S09.E11: The Knockouts Premiere

[Tara Ariano]

The knockout round opens with top team members selecting their own song to perform. Rihanna serves as the key adviser.

[FormerMod-a1]

I was disappointed in all the slow draggy songs and performances.  I usually watch while doing something else (e.g. email or laundry) and look up when something is really good or really bad - basically if anything catches my attention.  I didn't do that tonight until the last battle.  I even already forgot (or didn't notice in the first place) the songs that were sung.  I couldn't list them w/o looking them up.

[Dots And Stripes]

I tuned in after TBBT, so I missed the first round or two.

I'm shocked Adam picked Jordan over the Hungarian pop-star. That dude had "Adam bro" written all over him, although he was kind of talking over the coaches. I wonder if being a star elsewhere made him more difficult to coach. Also, major fail for NBC's editing monkeys on the little tease for that knock out. They showed Jordan reacting to the steal which telegraphed both the winner of that battle and that the loser was stolen.

Ivonne was good. I liked Chance before but he picked the wrong song for his voice. That was an easy call for Blake. I would have called Blind Joe the winner of his knock out. The other guy is never memorable for me. Blind Joe struggled as the song went on, but I found him to be a more interesting singer.

Madi impressed big time. I didn't remember her at all before this. The knockout exposed Amy's weakness. Quiet singers have a tough time competing on the big stage. Part of it was picking the wrong song. Still, I don't think Adam is right about her being a possible winner.

[kathyk24]

I love Amy and think Pharell made a huge mistake in letting her go. I couldn't believe Adam let the twins go.

[Padma]

I don't get this until tomorrow, so really appreciating your comments so far. But, kind of shocked by them as well.  Adam let Viktor and the twins go? (And Viktor over Jordan? That's a definite shocker, although I'm not the least bit interested in Viktor or his performance which just seem kind of slick and soulless, unless he did better tonight.)  Who stole them?

 

And Pharrell dropped Amy? Wow, that's a mistake. Was she stolen? I can't think of who he's imagining going the distance with this season. Siaha? Without Amy his team is very weak.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

No Ellie nooo.....trying a mid tempo electro dance pop song is almost always a kiss of death on the Voice. It also couldn't of been great for the nerves or the confidence to hear Gwen fawning over Braiden from the first three seconds of his song. His makeover was so severe and startling, it was like we had one entirely new contestant tonight. And he's good, I get it. But really, this guy is going to break out post-Voice? I just don't see it.

 

Barrett over Blind Joe: My bias against Barrett was cancelled out by my bias in favor of "Colder Weather" so he gets a pass this week. It also didn't hurt that Blind Joe went wildly off key on most of the closing glory notes....

 

Yvonne over Chance: Wow, there are going to be some pissed off knockout losers on Blake's team who would've loved to destroy Chance in this round. Yvonne was passable and seemed to have more control over her nerves.....but that was a performance that shouldn't of guaranteed passage to the Lives. Barring a Blake save, I think she's toast when each team goes from 5 down to 3.

 

Madi over Amy: Is it a bad thing, that I have the biggest show blind spot about Madi? Like nothing, no canteloupes or plane crash survival or youtube success  or anything. She can saaang though. I loved Rihanna's interaction w/ Amy and she can do no wrong for me. Getting out of the first round of Lives on team Adam is going to be brutal and has me worried for her.

 

Jordan over Viktor: Eh. Jordan is overrated with a capital O. Gwen definitely strengthened her team with this steal. I see almost no scenario where Viktor doesn't at least make her final three...

Edited October 27, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[TacoBoutIt]

I think Gwen won the night with Braiden's makeover and stealing Viktor.  And Rihanna won too, Rihanna almost always wins.

 

Twins vs Blaine: Loved the twins auditions but their harmonies get tired after a while.  There's something nasally about it?  I like Blaine's voice and the song but not so much together.  He still did well and was better than his opponents.

 

Braiden vs Ellie: Gwen may not be the most eloquent coach (Actually she is the least.  Even Shakira, who has a language barrier to overcome, is more eloquent than her by leaps and bound).  But, she does have the ability of bringing something out of her artists.  I don't really like Braiden, but he has improved a lot and sounded (and looked) great.  Ellie on the other hand just looked great.  I like her but that was rough. 

