S07.E27: Live Finale

[Tara Ariano]

The winning artist is revealed in the Season 7 finale.

[rollerblade]

The 5 ladies on Bang Bang, wow! I was not expecting to like it, and they were all incredible, not to mention hot in those red dresses. Pharrell, you should have chose this song for Danica in the live rounds!

 

Leave it to Bruno to make curling rollers cool.

 

"I'm bringing back Ryan because he never hit a bad note"..... really?

Edited December 17, 2014 by rollerblade

[dbell1]

My Blake has got a smile on his face. I loved it just to see Adam's head explode.

Still think the shock of the night was Bruno in curlers.

[TiredMe]

Wow I really thought it was Matt. Blake really is magic. The country voting block is unstoppable if Blake has a decent singer.

[DownTheShore]

No, hair curlers are never cool - not even on Bruno Mars.

[Universalhunter]

I was fully expecting Matt to win, so I was a little shocked, but I dig the storyline of Craig beating out the juggernaut of Team Adam.

And I gotta say, Craig's song with the girls was a highlight for me. I thought it was really cute and fun.

[NewRadical]

Country dominance! 

I didn't want to Adam to win, but in the end I think I was pulling for one of team Adam's- Matt for doing consistently great, Chris for improving the most, and Damien because his voice has just been consistently good- and I like that he uses terms like "oh em gee"

Chris especailly killed it with his Jessie J performance. I think that was the best of the night.

Jessie and Reagan (and I suppose other country dude with three names) got completely shafted. Sugar gets FIVE performances, they get one?? They didn't even get to join in the ladies song.

I really enjoyed seeing some of the past contestants. I still think Taylor P could have gone far had he made it into the top.

Overall I thought Craig's group was maybe the best. It was just a song that really worked. I liked Chris' duet the best. 

I am happy for Craig. I think any of the top 4 would have been fine

[basiltherat]

Nyeh nyeh nyeh Adam, suck it.  I was rooting for CWB and did not dare to hope.  Ha Ha

 

I really loved CWB because he radiated such CONFIDENCE when he sang.  He was already here before even he knew it!

[Princess Lucky]

YES!

 

I was really hoping Craig would win, he was no.2 on itunes to Matt's no.1 but country voters are big on telephone votes, unlike the indie pop crowd. I was hoping he'd win because he was a great singer who always displayed emotion so openly and beautifully. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I also wanted him to win so that Adam would lose against Blake, with 3 contestants (his entire team intact!) against Blake's one. That felt good. I love Adam but I love Blake more.

 

I honestly cheered. A worthy winner. I would have been fine with Matt winning too, to be honest, and I'll keep an eye out for him, but I am absolutely thrilled, both for Craig and for Blake (is that 4 wins now?). And I echo the comments re; Craig having a real shot at a career. I had said it in another post; if the Swon Brothers can do it as finalists, then Craig, the winner, sure as hell can too.

 

I'm looking forward to the "Shevine" post-finale interviews.

[DownTheShore]

I think that CWB - correct me if I'm wrong - is the first winner to actually be able to sing his song through after learning that he won.  That is professionalism.

 

I enjoyed the whole show.  And seeing Blake's 1 beat Adam's 3 - priceless.

[jjjmoss]

Blake 4, Adam 2, Usher 1.

 

I also like that Blake can gloat over how he beat Adam when Adam had 3 of the T4 and Blake had 1 of the T8.

[buckybruce]

Got to love it....Blake is DA Man!!! Adam will jump off a building tonight....3 chances our of 4, and he still comes up empty.

 

Congrats to Craig Wayne Boyd.!!!!

 

Did you see Jennifer Hudson almost "spill" out of dress backstage? She did not look happy. But, wow, she is a curvy girl, and love her short hair. Has Damien always been that short? She towered over him in heels.

 

Agree with above....the girls doing Bang Bang in those hot red dresses.

 

Man, they butchered Fleetwood Mac.....Stevie will never come back to be a mentor after that.

 

Got to love Uptown Funk....but didn't I hear it 20 some years ago? Maybe this generation is getting some musical taste...or what is old is always new again.

 

And CWB and Skynard....that must have been like living in a dream for him.

[car54]

I loved Bruno's song--and I was hoping Chris was watching to see how it's really done.    

