burntheflaws

I have yet to visit Ho Chi Minh City, but I visited Hanoi a few years ago and it was one of my favorite vacations to date, so this episode brought back fond memories of Vietnam. Both the dance and karaoke songs were so damn catchy. I'm so jazzed that my favorite team Becca/Floyd ran a really strong leg. It was a huge advantage to have tasks that played to their strengths, and Floyd's excitement and energy was so cute and infectious. It was nice to have Victor/Nicole come in second. I'm also rooting for Tyler/Korey, but Tyler did annoy me during the fishing task. Glad Korey stayed focused and caught so many of their damn prawns. Corinne/Eliza can miss me with their bullshit, namely Corinne's "Cam on, or whatever it is. Cam on style." Korea is not Vietnam, and Asians are not a monolith, you idiot. Your Ignorant American-ism is showing. Also, can contestants please stop grabbing and hugging locals? Not everyone's a hugger, and most certainly do not want to be pushed up against your sweaty, stranger danger selves. The Afghanimals continue to be obnoxious and annoying. They're definitely strong competitors, so I was hoping they'd be gone after this leg, but it was a non-elim anyway. I'm starting to like Chris/Bret, so I'm glad they're sticking around for a bit longer.

It seems like a lot of people here hate Rupert and Laura. I know nothing about them (I've watched maybe one season of Survivor, where Yul the puppet master won), but honestly, they seem like a really nice, supportive couple. Even when they were behind they never got frustrated at each other, they didn't say anything ignorant about the locals (Pet Peeve #1; low bar, but it's one of my biggest pet peeves because racers do it all the freakin' time), and they just genuinely seemed really sweet together. I'm honestly sad that they've been eliminated over some over people that make me roll my eyes, like Rachel/Elissa (Pet Peeve #2: Teams who get all up in arms when other teams don't want to work with them... IT'S A COMPETITION), Corinne/Eliza, and Leo/Jamal. I kinda liked the latter in the first episode and admired their arguing strategy, but both of them were so obnoxious and cringe-worthy in this episode that I'm just rooting for them to crash and burn. My two favorite teams, up until the beginning of this episode, are Becca/Floyd and Tyler/Korey, so I was so annoyed that they were the two teams who were U-turned. Ugh, what are the odds? Luckily, the reason they were such a threat to begin with was the reason they got by. They are really strong teams that work well together and stay focused on the task at hand. I also really like Nicole/Victor now. They're so cute, and I love how starry-eyed Victor got because he knew how excited Nicole was about being on the elephant. Laos looks like such a beautiful place. I'd love to take a boat ride on the Mekong River or visit that marketplace. I'm thrilled that The Amazing Race is back so I can travel vicariously through it!

Amy's father is Walter White. I can't unsee it.

I was beyond ecstatic to see the hummingbird and flower dance. It's by far my favorite routine ever performed on the show, and I thought there was no way in hell anyone would pick it. THANK YOU PAULA. I almost fell off my couch in shock and joy when she announced it. It made me miss Wade Robson to the nth degree. I also knew "Outta Your Mind" would be performed, because how could they not with both Alex and Twitch there? That was a pretty defining dance in that a ballet dancer could do hip-hop so, so well. Another favorite and definitely worthy of closing the show. Other than those two silver linings, it is ridiculous to me that this was mostly filler crap about "memorable" (a.k.a. crappy and annoying) auditions and Ryan Seacrest's show that no one cares about. Oh, and the 18 dancers we're going to see every week anyway. They should've had many, many more old routines in there and talked more about the former contestants. Ugh that made me angry. As a viewer who's loved and followed this show since season one, I was so excited to see what amazing routines would be highlighted. I was ready to get flooded with nostalgia and happiness and warm fuzzies. Instead I'm just disappointed and resentful that this was what they passed off as a "special" 10th anniversary episode.