Barrett vs Blind Joe:  I like them both, but Barrett won that.

 

Amy vs Madi:  Love them both.  Don't love that Amy is now with Adam.  They both have the type of voices I would listen to in bed while drinking a cup of hot chocolate.  But while I love Amy's voice, it's limited.  Madi has more dynamics in her voice.  Amy's quiet soft voice is lovely but not made for singing competitions like this.  

 

Chance vs Ivonne:  Meh.  Ivonne has a great voice but meh.

 

Jordan vs Viktor:  Dear TPTB at the Voice, it is not a shocking steal if you freaking spoil it in the previews before commerical break.  Heck, it isn't even shocking anymore once you utter that something will be shocking.  With that being said, I am not shocked but happy that Viktor got stolen.  He's got that smarmy lounge singer vibe, but I dig it.  Jordan the shiny unicorn of the Voice, I am just not into. To me he is just a horse but a fake horn attached to his head. His voice is somewhat difference but it's not incredibly unique either.  Not when there's another contestant in a singing competition across the pond that is pretty similar to him (Tom Bleasby from X Factor UK).

[yourpointis]

49 Amy Vachal - A Sunday Kind of Love (The Voice Performance)
93 Braiden Sunshine - Feeling Good (The Voice Performance)
99 Jordan Smith - Set Fire To the Rain (The Voice Performance)
102 Madi Davis - A Case of You (The Voice Performance)
131 Andi & Alex & Chance Peña - Wherever You Will Go (The Voice Performance)
159 Viktor Király - If I Ain’t Got You (The Voice Performance)
173 Blaine Mitchell - Hold Back the River (The Voice Performance)
230 Amy Vachal - Dream a Little Dream of Me (The Voice Performance)
231 Barrett Baber - Colder Weather (The Voice Performance)
243 Ivonne Acero - Part of Me (The Voice Performance)
257 Ellie Lawrence - We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off (The Voice Performance)
361 Jordan Smith - Chandelier (The Voice Performance)
582 Andi & Alex - Thank You (The Voice Performance)
651 Amy Vachal & Jubal and Amanda - To Love Somebody (The Voice Performance)
684 Barrett Baber & Dustin Christensen - Walking In Memphis (The Voice Performance)
691 Chase Kerby & Korin Bukowski - Samson (The Voice Performance)
768 Jordan Smith & Regina Love - Like I Can (The Voice Performance)
1120 Celeste Betton & Mark Hood - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (The Voice Performance)
1131 Cassandra Robertson & Viktor Király - Nobody Knows (The Voice Performance)

 

According to Ellie, during the knockouts she was suffering with laryngitis and Barrett supposedly had a broken rib. 

[Gbb]

Blaine and Madi were the only ones that made me sit up and say, "wow!" tonight. I thought they were both fantastic.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Gbb

[jjjmoss]

The knockout exposed Amy's weakness. Quiet singers have a tough time competing on the big stage. Part of it was picking the wrong song. Still, I don't think Adam is right about her being a possible winner.

 

No. No.

 

She had the 3rd highest charting audition (and one of those ahead of her got booted today).

She's winning tonight by a strong margin because she was the best performer of the night.

I don't think her battle did that well, but she was singing with a horrific screaming duo, so.

[Adusk81]

Madi was miles ahead of everyone else tonight. That was incredibly engaging and beautiful. A few others were good. Ellie and Chance were so bad it was humorous seeing the judges try to be nice about it. Barrett annoys me. He seems so over dramatic. And dude is not that good. He's ok. But he, well he insists upon himself. It's tired. Amy is good but highly over praised. I feel like she would agree with me on that. Nice tone, mellow and pleasing but that's about it. If dig listening to her in a coffee shop but she really doesn't have much of a competitive edge. Blaine was way off key but there's a good voice in there. I preferred tatted barber dude for the style. Glad blind Joe is gone. He was rude last week. He and Barrett can woo and yee haw over each other's singing elsewhere. As of now, not a lot to get excited about. Hopefully the next batch is better.

