S08.E26: Live Semifinal Results

[Tara Ariano]

Four artists advance in a semifinal-round results edition.

[ChicksDigScars]

Some things never change. Team Christina starts out with a head of steam and peters out by the end, Maybe it's the fact that "toning it down" and "subtle" isn't in her wheelhouse. By the end of the season, her singers have hit the wall and their voices have tired.

 

That said, I'd have put money on either Kimberly or India making it over Koryn.  

[Sammich63]

Very disappointed in the Twitter save. Oh well, neither one is winning anyway.

[jjjmoss]

So after 5 seasons on, Christina's made the T3 one time, with runner-up Jacquie.

[Donny Ketchum]

Final team rosters/cheat sheets:

 

Team Adam

Joshua Davis (saved by America)

 

Team Pharrell

Sawyer Fredericks (saved by America)

Koryn Hawthorne (saved by Twitter)

 

Team Christina

None. :(

 

Team Blake

Meghan Linsey (saved by America)

 

So Christina ends up as the lame duck.  If Kimberly had had better songs last week, the list above might look very, very different.

[beaker73]

Happy to see Meghan made it through. How close did the twitter save look?

[TheGreenKnight]

It's unfortunate, but I'm sure Christina isn't bothered. They all knew Sawyer's won for at least two weeks now, might as well pull off the band-aid. A travesty that both Kimberly and India weren't in the finale, tbh. I'll be shocked if a female coach ever wins this show.

[rollerblade]

2 weeks? More like 2 months. Sawyer won the whole thing at Blinds.

[Valny]

Happy to see Meghan made it through. How close did the twitter save look?

Not sure how it ended, but last I saw Koryn was leading with around 50 or possibly a little more and I remember seeing India with 48 and that's when my cursing started....  well actually before when we found out Joshua was safe. Grrrrrr.....!  Crap, India just could not keep out of the bottom three!

 

Damn, I really thought Christina's team was the one to beat. It just all went to hell in an eye blink. I bet she thought she had a really great chance too and was feeling pretty good about her team. I am still stumped that Joshua is still standing.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Valny

[Padma]

Once again, Christina had one of the (or the) strongest teams and petered out at the end. Is it song choice, Christina's personal popularity, or the bang-you-over the head vocals that she always has her team using and which just get so "same old, same old" by the end?

 

Kimberley seemed like she should have gone to the final, and easily outlasted India, Joshua and Koryn at least. What went wrong?

 

I think Blake and Adam have done well by Meghan and (particularly) Joshua.  I don't understand why Koryn's still there but maybe its because she and Pharrell talk about God every week (well, at least the last two). Very strange.

[waving feather]

If it's not Kimberly, I was hoping India would be in the finals instead of Koryn. I just don't see her appeal. Yes she is very invested in her performances but that doesn't mean I enjoy them. Sometimes it's too much and she sounds goaty.

[jjjmoss]

Lol, all the non-Sawyer finalists were booted by their original coaches:

Meghan was booted by Pharrell for Paul (who?).

Joshua was booted by Blake for Brian (who?).

Koryn was booted by Christina for Kimberly.

[rollerblade]

So after 5 seasons on, Christina's made the T3 one time, with runner-up Jacquie.

 

Why the Top3 designation instead of finals? She did get Chris Mann to the finals in S2, but yes he finished 4th.

[Dots And Stripes]

It would have been cool to see 1 finalist per coach.

 

I don't think Christina is to blame for India or Kimberly. Maybe she could have talked Kimberly into better song choices the week she left. I think India's problems were bigger than one coach. She was the vocalist who didn't know her artistic identity. I think that issue takes more time to figure out. 

Why the Top3 designation instead of finals? She did get Chris Mann to the finals in S2, but yes he finished 4th.

Every coach was required to have a finalist back in season 2. That's why Adam picked his bro over Katrina. 

[Ketzel]

India is a beautiful woman and has a beautiful voice, but there was always something very pageant-y about her presentation. And she wasn't helped by her song choices or by Christina's flat affect on camera when required to cheerlead for India's performances. For someone who sings with such range and dynamics, Christina seems to be  a monotonous speaker who can't convey enthusiasm even when she's trying to.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Ketzel

[mercfan3]

2 weeks? More like 2 months. Sawyer won the whole thing at Blinds.

 

Christina looked at Pharrell after Sawyer performed in the playoffs and said "You won." She's known. 