 

Happy for Craig, I think the others will do ok after.  I loved Damien singing with J Hud--I felt like she was a little fierce for him.     

 

[Valny]

You don't know how much I would love it if Craig wins knocking off all of team Adam!

 

 

 

 

I am quoting myself above from another thread, so I just want to add....

 

I LOVE IT I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!    Man that was satisfying seeing Adam's team get whittled away. As each name was called, I was saying... "one down, etc..."

Then I gave a big WOO HOO when his name was called.

Too bad Gwen, you had the winner and you gave him up, although I don't think she would known the correct songs to pick him if she kept him, so he might have very well possibly not even made it to the finals. Blake was the coach for him, "no doubt."(pun intended)

 

 

I just watched the end, was the show any good?

Edited December 17, 2014 by Valny

[jjjmoss]

I loved Bruno's song--and I was hoping Chris was watching to see how it's really done.    

Crappily and boringly?

[buckybruce]

Someone should cut little Jax's hair though....poor wee lad...he kept looking around like.." I just wanna go to sleep...why are you people so noisy?"

[Dots And Stripes]

Yes! Long live Team Blake! I'm sure there will be some incredibly whiny interviews with Adam tomorrow. He hates losing almost as much as I love seeing him lose.

 

I really felt like the show was trying to bus Craig last night. Maybe he led off the last round to break up some of the Team Adam performances, it just felt a lot like a coronation of Matt with Chris as the alternate. I'm so happy that didn't happen!

[rollerblade]

Has Damien always been that short? She towered over him in heels.

 

No, he changed his height for the finals. :p

 

Jennifer is 5'9", so in those heels she is easily 6-ft tall.

[ChicksDigScars]

Man that was satisfying seeing Adam's team get whittled away. As each name was called, I was saying... "one down, etc..."

 

He got this worried flash across his face when they announced Chris in third place. Damien in fourth, I think he expected. But when he realized that he was down to a one on one battle with Blake, the look on his face changed. 

 

Yeah, Damien is a short one. And pairing him with Jennifer Hudson, who is about 5'10 (or 5'9") WITHOUT heels, made it even MORE obvious. But, Damien, check out Bruno Mars. He's living proof that short guys can have it going on!

 

Speaking of Bruno Mars. GREAT song, but...curlers? Really? WTF was that?!

 

Hee-hee. That sonic boom you hear from the west is Adam's head exploding. I'm sorry. It's just so delicious. I was totally expecting Matt to come in first, and CWB second. I guess I take I-Tunes too literally, but I think you're right. Country fans phone in the vote. I couldn't get through on CWB's line for at least an hour and a half after last night's show ended. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by ChicksDigScars

[KR Vermont]

Although I prefer Matt over Craig, I am kind of glad Blake got the win over (as he lovingly called him) "Look At Me (It's All About Me)" Adam. :)

 

My standard gripe for singing competition winner announcements applies yet again: the home audience gets shortchanged on being in on the celebration, can't even get through his song without cutting out to commercial. Geez. See ya, bye, thanks for watching us all season and we can't even get an extra 30 seconds to share the joy (or sorrow, depending).

 

Is men wearing rollers in public a trend I'm out of the loop on?

 

eta: I hope Gwen isn't kicking herself for letting CWB go, because I doubt he would've gone all the way on her team.

Edited December 17, 2014 by KR Vermont

[vb68]

 

Nyeh nyeh nyeh Adam, suck it.

 

Heh.  The way Blake was beaming I think he was also thinking of his version of that!

 

I really liked the Coaches' version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".  Gwen especially sounded lovely on it.

[buckybruce]

Man...I get such a grin on my face, thinking of "ole Blake" just lying in the weeds, biding his time, not saying much of anything, and making plans. Except for backing the wrong horse early on (hello David James Carter, that could have been you up there tonight, if you weren't so arrogant, and so "above it all"), he never makes a mistep when it comes to a country artist.

[burntheflaws]

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.

[NewRadical]

I cannot believe I didn't comment on Bruno's hair. It was the most memorable part of the show. I honestly didn't get it, then I realized it was gold curlers. Amazing.

[buckybruce]

Random thoughts - I think the Bruno Mars rollers in the hair is a shout out to the video of this song.