Christine is probably my favorite contestant right now, which no doubt means she'll be cut before the Top 10/20 stage dancers (whatever the format is this year, haven't looked into it). I've gotten bored with most contemporary routines but hers was interesting and combined a bunch of different styles that just worked together. Plus she lights up the stage and is adorable. I also liked Brooke, the krumper, and most of the tap dancers who made it through, especially the one who auditioned a second time. Agreed that the girl part of the engaged couple should not have made it through. Those pauses in her routine were so awkward. I didn't really like the guy's audition either, and as much as it pains me to say this, I agree with Nigel's assessment of it. They're just trying to milk the whole engaged-thanks-to-SYTYCD thing. Eyeroll. And Mertseger, yes, Twitch/Allison! I was thinking the same thing when the judges mentioned a SYTYCD marriage. How quickly they forget.

Agreed about Josh, but Chinese food is amazing (outside of trashy "Chinese"-but-really-American takeout).

Let me get this straight. Christina specially contacted Linda Perry to give Kimberly a song no one had ever done (on The Voice or any singing show, I'm not sure). She gave Rob a pretty recent, chart-topping song. India got one of Christina's very own songs. Lexi gets... "All By Myself." Really?! An oldie and one of the most overused songs in the history of singing competitions? She may as well have given her a song called "Bus," 'cause that's clearly headed her way. I'm so annoyed because I really liked Lexi after "Anything Could Happen," but I can't see any scenario where she'll be safe. That being said, Kimberly, India and Rob's performances were by far my favorites of the night. I was especially surprised about Rob, because I haven't been a big fan, but that song just fit his voice perfectly. Was his hairstylist trying to channel The Weeknd though? Cracked me up when I saw that. Adam's team was a big pile of 'meh.' Tonya is a good singer but her performance didn't really make me perk up. Adam should've given Nathan a slower acoustic song to show off that voice and his technique. I don't get how Deanna was picked to go last when the two performances before hers (India and Rob) were so much more interesting, in my opinion. I agree that Joshua has a soothing voice, but his performance bored me. Of everyone in this team, Brian had the best performance in my opinion. He had the right emotion and vocals for it. But Blake is right, Christina's team ran circles around Adam's. It wasn't even close.

Tonya, like many other past Voice contestants, has a great, powerful voice, but I don't feel connected or interested enough to root for her. Not that invested in Nathan either, other than the fact that I always like seeing fellow Asians advance in these shows (or hell, appear in shows period). Of course, the lives could sway my opinion of both of them, or any of the other contestants I don't care about... but for now I can't see it.

For the first time in The Voice history, I think Team Blake is my favorite going into the live rounds. I love all the women, especially Meghan and Hannah. Brooke has a lovely voice and I enjoyed "Skinny Love" from her blinds, so I was wholeheartedly rooting for her. She had an easy victory in her knockout against Kelsie, who in my opinion suffered from nerves and let them get the best of her (surprising since she'd seemed so confident the rounds before). But Preston's "Electric Feel" still reigns supreme. My only worry is that Blake's team has three rock/bluesy/soul chicks and that might split the votes. It would've been great if they could've been split up among three coaches. But I'll hope for the best. Team Christina and Team Pharrell are tied for me. Overall Pharrell's team has more potential to win. Koryn is my favorite on his team, but Sawyer seems like the biggest contender for this season. It's interesting that Pharrell has a very young team this time, since his contestants were a little older last season. Hopefully he'll change up his coaching style, move away from those dated songs and surprise me with some smart and interesting decisions. Lowell could totally pass as a young Liev Schreiber. I agree that his chuckle in "My Girl" was awkward, but I liked his arrangement and agreed with that win. Christina has one of my absolute favorites, India. Plus I've warmed up to Sonic after her impressive knockout song. As for Lexi, I remember she had a lovely voice in the blinds, but she didn't really leave an impression until tonight. Great performance, and even though the song choice reminded me of Caroline Pennell (one of my all-time favorite contestants), I loved it. That one run was fantastic, and she was on point with her falsetto in the chorus. Adam coached her well in helping her control her nerves and draw out her strengths. I continue to be stunned at how weak Team Adam is compared to the other coaches' teams. If he'd kept Clinton and Lexi, it could've been much more interesting, but I don't really care about any of his contestants right now.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sam Palladio (Gunnar) being on Showtime's Episodes, one of my favorite sitcoms at the moment. His character is hilariously dumb and lucky on that show.