[kelnic86]

I'm satisfied with this Top 4. Sucks that Christina is shut out of the finale yet again. I think one of her problems as a coach is pacing. She had her team barreling out of the gate at the beginning so fast that they ran out of steam toward the end. They showed all their cards right at the start and there were no more tricks left to surprise the audience when it really mattered. There's also song choice. The wrong song sent one of her strongest contenders home back in season 5. Also, sometimes less is more. But maybe that can't be helped because of the singers she always manages to get on her team.

Edited May 13, 2015 by kelnic86

[mercfan3]

The problem is, if Christina doesn't do that with her team, then they go home early. She doesn't have the buffer that Adam and Blake have. 

 

I mean, that happened with Pharrell this season too..early front runner Mia went early, didn't have a great song pick..went home. 

 

So she's a little stuck. 

[pivot]

I think if Joshua was on Christina's team, he'd still be in the finale. Christina and Shakira's biggest problems have always been they had teams of women or minority guys and a lack of country singers. Bland, inoffensive, white guys and bland country singers go farther on this show and their teams don't usually have those types. The only time Shakira had a real shot was with with Kristen who likely won the slot for the finale until The Voice sprung a surprise twitter save to push Christina to the finale instead. For Christina, a team full of minorities was never going to make the finale on this show. Not over Joshua, Sawyer and Meghan.

[yourpointis]

India is a beautiful woman and has a beautiful voice, but there was always something very pageant-y about her presentation. And she wasn't helped by her song choices or by Christina's flat affect on camera when required to cheerlead for India's performances. For someone who sings with such range and dynamics, Christina seems to be  a monotonous speaker who can't convey enthusiasm even when she's trying to.

 

 

So much word to this. This is why I have never liked Christina as a coach. She never comes across as sincere when its time to praise her contestants or other contestants; even when she truly means it. Heck we all know every one of those coaches lie. They couldn't possibly like the tone, genre, or performance style of every contestant that makes the live shows. They get paid the big bucks to help perpetuate a fantasy; that each contestant has an equal chance at winning this show and that all they need is any one of those coaches guidance to do so. Psshh! Nevertheless, whether she truly likes her contestants, she needs to fake it better like the other coaches. She also needs to stop advising her contestants to sing with all the riffs and runs because obviously it is not working. Also, I never cared if the coaches like my faves as much as I do. Just as long as they (and the producers) help more than harm their chances of staying longer on the show. ymmv

I think if Joshua was on Christina's team, he'd still be in the finale. Christina and Shakira's biggest problems have always been they had teams of women or minority guys and a lack of country singers. Bland, inoffensive, white guys and bland country singers go farther on this show and their teams don't usually have those types. The only time Shakira had a real shot was with with Kristen who likely won the slot for the finale until The Voice sprung a surprise twitter save to push Christina to the finale instead. For Christina, a team full of minorities was never going to make the finale on this show. Not over Joshua, Sawyer and Meghan.

 

 

Because I truly can't remember, but has a female minority made it to the finale on this show? (Not counting Tessanne)

[rollerblade]

Kimberley seemed like she should have gone to the final, and easily outlasted India, Joshua and Koryn at least. What went wrong?

 

• Wrong week to be forgettable. Her sing order that week hurts A LOT.
• Complacency factor? During the intro package, she mentioned Dirty Diana was a song she performed with her band all the time before the competition. Not that this is uncommon for singers, I'm sure they all had their playlists; but FFS don't announce it to the world you already had plenty of practice with it.
• Plus, Dirty Diana was never posted on the official The Voice youtube channel. I was surprise how badly it charted. Not catchy enough of a tune? Switch DD with Creep and she probably could have made the finals.
• (most likely) She never had much of a voting fan base to begin with. She needed a *Rising Sun moment* to to capture the casual votes.

 

Wonder what would've happen... if Pharrell had kept Kimberly in Battles (over that clown Lowell), thus allowing Koryn to stay with Christina (assuming she beats whoever in KO's). Probably ended up the same for Kim. P didn't do much coaching this season, but Koryn may have been long gone if not for that game changer Make It Rain.

[DownTheShore]

You know, I could see the Disney corporation hiring India to star in one of their Broadway musicals. She seems like she would be perfect for that kind of role. Christina never managed to create a niche for her; she should have played up the stage musical angle. That song that she did in that billowing red dress was very theatrical and very effective.

ETA: I think one of the reasons that Sawyer gets more votes than India ever did - even though she has better stage presence and a better voice - is that his voice is more intriguing. I have songs in my mind that I would like to hear Sawyer sing; India doesn't inspire the same interest in me.

Edited May 13, 2015 by DownTheShore

[DownTheShore]

I wish the producers would rein in Pharrell and his use of the Jesus card. He's way overdoing it; as someone who is Christian, it's been making me uncomfortable every time he tries to make that religious tie-in if Koryn does so much as fart.