 

I thought Gwen was lip-synching on " Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

 

Chris and Jesse J was a great duet...she seemed really into him, and very generous in sharing the lyrics (more so than Jennifer Hudson and Damien...someone posted above that JH is a little "fierce" for Damien, and that's it exactly).

[photo fox]

I love Blake, but I didn't really want to see any of these four win.  Adam's three because Adam, and CWB because he bores me.  Except when he does that annoying wagging-finger thing, and then I want to grab his finger and twist it hard.  It just makes me rage for some reason.  He seems like a nice guy, but no.

 

There's a difference between classic and dated, and CWB falls completely into the "dated" category, IMO.  I predict he's another Voice winner who won't do much after the show.  Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but the solo male category in country is crazy competitive.  I just don't see anything that special there.

[Guest]

Bruno is always entertaining.  

 

Bang Bang was really good!  Some of the other group numbers, not so much.  The Bastille song was a low. 

 

I'm shocked Craig won.  I honestly was surprised he made it to the live shows.   

[Dots And Stripes]

I love Blake, but I didn't really want to see any of these four win.  Adam's three because Adam, and CWB because he bores me.  Except when he does that annoying wagging-finger thing, and then I want to grab his finger and twist it hard.  It just makes me rage for some reason.  He seems like a nice guy, but no.

 

There's a difference between classic and dated, and CWB falls completely into the "dated" category, IMO.  I predict he's another Voice winner who won't do much after the show.  Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but the solo male category in country is crazy competitive.  I just don't see anything that special there.

I'm not completely enamored with CWB, although I did enjoy a few of his performances. I suspect he could find a niche in country where I will probably never hear from him again save a few future Voice appearances.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Matt have a pop/rock career after this. I think he'll do better on recordings than he does live. He tends to go off the rails in his performances. I actually heard clips of CWB, Chris, and then Matt's full song on a local radio station tonight. They count down the top five songs on itunes every night and play #1 in full. They all sounded pretty good. I'll root for Matt's success now that he won't be carrying so much Adam baggage. 

[rollerblade]

Is men wearing rollers in public a trend I'm out of the loop on?

 

Speaking of Bruno Mars. GREAT song, but...curlers? Really? WTF was that?!

 

I cannot believe I didn't comment on Bruno's hair. It was the most memorable part of the show. I honestly didn't get it, then I realized it was gold curlers. Amazing.

 

Not as outrageous as the meat dress... but the gold curlers did their thing and then some! Who cares what song he sang or how he sang it. Every media-talk about Bruno will be about the curlers haha.

[Shades of Scarlet]

"Adam baggage" is something that's mostly confined to this board.  In the real world, he's actually pretty darn popular. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by Shades of Scarlet

[Nedsdag]

Never underestimate the southern/country vote. Craig's charisma and voice sold his songs, especially that pap that Blake wrote about his ex-wife. As for the other two, Matt will be fine. As for Timberfake, I mean, Chris, the jury's is still out on his future. I never found him attractive nor sexy. Wearing pants two sizes too small on spindly legs is not appealing at all.

 

What's crazy about Craig's victory is that a pro-Chris website literally crashed when Craig was chosen. I'm pretty sure they'll get over it come Feb. 23 when the new season begins.

[Sile]

Random thoughts - I think the Bruno Mars rollers in the hair is a shout out to the video of this song.

 

 

That's how I took it.  For those not familiar with the video, there are a couple shots of Bruno and Ronson in the beauty parlor getting their perms to make themselves pretty.  Really, go watch it!  It's a fabulous video and I might even say that even if I didn't think that everything Bruno does is magic.

 

Meanwhile, I can't believe CWB actually won.  He was my horse right from his performance in the blinds and my choices usually go far enough to keep me watching, but fall just short.  Cole, Nicholas David, Swons.  My favorite might have been Cee-Lo's guy that did Jolene and Queen but I don't think he lasted much past the Top 10.  

Edited December 17, 2014 by Sile

[Noreaster]

I'm a bit bummed that Matt didn't win. I felt he had a radio-ready original that could be marketed right away. Though to be fair, maybe Craig's is just as radio-ready (I don't listen to country radio).

 

Anyway, results are not a surprise. Craig had been a strong itunes seller all season, even with weaker performances. And there had to have been some vote-splitting on Adam's team. Good on Adam for bringing his entire team to the end. Good exposure for all hopefully. And great job for Blake of course. He certainly knows how to win with country talent.  