Kimberly vs. Koryn was the best knockout battle of the night. I loved them both, but Koryn especially surprised me. I already had my eye on her after the blinds, but she did a great job with "Try," especially when she released all that power and those notes at the end. It doesn't beat Amber Carrington's version, but it came close for a song that I've gotten sick of hearing in singing shows (along with P!nk's "Perfect.") I really thought Christina was gonna go with Koryn. She does a good job at teaching and molding young female artists. Season 2's Ashley De La Rosa comes to mind, along with, of course, Jacquie Lee. Kimberly is a more polished and mature performer, and I would've liked to see her back on Pharrell's team to see what he else he could do with her. I can't really imagine him nurturing young talent like Christina can. Oh well, hope Koryn sticks around for a while. And how cute was Christina when she asked the coaches to steal and then couldn't stop dancing? I don't recall her agonizing that much over a decision before. Seconding that it was sad to see Clinton go, but for that knockout it was the right choice. He didn't pick the right song, while Nathan did and made his performance shine. I'm not a Mia fan. I can't understand her when she sings, and her voice just isn't the kind of style I like. I liked Nate, especially what he said about wanting to be moved more than impressed. He and Taylor Swift have been great as guest mentors. Chris Martin... not so much.

Technically they do. Once you take away the commercials it's a little less than 45 minutes. What's really atrocious to me is that they could definitely fit in more if they cut some of the rehearsal footage and the backstage pre-battle blathering. Instead we get a bunch of montages, meaning those poor contestants will either A) get eliminated or B) make it to the lives but everyone will be like "Who the hell is that?"

I may be a sucker, but that last battle was absolutely adorable. It was clear how close Corey and Jacob had gotten, and they were genuine in rooting for each other. I thought the battle was really fun and I wouldn't mind watching it again. It would never make my "top battles" list, but I just felt happy watching it. Probably because they worked together and wanted to have a good time instead of trying to outdo one another. And when Corey was so thrilled that Jacob was stolen, and they were hugging each other in the back, I "awww"-ed out loud. That being said, Jacob was the winner in my opinion. Corey's definitely cute, no doubt about it, but take that away and his voice is average. But I guess you have to factor in the looks to get that overall package. As for the other battles, I vaguely remember "Animals" and preferring the soldier to the guy who won, but I'm not invested enough in either to really care. I also knew Sawyer was a lock for the knockouts, and probably the lives, no matter who he was against. On a superficial note, I don't understand how his hair can look so beautiful and shiny and salon fresh. I'm jealous.

I actually love Florence + the Machine's cover of "Addicted to Love," but then again it was the first version of that song I ever heard. I thought the battle was pretty bad. I guess Treeva won it, but a lot of her high notes sound off to me. Sharp? Flat? Off-key? I don't know the technical term but they didn't hit smoothly the way they should've, in my opinion. India and Clinton's voices blended well together. I thought they added a few too many runs or vibrato to the song, but I really felt the emotional connection. I'm surprised he did such a great job, since he was montaged, but since it was the last battle of the night you knew it had to be good. India's one of my favorites (along with Meghan and Hannah... Caitlin, Brooke and Sarah a little further behind) at the moment, but I'm glad Clinton was stolen. Above all it just makes me happy that the cream of the crop this season seems to be the women. I loved Matt and a few others from last season but I was disappointed at the massive sausage-fest it became. It's getting me excited for the future episodes and especially the live shows.

Aaand commence the Jane the Virgin Motivational Speaking Tour! Wish I could've been there, but it was great being able to see the PaleyFest live stream. The cast gels so well together, and Gina's honest, reflective and genuine responses made me tear up. I love how sweet and heartwarming the cast's responses were. I couldn't stop smiling when they talked about how thrilled the Golden Globes nomination made them, as well as their support for Gina. This show is truly a gem and my favorite thing on TV right now.

