved negative feedback from all three judges

Both Cowell and Morgan buzzed him, while Holden admitted she was 'disapointed' by his act.

Cowell was particulary harsh: 'One trick pony act. The act was so corny and painful to watch and listen to. In the real world nobody would listen to that.'

Tina and Chandi and Connected now join gymnastics troupe Spelbound and streetdancer Tobias Mead in the final later this month.

Baby on board: Alicia Keys performed during the results show in a tight David Koma dress, which showed off her tiny baby bump

Also on Tuesday's show was pregnant singer Alicia Keys, whose small baby bump was clearly visible through her figure-hugging black David Koma dress.

Meanwhile, Holden opted for another striking Ralph & Russo dress, this time a shimmerying bronze creation, for her grand entrance at the start of the show.

• The third live semi-final of Britain's Got Talent will be screened on ITV1 at 7.30pm on Wednesday 3 June.