 

Tonight's show was a crapshoot. There were quite a few bad performances including the Top 20, Matt's group, the coaches.  The other groups were okay.  Actually, I liked Craig's and Chris's quite a bit.  And it's interesting to see that the contestants must like Sugar a lot.  Danica too. The guest performers were all good.  Bruno Mars was a lot of fun.  Jennifer Hudson looked pissed off to me but she sounded great and Damien sort of kept up with her.  Really enjoyed Chris and Jessie J.  

[Dodginblue]

It would be interesting in know how many votes separated each finalist from the others.  It could be that Craig squeaked by with a real narrow margin.  I suspect, however, that he won fairly comfortably because the CWB fans seemed really organized and persistent.  I saw that on Facebook and Twitter.  He seems to have gotten his social media act together pretty early on, maybe more so than the other contestants.  And while Matt had the no. 1 song on the I-tunes, Craig was at no. 2 so I don't know that it gave Matt much of an advantage.

 

As to the performances tonight, I liked Craig and the girls doing Keep Your Hands to Yourself.  They were cute acting it out and those three women can all sing so it went well I thought.  I was also really impressed with Chris and Jessie J and am now looking to buy some of her music.  I do think Chris has talent and can carve out a decent career for himself if he can get the right material.  Really the same would be true for all of the top 4 and also Taylor John Williams, I could see him possibly having a bigger career than any of them.  Again, it's all in getting good songs, good producers and good management.   And a lucky break or two.  Not original thoughts, I know, I just think that in some ways it's not really magic, becoming a successful artist/entertainer and yet on the other hand it really does takes a little magic.  Or something.  There is just so much content out there now, it must be hard to get noticed. But once you do you can reach such a huge audience.  All hail the power of the Internet.

[pivot]

Thank God this season is over. What a dud of a season. The talent was average. The coaching panel was dull as dirt. There wasn't a single standout moment this season from contestants or coaches. Blake seemed checked out and Pharrell and Gwen had zero chemistry with Blake or Adam. I am actually looking forward to Christina coming back and I really have disliked her in the past. But, better bitchy then mind-numbingly boring I guess. Plus, Blake might actually get engaged again with Christina back. He seemed to click well with Christina, Shakira and Usher. Not so much with this new group.

As for Craig winning, good for him. At least he can emote on stage, which is more than Danielle could manage and Craig didn't beat out someone I actually cared about unlike Danielle who beat out Amber and Sasha.

[KR Vermont]

Good move for Bruno to wear the rollers, it got people talking and, like me, to check out the Uptown Funk video and there he and Mark Ronson are, wearing curlers in a hair salon...so it all makes sense to me now. :)

[Muffyn]

The opening number was so bad I almost turned off the show.  I was in the other room when it started and all I can say is “Ow!  My ears hurt.”  Later Morris Day and the Time performed, er, I mean Bruno Mars.

 

The women’s performance of Bang Bang was really enjoyable.  Did they hire new stylists for the finale (or at least this number)?  They each looked great and sounded good together. 

 

I’ve got to wonder if these under lit performances look better in person.  They’re been doing this a lot later in the season (or I’m going blind).  There were times I thought I was watching The Walking Dead with music. 

 

I enjoyed Matt with Fall Out Boy.  I’m not a big Matt fan, but he seemed to be really enjoying himself.  I often find him too self-conscious or calculated when performing.  It was nice to see him just have a good time.  Then again, the competition was over so he didn’t have to play the game anymore.

 

Now that my ears had fully recovered, Matt’s “friends” sang You Can Go Your Own Way.  Thanks for that.  Did he think how can I get the people with the most disparate voices together on a song?  That was just bad.

[hincandenza]

The opening number was so bad I almost turned off the show. I was in the other room when it started and all I can say is “Ow! My ears hurt.” Later Morris Day and the Time performed, er, I mean Bruno Mars.

The women’s performance of Bang Bang was really enjoyable. Did they hire new stylists for the finale (or at least this number)? They each looked great and sounded good together.