"Gimme Shelter" is far and away my favorite battle of the season so far. It was great to see these two women rocking out and doing such a phenomenal job at it. But I thought Hannah won it, so I'm glad she was stolen. Speaking of which, I've been trying to place her face, and tonight it occurred to me that she looks incredibly similar to Summer Glau. I agreed with most of the winners chosen tonight, barring Meghan and Paul. But then, after the whole Ricky vs. Elyjuh thing last year, I can't say I'm that surprised. It seems like Pharrell picks the artist he's intrigued with, despite who wins the actual battle/knockout, and then hopes said person gets stolen so they both stay on the show.

I'm so sad that Joe is gone. He seemed like a sweetheart and I really felt for him. In my mind, Marcus started out with the strongest team this year (minus Jake), and I loved that the contestants were supportive of each other. No drama, no bitching about other people to the camera, no snobby behavior, no "It was my spoon that should've been there, not theirs." So to see his team dwindled down to two albeit very strong contenders, while Ludo (especially with freaking Jen still in the game) and Tony still have four, is a bummer. Don't really care about Nigella because I knew from day one that her team would be obliterated. Turtles. Apparently they save lives so they have to be careful.

Bruno killed it as always, even with those stupid hair curlers on. A voice and stage presence for days. "Bang Bang" was so good. It made me pretty sad that there weren't more ladies present in those last few weeks. I also missed hearing Bryana (who didn't get to perform in any group routines, while Sugar was in about a billion... what) sing. I liked Damien's group performance, especially seeing how great Danica and Elyjuh sounded separately and together. That boy really could've gone much further than he did. Chris and Jessie J sounded great together, I think she brought out the best in him and they seemed to have a really friendly, natural on-stage chemistry. Loved seeing the coaches sing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with their different voices and styles. I did wince a little for Pharrell but other than that it was nice having them all together. Gwen was a stunner in that dress. I'm really going to miss her, I grew to respect her a lot as a coach and she seems very down-to-earth and sweet. Lastly, I was rooting for Matt to take it, but it seemed to be a real toss-up between him, Craig and Chris. Matt was my favorite and I didn't really like that the Blake/country wave rode yet another singer to the end, but congratulations to Craig. I'll be keeping an eye out (and fingers crossed) for Matt's post-show music.

I hate "Cry Me a River" with a passion, but I have to admit that Chris kinda killed that one. It was perfect for his voice and I think he improved on the song. I just groaned out loud when I heard that Adam gave Matt "Over the Rainbow." So overdone on singing competitions and not what I want to hear in the last final-slot performance of the season. Especially not from Matt. He needed a song that fits his style. It was nice, but not anything that can stand up to the song's legacy. Speaking of fitting Matt's style, "Wasted Love" was the performance of the night for me. Sure I may be Matt-biased, but that was a perfect song choice for him to break out with. I also really enjoyed Damien's "Soldier." The other two original songs were meh for me. Chris/Adam had a good duet, but I wasn't a big fan of the other three. Damien sounded much better than Adam in theirs, Blake sounded better than Craig in theirs, and the Matt/Adam duet was decent but not what I was hoping for. I'm giving Matt pretty much all my votes with a few sprinkled in for Damien and Chris.

I thought TJW actually came away with the strongest wildcard performance of the night. Great song choice with "Wicked Games" (which I've heard far too many times on SYTYCD to not recognize the title of) for him, and I like that he showcased more of his range than usual while still keeping that bluesy dark sound intact. Color me shocked that Damien didn't absolutely slay "Grenade." I thought that kind of song would be perfect for him. Angsty and just filled with emotion in general, works well provided you have a great set of vocals, yet isn't so iconic that any other version would automatically pale in comparison. But the musical arrangement didn't really come together for me, and the song felt more chopped up than any of the other ones. Plus Damien was doing a little "uh" thing before many of his lines and that annoyed me. Sugar actually sounded great in "Back To Black," but no, just no. And I too was saying to my dad, "If Ryan gets voted back into this thing I will laugh." Either way, I just really want a Team Gwen or Team Pharrell person in there, and I think the person who stands most of a chance against the other three is TJW. I've thrown all my votes to him and am hoping for the best.

