We can all let out a sigh of relief because, at long last, the blind auditions for The Voice are finished. Last night’s episode was split into two parts, the first of which filled the last five slots on the teams and thereby concluded the blind auditions. The show then moved on to more interesting things, taking us to the start of the battle rounds where the stakes are higher as half the contestants are sent packing. There’s no doubt that this season is full of great voices, and it showed last night when contestants faced off head to head.
Before we get to the battle rounds, here’s a recap of who took the last spots on each team. Team Adam gained talented young singer Nathan Hermida who despite being a self-proclaimed nerd, has a sexy and soulful voice that is well-suited for R&B. Unfortunately for Adam, Nathan filled the last spot on his team, leaving Paul Pfau to join Team Pharrell. Paul has been a long time fan of Adam and would have definitely picked him over Pharrell. Who knows? Maybe Adam will be able to steal him later in the competition.
The final spot on Pharrell’s team went to Caitlin Caporale, who would have gone with Christina if her team hadn’t been full. Because he was careful earlier in the competition, Pharrell gained two very talented singers that would have ended up on other teams otherwise. Instead, Christina’s last spot was taken by Vance Smith whose big note at the end wasn’t enough to distract most of us from his pitch problems. Chances are he won’t make it past the battle rounds. This left Blake with the only open spot on his team, which he filled with strong vocalist Hannah Kirby who all the coaches say they would have turned for if they could. At this point, Pharrell has the strongest team, but the battle rounds and potential steals could change everything.
With the blind auditions finally finished, the second half of the episode featured the start of battle rounds. First up was Mia Z and Ashley Morgan from Team Pharrell. Between Mia’s natural talent and Ashley’s ability to be coached, it was a difficult decision for Pharrell. When it came time to actually perform, Ashley showed off her vocal control and and powerful voice while Mia came out strong as well. If I was Pharrell, I’d have picked Ashley, but he ultimately went with Mia, leaving Ashley open to be stolen. And of course, she was, as all three of the other coaches made their case. Ashley ended up on Team Christina, which is probably a better fit for her in the long run anyway.
The next battle round, this time pitting Team Adam’s James McNeiece against Tonya Boyd-Cannon, was more cut and dry. James had been one of the montaged contestants while Tonya was featured heavily during the blind auditions, so it was no surprise when Adam picked her to move forward with his team and no one stole James. He did everything he could, but it wasn’t enough against Tonya’s big voice.
The last battle of the night was between Brian Johnson and Joshua David of Team Blake. They both know how to bring emotion to a song with Brian’s power and range and Joshua’s unique rasp in his voice. During the performance, both did everything they could, giving equally strong performances, leaving Blake to pick who he thought would fit best on his team. In the end, he went with Brian, but Joshua had nothing to worry about as Adam quickly hit his button to steal him. This seems like the best fit for both contestants, allowing them to continue on with the coach who can benefit them the most.
[Photo via NBC]
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