Yeah, I noticed several of the returning women looked *good*, where they'd been let down before by "Our Stylists: Terrible". In particular, I was freakin' blown away by DaNica, who was gorgeous tonight: she's a tiny little thing, but for the first time she wasn't dressed like Laura Bush and I realized that girls got curves like Jessica Rabbit on a 5-nothing frame! Stacked, buxom, curvy, voluptuous, just dazzlingly hot. I always thought she was cute but daaaamn, she looked good tonight...

... ahem, okay, lechery over. :) I thought tonight was another solid show- tons of music that didn't sound painfully edited down to 90 seconds, mostly strong performances, everyone had fun and looked good, good interstitial pieces and humor, and it was well edited enough that we didn't have the winner announced while the credits roll. It's customary to cut away mid-victory song, and I don't mind since I heard it the night before and besides, we got the great reaction shots, him hugging Blake and his family, and a good chunk of the tune replete with confetti cannons. Congrats to CWB, a worthy and deserving winner. He's not going to shake up music, but he's as ready as anyone this show has ever had to become a successful and established name in the biz.

[Diana Berry]

Had to miss the last part of the show. Color me shocked. Happy for the Craig win.

Hoping is helps his career and not hurts it.

[MaryPatShelby]

Yeah, I noticed several of the returning women looked *good*, where they'd been let down before by "Our Stylists: Terrible". In particular, I was freakin' blown away by DaNica......

 

Me too, specifically her hair - it was lovely. Those extensions they put on her for every damn performance were, to put it bluntly, ugly and unflattering. 

[blueray]

I was a bit surprised, I was hoping Matt would win. He's be consistently good the whole time. And I don't care who's team a person is on. That being said Craig did approve a lot throughout it. And I know that there is a lot of country fans. Oh well, hopefully Matt will also get signed by someone.

 

As for the judge's performance, it seemed like none of them wanted to do it (except maybe Blake). Everyone else had the "get me off the stage" looks, either that or they were just bored.

 

And I did like the part where they talked about Adam's ego. It'll be called the "all about me" lol.

Edited December 17, 2014 by blueray

[Princess Lucky]

I went back and watched the performances (I only watched the last 15 minutes the first time around) and DAMN, Craig with the ladies was awesome! I love that even on the finale he showed yet another aspect of his performance style (sassy, playful, flashier, funny). Great stuff and vocally it sounded so good as well. That, Damien's "bring back" performance and Chris singing with Jessie J were the highlights for me.

 

I did think Matt is a great singer and I'd have been fine with him winning, but I think he was a tad overrated (and, in turn, Craig was a tad underrated). Matt has a lovely voice, so radio-friendly, and a great, interesting performing style, but he's had some off moments and some riskier choices have not worked for him. Craig, at his "worst", was boring. But never off (he's had some pitch issues as well in the last few weeks but I attribute that to fatigue). I also think Craig's ability to emote was what really nailed it for him. At first I just thought he was a solid, vocally skilled singer competently doing dad rock. I appreciated his flair and his energy but I didn't see him as a stand-out. Then he really gave it his all in the battles/knockouts and I appreciated his passion and his voice. But with that "You Look So Good In Love" performance early on (top 12?) I really stood up and listened. And he never faltered; there were some more country moments that didn't resonate with me (I'm not really a country fan) but there was, I think, just enough rock/gospel to keep everyone interested. I Walk The Line, that Old Rugged Cross song and, finally, In Pictures, allowed Craig to be emotional in such a classy way and it worked for him. You can't really get that raw emotion with indie pop (and I say this as someone who much prefers indie pop to country).

 

I'm glad Chris came in third. He has a great falseto and he's a fun performer, but I think he was a step down from Craig and Matt (and to be honest vocally he was a step below Damien as well). I think Adam legitimately thought Chris would be a contender but frankly I never did. I think he could have a career but at 30 I'm too old to care about his tight pants. Leave him to the teenagers. And poor Damien got the short end of the stick. It's not easy to hold your own opposite Jennifer Hudson and he did it in style. I'm glad he was a finalist.

 

I remain amused by the fact that, instead of Adam catching up to Blake, now Blake has twice as many victories. Such a pleasant surprise.

[Primetimer]

The Voice crowns its seventh victor; Stephanie delivers her last rankings of the season.