[Kromm]

Wow. Two shows in a row Gwen proves it's bad news to be a quirky female singer on her team, no matter how many chairs you turned.

That said, as someone else upthread said... mid-tempo is a disaster on this show every time.

[Cramps]

Braiden Sunshine is the giant killer--he's beaten two of my three favorites from the blinds. (Luckily my third, Evan, isn't a female singer on Gwen's team, or he'd probably be road kill too). Braiden was good this week, but I don't find him particularly special. The quirky girls love Gwen, but Gwen loves helping the young boys. Bye bye Ellie. I will miss you!

I don't get the Amy love. Her knockout was so boring and awkward to me that it's the only performance this season that I fast forwarded through. I just couldn't take watching the whole thing.

I thought Rhianna was great as a guest mentor. Especially when she got Madi to stop singing in that pretentious quirky voice and use her full voice--which is actually really good!

Wonder if Gwen can get rid of the lounge singer factor in Viktor.

My husband has been in and out of the voice this season. He walked in during the Jordan segment and couldn't figure out why they were raving about him and calling him the unicorn. I said that there must be some element to his voice that is not fully translating to the TV.

I was somewhat surprised Adam got rid of the twins, but then again, when they're not harmonizing, their singing voices aren't that great. And Cassadee Pope showed on her season that Stupid Boy can be a great song to show off your voice with, if you have the right voice.

Blaine's voice was really good tonight. It seemed like there was the Patti Smith/Bono influence. But I Hated his shirt. It was so un-rock and roll that it actually took me out of his performance. He can be hard to watch.

Similarly, Barrett's moves are hard to watch. I prefer Blind Joe's voice, although the two of them yelling stuff out when the other is singing (which Joe did way too much of last week), was really distracting.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Cramps

[blueray]

I am glad that the twins are gone. Not that they weren't good, it just wasn't fair that it was the two of them. They should had them go against each other.

 

I'm a bit disappointed that Blind Joe didn't go through, however the other guy did have a better performance. Anyhow, a lot of the preformances were good, none stood out as amazing but they were good.

[Kromm]

I am glad that the twins are gone. Not that they weren't good, it just wasn't fair that it was the two of them. They should had them go against each other.

How would that be even remotely fair to the OTHER acts?  "Audition as a duo and you get TWO chances for one of you to win rather than the single chance everyone else gets"?

[Kcat1971]

I liked the twins a lot.  I think they should have been allowed to keep their act as it was.  If one twin is the main singer and the other one is back up/harmony why not just let them do that.  Unfortunately, I think Andi got a bad case of nerves without her guitar and then a surprising strong performance from Blaine knocked them out.  I thought that they were more unique than many others (Jordan for instance!) I would have really liked to seen them move on.  That said- Cassadee Pope slayed stupid boy in her season, unfortunately Andi & Alex didn't.   Honestly- I didn't get a sense of disappointment from them over not moving on.  It seems like they both have lives they want to live and this was their last fun thing together.  

[Primetimer]

Rihanna's here to give the performers her best advice -- and Blake the perfect opportunity to be extra-awkward.

Read the story

[hks]

I rank based on how many performances I re-watched. This time it was Brayden and Jordan, and some of Viktor's. Brayden was phenomenal. Without his ridiculous hair to distract me, I just paid attention to his voice. And it was gooooood. And of course, Jordan is the best. I just want to watch/hear him sing everything. Every difficult, vocal gymnastic-y song, I want him to do on this show. Viktor was great, but he was no match for Jordan.

Which is why I'm confused about Adam's decision to pair them. Viktor would have easily won in another match up, and it was pretty clear he'd be stolen. Why would Adam basically give another coach one of his strongest competitors? Please help me understand, thanks!

[Kcat1971]

Which is why I'm confused about Adam's decision to pair them. Viktor would have easily won in another match up, and it was pretty clear he'd be stolen. Why would Adam basically give another coach one of his strongest competitors? Please help me understand, thanks!

 

See my recent post in the Coaches' Strategy thread for my opinion on pairings.

[angelamh66]

I just don't get Barrett. I feel like he is yelling at me. No nuance to his performances whatsoever. But I guess that is what makes music so interesting. Nails on a chalkboard to me can be music in someone else's ears. Amy is my favorite but then I also love Nora Jones and she sounds a lot like her. Madi is also interesting and pleasing to the ear.