Edited May 13, 2015 by DownTheShore

[pivot]

It wasn't just Pharrell. Meghan had her pandering moment singing Amazing Grace to her mom. Give me a break. And Adam made that girl who couldn't sing do at least 3 Jesus songs. At this point, they either need to get the praise Jesus stuff off the show or move the show to one of the Jesus channels. The country is becoming less and less religious. I don't know why they feel they have to pander like this.

[DownTheShore]

It doesn't matter as much to me about the singers singing a hymn (provided that they can actually sing it well) because to me it's just another song; I'm not going to vote for someone because I might share a religious belief. I object to the coaches' religious pandering by telling the audience things like "his/her voice is a talent that is gifted from a higher power" and pointing a finger skyward, etc.

[mercfan3]

Pivot speaks some truth here.

 

Honestly, this week was the first time I liked India. 

 

I know she's a very good technical singer. I just don't like the sound of her voice. 

 

Kimberly was the contestant that didn't have a huge fanbase and was only doing well because she was the best every week. Similar to Schuler. The second she wasn't..she was gone. (Matt at least got a second chance thanks to twitter save. Although Carson had said that he was gone without it.) She deserved to be in the finale. 

 

This show isn't as bad as Idol because the coach's bring a lot of fans in..minorities on Blake and Adam's team do fine. (Tessanne, Javier, Jermaine). But there's an advantage to being white and male..

Edited May 13, 2015 by mercfan3

[bluepiano]

Even aside from the Jesus stuff, Pharrell's way of pleading for his singers is so ludicrously over the top. Like tonight. "If you've ever felt you couldn't do something, if someone has said you can't do something, this girl is singing for you etc." Really? Let's send Koryn to the Middle East, because with all her magical powers she can probably bring lasting peace. But I guess it works. Somehow he strikes a chord with voters. That's the only reason I can think of that Koryn keeps getting these Twitter saves.

 

Speaking of which, Kimberly, who was by far my favorite this year, probably lost it when the Twitter voting was still going on and she thanked Christina for helping "this little black girl from Seattle." Not what America wants to hear. For that matter, to be honest, I think that the reason Kimberly didn't go further is that she is very much a black woman in appearance, compared to say, India or Koryn. Not a happy thought, I know, but I think if you look at the results of this show (and Idol) over the years, you will see a definite pattern.

Edited May 13, 2015 by bluepiano

[TheGreenKnight]

It doesn't matter as much to me about the singers singing a hymn (provided that they can actually sing it well) because to me it's just another song; I'm not going to vote for someone because I might share a religious belief. I object to the coaches' religious pandering by telling the audience things like "his/her voice is a talent that is gifted from a higher power" and pointing a finger skyward, etc.

As a religious person myself, I don't mind hearing the songs, but the obvious pandering really bothers me. I can't imagine being a contestant or coach on a TV show and using my religion/God like they're a get-out-of-jail-free card. That seems a lot worse than pimping a disease or financial trouble, or all the other kinds of sob stories, to me.

[ChicksDigScars]

It's my fault. Any time I attempt the Twitter Save, the person loses, I'm sorry, India. And Hannah. And Kimberly. And everyone I voted for last season (who never won).

[mercfan3]

I will say, in Pharrell's defense, apparently Koryn is actually extremely religious. I know she puts limits on clothing because of it. 

[Nedsdag]

 

Kimberley seemed like she should have gone to the final, and easily outlasted India, Joshua and Koryn at least. What went wrong?

 

 

I truly believe that song choice hurt Kimberley more than any contestant. Her choice for the "mother dedication" song was "Free Falling"? What did that song have to do with motherhood? Now I understand that she sings "Dirty Diana" as part of her club act, but she should've chosen her Twitter save song "Seven Nation Army" instead. Now THAT would've been a showstopper.

 

No surprises tonight. Koryn out sang India for the fourth place finish in the finale. Neither of these ladies are cracking the Top 3, unless Sawyer decides to go back to the farm and takes Meghan and Joshua with him. Even then, the fans will vote out of habit for him in absentia.

[rollerblade]

Is one of Sawyer's cows named Sara Lee? Haha, so cruel.

[Noreaster]

Damn, second week in a row when a contestant I voted for goes home.  Though I'm not that bummed about India.  This was only the first week that I enjoyed her performances.  And her instant-save performance this week was pretty bad.  Koryn's was far better.