Read the story

[kricka]

I am definitely in the minority here, as I can't believe America voted for boring Craig Wayne Boyd - SO FUCKING BORING! - and I FLOVED Bruno's curlers. I guess I should have known that America was looking for boring when every interesting person was systematically voted off this season. I had hopes that Matt would squeak in a win, but alas, boring old Jesus and country Aw Shucks win again. *sigh* 

[DeLurker]

 

"Our Stylists: Terrible"

Awwww...a RS: INXS reference.  Good times, good times...

 

Didn't watch the finals because I knew there would be so much I did not want to see.  Now I can pick and choose what y'all comment on as positive.

[Sammich63]

I was hoping for either a Craig or Matt win.  Craig began working the social media circuit very early on, and I think that helped him.  He has tons of charisma and hopefully he'll do well.  If The Swon Brothers can make it, I don't see why Craig can't.  I just hope someone signs Matt, as I think he is extremely talented.  I wish he had sung a different song to close Monday night, as I think that was his worst performance.  I agree that Damien had the best vocals of the four, but he just doesn't have the stage presence of Matt or Craig, and that's very important.

 

I didn't like this finale as much as season five's finale, but I enjoyed this top 4 very much.  I thought last season's group was the most boring top 3 and didn't care who won.  I picked Josh by default.  

 

I also noticed that Jessie, Reagan and JDC weren't in any of the group performances, except for the top 20.  I guess DaNica and Sugar are very popular.  Even Taylor Brayshears appeared with Craig in his performance with the girls, which I really liked. Reagan is like Holly Henry and Bria Kelly ... lots of hype in the beginning and then they faltered during the lives. 

 

I want to also see Taylor John Williams signed to a label.  Both Matt and Taylor are creative/innovative and have current sounds.  I did like Chris's performance with Jessie J, and I think he's the most improved.   I just don't think he stands out from other performers who sing in his style. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by Sammich63

[picklesprite]

Thanks for the history behind the gold rollers. God, he cracks me up. I absolutely adore great tight funk, and now I want to dance all day. This show made me go to iTunes and spend money on adorable Bruno, and generous, fun Jesse J, and impressive Fall Out Boy. I do love it when the guests do their best to showcase the contestants, and several did that sweetly last night.

Edited December 17, 2014 by picklesprite

[80sgirl]

Chris and Jessie J's duet was the best of the night for me.  They had real chemistry and he sounded great on it

 

For everyone talking about Adam's head exploding after he lost to Blake, I guess you missed the giant hug he went over and gave Blake while CWB was doing the sing out.  Honestly, from Adam's demeanor throughout the show I think he knew the outcome.  He was very low key which is very un-Adamlike of him.

[Impromptu]

I don't listen to country music - I don't mind it, but it's not really my go-to choice.  But this was the first season that I voted consistently for a singer on The Voice, and that singer was Craig (and also Anita, when she was still in play).  

 

My elderly mother, for the first time in my memory, voted for a reality competition (for Craig) via phone, and had me explain to her how to vote online as well (which was... not fun, as Mom isn't exactly the most computer savvy person).

 

We're not country music fans, or swayed by exhortations to Jesus (we're Jewish), nor do either of us live in small towns in the South (I'm in Minneapolis, she is in Cleveland) we both just happened to think he was the best singer & performer on the show.  To chalk up Craig's victory to "southern, country music block voting," is missing the point.

[Noreaster]

So I don't watch any other reality singing show.  Question...are the originals by Matt, Chris, and Damien lost now?  I mean, it's only fair that the show/record label focus all its attention on the winner.  But I also think it would be a shame not to do something with Matt's original.  Seems like a possible breakout hit for the show and ready-to-go.  

 

I also noticed that Jessie, Reagan and JDC weren't in any of the group performances, except for the top 20.  I guess DaNica and Sugar are very popular.  Even Taylor Brayshears appeared with Craig in his performance with the girls, which I really liked. Reagan is like Holly Henry and Bria Kelly ... lots of hype in the beginning and then they faltered during the lives. 

Yes, I noticed that too about Jessie, Reagan, and JDC. I guess Craig really needed strong female vocalists for his bring-back performance so none of them would have fit there.  (Also agree, fantastic performance by the Craig group).  But to be completely excluded, aside from the Top 20, struck me as odd. Especially Jessie and Reagan who made it to Top 12. Go Team Blake?