My thoughts on each contestant, both tonight and overall: Damien: For all the Adam-trashing, I think "She's Out Of My Life" was a great performance. One of my two favorites in that first round. Nothing I'll really remember a year or so from now, but his vocals were on point and he did a beautiful job with it. That second song, though... terrible song choice. I was like, "Really? The Dawson's Creek theme song?!" That cost him majorly. He has the best voice of the guys left, but there are so many factors at play in winning this competition. Still, he's been one of my favorites this season. Craig Wayne Boyd: First song was okay. Nothing memorable, but fun. The second one was really powerful. Great vocals and I liked how it was building and then he went for that full-on grittiness with those high notes. It felt very manipulative though, because it was allll about religion, and Pharrell's immediate babbling just made it worse. Craig's a good singer and seems to be a great guy, but he's not really my preferred type of artist and I'd be a little disappointed if he won The Voice. Taylor John Williams: What happened, man? I've been really rooting for him as the sole non-Blake non-Adam contestant, but tonight was not his night. I agree that his voice sounded so strained. It was already rough in "Falling Slowly," which is a pretty quiet, simple song to sing. "Blank Space" was an interesting choice and I was excited to see what he had in store, but he also fumbled a bit with that one. I'm so sad. I thought he had a top three spot locked down. Throwing him a bunch of votes based on his performances this season though. Matt McAndrew: Granted I didn't know "Make It Rain" at all, but as soon as I heard it was played in Sons of Anarchy, I could already picture Matt somehow slaying it. Adam's picked great songs for Matt this season. It didn't quite grab me the way Matt's version of "Take Me To Church" did, but it had a similar building of momentum and quiet strength, and was my favorite performance of that round alongside Damien's. The second song was okay. Matt did a good job with it, but he was just on high the whole time, and it's hard to do that well. He killed that last note though, in the best way possible. He's been my horse this entire season, and though I'm a little disappointed he's on Team Adam (Note: I am one of the minority Adam fans, but I want to see a new coach take it, and the fact that he has three to Blake's and Gwen's one and Pharrell's none is annoying) I really want him to win this thing. Chris Jamison: Really, last both times? You've gotta be kidding me. Yes, he has a great falsetto, and I do like him. But I think that based on everything we've seen this season, he shouldn't be in the top three. "Sugar" was, in my opinion, kind of bland. Chris gave it in the performance and put his all into it as always, but the poppy upbeat songs don't really seem to suit him. Can Adam stop trying to make him into a hotshot swag-filled guy that all the girls fall in love with? That doesn't really seem to be Chris's thing, which we saw when he performed "Georgia On My Mind" last week to save himself (great and I wish we'd seen him do it on a live performance night), and also with "When I Was Your Man." Speaking of which, I think it's his best performance to date. Great technicality. But I don't feel any emotions attached to that song. Bruno Mars feels every word and note when he performs it live. Hell, I remember when Kris Thomas sang it several seasons ago, and while his wasn't as technically perfect as Chris's, I connected to what he was singing so much more.

Matt's performance was the standout of the night for me. It's the first time this season I've been compelled to buy a song (other than Team Gwen's "Riptide," but sadly they never make studio versions of team performances). Weirdly enough, I wasn't a huge fan of it while he was performing. I thought he sounded great in the chorus but I was busy lamenting over how I wish he'd done some kind of acoustic performance. But after listening to the studio version I'm so hooked. Granted I hadn't heard Hozier's original song before this episode—rushed to Youtube to listen right afterward—but I'm just really excited to finally be excited about a performance. He's been my favorite from the beginning, and I'm still rooting for Luke and TJW. Chris to a lesser extent. Still a little heartbroken that Bryana isn't here anymore. I always have a female in the running, so I don't know what happened. Bryana was my favorite girl this year, so there goes that. I can appreciate Anita's talent, but I can't really connect to her song choices and style. Jessie's okay but there have been so many great "quirky girl" voices in the past (I will go down with this Caroline Pennell ship) that I can't really root for her wholeheartedly. Not a Reagan fan at all.