 

Group performances were pretty good. Clear contrast in styles between the men and women.  The women clearly have a lot more power and better technical skills. I still don't care for Koryn's quivering and relentless intensity and Meghan's lack of dynamics, but they worked well enough for the Journey song.  The men's group performance was far more low-key but still effective in my opinion.  Their singing style is more about the emotion and making every line meaningful.  Well, Joshua at least. I think Sawyer actually looked worse than ever by comparison. He has this great tone, but clearly lacks texture in his voice and lacks stage presence.  He's like that kid whose musician father is letting come up to do one song with the band.  

[TheGreenKnight]

It's my fault. Any time I attempt the Twitter Save, the person loses, I'm sorry, India. And Hannah. And Kimberly. And everyone I voted for last season (who never won).

lol The people I like very rarely win either, although I guess two winners out of 7 isn't too bad--loved Javier and Danielle. And I guess Sawyer is my 2nd favorite after India this year (Kimberly 3rd), so I won't be too bothered.Of course, when one of my favorites loses on The Voice, I don't feel too bad considering nobody goes on to do much of anything so my favorite didn't really lose a shot at something that only the winner gets, like on some other shows.

[ToxicUnicorn]

This show isn't as bad as Idol because the coach's bring a lot of fans

 

Taking my reply to the Voice vs Idol thread...

[Kcat1971]

So Christina ends up as the lame duck.  If Kimberly had had better songs last week, the list above might look very, very different.

 

Since Kimberly was a steal from Pharrell to Christina, and Koryn was a steal from Christina to Pharrell.... it makes me wonder how much coaching does play a role.  If Koryn had stayed on Team Christina would she still be in the competition?  For that matter would Kimberly still be in the competition if she had stayed on Team Pharrell? (And remember it was a Kimberly vs. Koryn knockout where Pharrell stole Koryn. So Christina has no one to blame but herself.)  Please discuss among yourselves.

 

Last night's Twitter save wasn't even close no matter what the percentages at the bottom of the screen showed.  The Voice's official post for Koryn got re-tweeted 19,500 times while The Voice's official post for India got re-tweeted about 1,200 times.  

[ToxicUnicorn]

I don't think Kimberly was ever going to win, and I don't think she really needed to, unless she wanted whatever kind of recording contract the show provides.

 

She's meant to be on stage.  I hope she gets a big boost up in that regard.

[Kcat1971]

I don't think Kimberly was ever going to win, and I don't think she really needed to, unless she wanted whatever kind of recording contract the show provides.

 

She's meant to be on stage.  I hope she gets a big boost up in that regard.

 

I agree that she didn't "need" to win.  Being a Winner of the Voice hasn't really meant anything.  The higher of the finish the more boost someone gets but really if you NEED to win-- a win probably isn't going to make your career.  Certainly just making it to the live shows gives a performer a boost and probably lets them get slightly better gigs.  Being a finalist gets all the exposure leading up to the finals (plus usually a car) and if they are really good enough, it seems like all the finalists end up with some sort of a chance.  I'd even go so far as to suggest that finishing 2nd or 3rd might be better than finishing 1st because the winner is "stuck" with the voice contract while the runners-up may get multiple offers.  (So far I think we've seen way more from Jackie & Will than Tessanne and so far it looks like Matt McAndrew has a better shot than Craig Wayne Boyd)

[Primetimer]

The Voice edges ever closer to its finale, as America continues not knowing how to vote.

Read the story

[Sammich63]

 

Pivot speaks some truth here.

 

Honestly, this week was the first time I liked India. 

 

I know she's a very good technical singer. I just don't like the sound of her voice. 

 

Kimberly was the contestant that didn't have a huge fanbase and was only doing well because she was the best every week. Similar to Schuler. The second she wasn't..she was gone. (Matt at least got a second chance thanks to twitter save. Although Carson had said that he was gone without it.) She deserved to be in the finale. 

 

This show isn't as bad as Idol because the coach's bring a lot of fans in..minorities on Blake and Adam's team do fine. (Tessanne, Javier, Jermaine). But there's an advantage to being white and male..

I've always been intrigued by what happened to Matthew Schuler.  I do believe Tessanne was pretty much a runaway train, as was Cassadee and now Sawyer. But, Matthew also had a huge Twitter following like Tessanne, so I know he was quite popular.  I still think his elimination is the biggest surprise for me on this show.  I've also noticed how the contestants on this season don't have nearly the same number of Twitter followers as previous seasons.  Corey Kent White had the most with close to 60,000 and then Sawyer comes next.  I don't know if this is due to the show not being as popular, or if some of the past contestants had a bigger presence on social media (Matthew, Cassadee, Tessanne, Jacquie, Caroline, Chris J., Matt Mc, Christina G.).  I guess the number of Twitter followers doesn't help in the Twitter save since Corey wasn't saved, which was truly a blessing!! 

