Did Blake Shelton’s final steal shake up “The Voice: Season 10” leaderboard? (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
The Voice: Season 10 Knockouts are almost over!
Before we get to the final Knockout performances of the season, here is where our teams stand:
Adam Levine: Owen Danoff & Shalyah Fearing (Stolen from Team Pharrell)
Blake Shelton: Adam Wakefield, Katie Basden & Paxton Ingram
Pharrell Williams: Emily Keener, Hannah Huston, Moushumi & Lacy Mandigo (Stolen from Team Blake)
Christina Aguilera: Alisan Porter, Tamar Davis & Ryan Quinn (Stolen from Team Adam)
Tonight, all eyes were on four-time winning Voice coach Blake Shelton…as he had the final steal left in the competition. Who did he steal? Read on to find out…
Up first to face the coaches, Team Adam’s Brian Nhira, and Nate Butler. Newcomer Brian Nhira (who Adam stole from Pharrell) chose Bruno Mars’ “Grenade.” This song was one of Miley’s favorite song and added that Brian has star power, but Adam wanted him to focus on the first part of the song and remember Bruno’s love for the King of Pop in the performance. Nate Butler hoped to counter with Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” Miley advised him not to cover it like the Rev. Al Green and ooze his charisma into the performance. At the Battles, Brian channeled his inner Amanda Brown and pulled out an upset against the Team Adam veteran. I hope Brian delivers the next week in the Live Playoffs.
For Blake’s final knockout of the season, he paired his two country singers: Mary Sarah and Brittany Kennell together. Mary Sarah shared that Miley inspired her on the entertainment path. The former boot store employee chose to perform Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man.” Mary’s classic country twang continued to blossom in front of our eyes, and Miley wanted her to showcase her growl in some parts of the track. Meanwhile, Brittany picked Shania’s “You’re Still the One.” Blake was worried about her vibrato and Miley added that she need to introduce new elements into the country standard. At the battle, Mary Sarah gave a stunning performance that proved herself worthy to move forward to the Live Rounds, while Brittany was sent home.
Christina paired Bryan Bautista and Trey O’Dell for her latest knockout battle. Bryan chose Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and decided to bring reggae to the “Baby” singer’s hit. Christina advised him to watch the pitch while Miley wanted him to save some of his tricks for the knockout. Meanwhile, Trey chose One Republic’s “I Lived” for his Knockout performance. Christina praised him for his runs, and Miley wanted him to move around the stage more to boost his confidence. From his first note, I knew that Bryan won his knockout. He delivered one of the best male vocal performances of the season so far and totally deserved his place in the Live Playoffs.
Pharrell’s final knockout of the season was Abby Celso and Caity Peters. Abby Celso overcame losing her mom to moving into this stage of the competition. I believe that I sided with Pharrell when Abby chose Hall & Oates’ “Rich Girl.” It was the wrong choice for her, and Abby proved to be her worst enemy in the Knockout Rounds. Meanwhile, Caity chose wisely and delivered an honest performance of Sam Smith’s “Leave Your Lover” that sealed her place as a Top 20 finalist.
As Adam and Miley compared hometowns, the Maroon 5 singer paired Jessica Crosbie and Laith Al-Saadi together for the next knockout round. The former Team Pharrell singer had to prove herself to her new coach with her cover of Avicii and former Voice Adviser Aloe Blacc’s “Wake Me Up.” While Laith chose one of Adam’s favorite songs: Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” a track that Tony Lucca sang back in Season Two. Laith’s sturdy cover gave me chills and delivered one of my favorite performances of the night. Meanwhile, as much as I love Jessica’s tone…her cover of “Wake Me Up” almost made fell asleep. Good luck in the Live Playoffs, Laith!
The final knockout of the season belonged to Team Christina! She paired two of her most powerful singers (Joe Maye & Kata Hay) together. Joe began the season with the most powerful moment of the tenth season (singing “I Put A Spell on You” with Christina) and now is one step closer to reaching the Live Playoffs. Joe picked the Weeknd’ “Earned It” for his knockout. While Miley was impressed with Joe’s rock version of the song and loved his growl, Xtina wanted him to knock it out of the gate. Kata also had a moment at the blinds when she kissed her coach on the lips. Kata chose Reba’s “Why I Haven’t Heard From You” as her Knockout performance. Both Miley and Xtina loved her version and hoped that Kata brought it to the audience.
Joe kicked off the round with his astonishing cover of the Weeknd’s “Earned It.” He followed the ladies’ advice to the “T”, and he blew the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage roof off with his spellbinding vocals. Kata countered with her fiery Reba track that shook up the room with her Southern rock drawl. This left Christina with a difficult choice as she declared Kata the winner and Joe had a new home with Team Blake.
Next week, the Live Playoffs begin!!