Chris?! What the-? I do actually like him, but that song choice and his performance were a disaster. In fact, I thought Adam picked that song to throw him under the bus, so color me completely surprised. Bummed but not at all shocked that Gwen saved Ryan and Pharrell saved Sugar. I was really hoping Gwen would save Bryana (a lackluster performance last night, but so much potential here as seen in "Heart Attack"), or even Ricky, but it's clear that she has a major soft spot for Ryan. Ditto for Pharrell with Sugar. I was rooting for Elyjuh to be saved, which kind of shocked me, but I do like how technically lovely his voice is. These were two examples of their feelings blinding their judgment. My favorites continue to be Matt, Luke, and TJW is growing on me. On another note, Team Gwen sounded great in their group song. I thought their voices blended so harmoniously together. Also, Gwen looked great.

Also, iTunes rankings as of 3:10 a.m. EST: #34 - Matt McAndrew - God Only Knows #50 - Damien - I'm Not the Only One #64 - Reagan James - Try #68 - Jessie Pitts - Holding Out For a Hero #70 - Craig Wayne Boyd - Some Kind of Wonderful #89 - Taylor Phelan - Cool Kids #113 - James David Carter - Two of a Kind Workin' On a Full House #123 - Mia Pfirrman - Young and Beautiful #159 - Chris Jamison - Don't

I'm more excited about Team Gwen and Pharrell tomorrow night, but here are my thoughts on tonight's performances: The Good: Jessie - I surprised myself with how much I liked her performance. She had that whispery thing going on, but those notes sounded in control rather than random ad-libs or "tweaking." She also had some stronger parts, and I appreciated the quiet ambiance. She made the song sound contemporary and her voice seemed to fill the room. Definitely her best performance to date and one of the best of the night. Damien - I basically reacted like "Wha-?" when he said it was about a woman cheating on her husband, but I thought he did a great job with it. It's amazing how he can go from singing in falsetto to hitting a clear, strong note and yet make it look so effortless. One of the only cases where I loved the song and the performance did it relative justice (though I still like the original much more). Craig - Not a big country fan, but at least this was fun. I enjoyed the performance and how he started escalating his vocals and the performance as it continued. The Eh: Matt - One of my favorites in the competition. I was excited to hear him sing, and the song choice made me excited because I haven't really heard it being done in competitive singing shows (plus I know it from Love Actually!), but this mirrored the original version too much and that threw me. I like Matt's look and the way he styles his voice and arrangements in the songs he sings, and I lost that feeling here. I think an acoustic version of the song would've been great for changing it up and also showing off his strengths. But not bad. Taylor - Oh Taylor, I've loved your song choices from "Sweater Weather" to "Rather Be" and now to "Cool Kids," but yeah, I may be more infatuated with those choices than what you do with them. Good stage presence but I didn't get anything from it. Mia - Love "Young and Beautiful." Didn't love this performance. She had good moments, but what I liked about the original was how emotional, quiet and haunting Lana Del Rey's original version was (and I'm not a LDR fan by any means, I think I just like her soundtrack songs). This seemed to focus on style over substance. Looks like she cut down on the amount of runs, but she seemed to be focusing on making it technically perfect, and because of that I didn't feel anything from the performance. Even her expressions seemed so overwrought and rehearsed. James David - The performance was boring. No real flaws, but nothing I'll remember. And on a side note, that moment where JDC corrected Adam seemed really random and awkward. The Bad: Reagan - Add me to the boat that doesn't really get Reagan. She sounds too breathy and seems to have very little control of her voice. She had a few small moments but I was too distracted by what seemed like her losing air. Jessie and she fall in the same category and I think Jessie had a much stronger showing tonight. I will say that I really admire Reagan's confidence, especially because of her age, but she's overhyped. Chris - Ugh, terrible song choice. I don't know if Adam was busing him, but that song is ridiculously hard to sing live. Too many lyrics and quick changes in the melody, and it was not a good song to do live if he wanted to garner votes. You could tell he was out of breath at several moments in the song, and he was a little awkward on stage too. Taylor - Maybe she wasn't bad, but I'm drawing a blank about her performance. I don't remember liking it very much. Who I think will go to the lives: Team Adam - Damien (maybe swapped with Mia), Matt, Taylor Team Blake - Reagan (hoping for Jessie instead though), Craig, James