I don't see how Kimberly mentioning Dirty Diana as a song she sings with the band was hurtful.  Meghan also mentioned how Steamroller Blues was her tip song, and that didn't hurt her much in downloads.  I agree that Christina wasn't as convincing in her appeal to the public with India as Pharrell was with Koryn.  Christina was very enthusiastic about Chris Mann and Jacquie Lee.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Sammich63

[Bronzedog]

This is the first season I watched this show. And probably the last. If Joshua wins this it will be like when Lee DeWyze won Idol. Who? Indeed.

[pivot]

This is the first season I watched this show. And probably the last. If Joshua wins this it will be like when Lee DeWyze won Idol. Who? Indeed.

You don't have to worry. There is no way anyone but Sawyer is going to win this season. He's running away with it. And Joshua is a 100% more talented and better looking than Lee, but he still should have been eliminated about 3 weeks ago.

[DownTheShore]

Christina becomes engaging when she's in one of the coaching sessions. I've never been a fan of hers - always viewed her as Maria Carey Redux - but I have grown to appreciate her musical skill and talent.

That being said, when she's sitting in the Voice chair she comes across, to me at least, as someone aloof and above the whole thing. Sort of like dropping a wealthy woman into a Wal-Mart. I find her very off-putting most of the time, no matter how pretty she looks, so to me I tend to ignore her non-specific critiques.

[Bronzedog]

I've seen all the Sawyer preferential treatment but I don't see him as all that marketable. He has a nice voice, he's bland, he's predictable, he's Philip Philips. I'll stop now.

[mercfan3]

I think Christina struggles with trying to be nice. 

 

She wants to give her honest critique, but she knows that makes her unlikable and hurts her team so she tries to say something nice. But it probably hurts her on the inside. (Especially because she knows she's only got this handicap because she's a woman.) 

 

That night where she was dropping accidental shade all over the place was the most I've been entertained by any coach not named Shakira. I hope we get honest Christina for the finale. That'll be fun. 

[tominboston]

The two remaining guys are talented singers. The two remaining women are Voices with a capitol V. I know the voting is based on popularity rather than talent, and the people have spoken, but I will  find the inevitable coronation of Sawyer disappointing since he's simply not the best singer left.

[yourpointis]

I think Christina struggles with trying to be nice. 

 

She wants to give her honest critique, but she knows that makes her unlikable and hurts her team so she tries to say something nice. But it probably hurts her on the inside. (Especially because she knows she's only got this handicap because she's a woman.) 

 

That night where she was dropping accidental shade all over the place was the most I've been entertained by any coach not named Shakira. I hope we get honest Christina for the finale. That'll be fun. 

 

 

When Christina is dropping shade, it is not accidental. She does it quite often. 

[rollerblade]

I hope Meghan and Blake's duet next week is Just A Fool. Not that I want anything mean-spirited from it (like haha Xtina has no one in the finals, so let's sing her song)... I just felt the song suited Meghan. That, and I'm not familiar with county duets so it's the only one that came to mind. Blake wouldn't even need to practice.

 

It sucks that Christina won't get to sing with her team in the finals though. Bad dress aside, I thought her duet of The Prayer with Chris Mann was really really beautiful.

 

Pharrell's duets will be.... "interesting". Can't wait to see how he woo-wut some song about Jesus. Not that they will ever top the utter ridiculousness of Spark The Fire.

[basiltherat]

Last week when CWB was on, someone mentioned here that his label dropped him.  Is that the label that is the "prize" for winning this show?  If so, that is probably why you're not getting any contestants with sustainability  If your prized pot o'gold is just yellow painted rocks, how does that bring any prestige to the contest and attract high quality candidates?

[Padma]

They don't get a record deal at all through this show. Imo, that's a good thing, favoring the singer. Unlike Idol where the "winner" is locked into a slave-like contract for three years during which they may not do songs they like or even get much of an album release (see Johnson, Caleb).

 

Oddly enough, this year's "Idol" winner gets a contract with Scott Borchetta's "Big Machine", the same label that signed (and just dropped) Craig Wayne Boyd.

 

The best thing about The Voice from a musician's point of view is it provides great exposure and the chance for agents, contracts and so much better opportunities--plus, all the terms are of your own choosing.  I think several past Voice contestants are doing very well and, in time, will become more nationally recognized "stars" than they are now (esp. in country music).

 

I don't mind that Sawyer will win. But I hope he'll stop singing with that frozen smile that seems to be his "takeaway" from time on this show.