[saber5055]

And Rihanna won too, Rihanna almost always wins.

Best part of the show, Rihanna. And Blake flirting with her, then Rihanna nicknaming him "Toad." I wish Rihanna would be on every show, she was a hoot, plus is gorgeous to look at, this being said by a straight female. I only hope Chris Brown is a disappearing bad memory for her.

 

I liked all the singers who made it through or got saved. Only Barrett and Blind Joe, both, weren't up to quality IMO. Still, I was sorry to see Blind Joe leave, he was pretty funny and quick with the quips.

Edited October 27, 2015 by saber5055

[Rosieroo]

How you all remember names is beyond me.  The-one-girl and the-little-boy and the one-Gwen-always-calls-Pocahontas are about as specific as I can get right now.  I narrow them down a bit toward the end but I am grateful whenever the song is mentioned.  I'm all "yeah, I member that".  

[backformore]

How you all remember names is beyond me.  The-one-girl and the-little-boy and the one-Gwen-always-calls-Pocahontas are about as specific as I can get right now.  I narrow them down a bit toward the end but I am grateful whenever the song is mentioned.  I'm all "yeah, I member that".

Glad I'm not the only one. I read here, and I have to keep referring back to the Voice website to remember which faces go with the names. Especially Blaine, Braiden, Barret.

[scratbear]

 

Wow. Two shows in a row Gwen proves it's bad news to be a quirky female singer on her team, no matter how many chairs you turned.

If it were any other coach, I'd say that they picked a favorite quirky girl (Korin) and started clearing the path for her. But I don't think Gwen really thinks that strategically - maybe she does and I'm just falling for her goofy act.

 

I do think she'll have an even harder time in the future getting multiple-chair-turning singers on her team.

 

Ellie looked really beautiful last night, though and I felt for her watching Gwen's over the top reaction to Braiden and then having to perform and getting a polite golf clap from Gwen.

[blueray]

How would that be even remotely fair to the OTHER acts?  "Audition as a duo and you get TWO chances for one of you to win rather than the single chance everyone else gets"?

Oh, I didn't really explain that. They would only get one chance each (they are two different people...).

 

I think that it should have been not allowed, but since it was, it should be they audition to together and would count as two people for that team (I think it was Adams). Then it's up to that coach, but let's say the coach then has them go against each other for the battles then only one of them would advance. If the coach didn't want to do that, then each twin would be against a different person.  Either way after the audition they are seen as two different contestants. They should not be allow to complete with each other, that is totally unfair to the performers who don't have backup like that. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by blueray

[bluepiano]

Blind Joe faltered a couple of times, but I think he's singing from a place of much deeper emotion than Barrett, who strikes me as the lounge lizard version of a country singer. He's good, he's polished, but he leaves me cold. I was sorry to see Joe go. I thought he was a very talented musician and I like that he has a really positive towards life in the face of great adversity.(What was up with Blake's comment about how they've both overcome great obstacles? Barrett walked away from a plane crash unharmed. That seems to me like a huge stroke of luck, not an obstacle. In what universe does that equate to be being born blind?)

 

The song choices in the Maddie-Amy battle were for me far and away the best of the night. I'm glad they're both still in the competition. Maddie surprised me. For a 16 year old she sing with some real emotional depth. Which I don't hear in the other young singers on this show. (I think both Braiden and Jordan are very "Glee." The praise they're getting is way over-the-top IMO).

 

I am not usually a fan of the breathy, Norah Jones style of singing that Amy does, but I'm finding myself liking her because she's a nice contrast to the more typical shouty singers. A few years ago those "coffee house" type singers were more common on The Voice, but the pendulum seems to have swung back the other way. It will be interesting to see how far being different carries her once voting starts. She certainly has a "look," but that doesn't always seem to help with the demographic that does most of the voting.

Edited October 28, 2015 by bluepiano

[MaryPatShelby]

Glad I'm not the only one. I read here, and I have to keep referring back to the Voice website to remember which faces go with the names. Especially Blaine, Braiden, Barret.

Not only are commenters here good at remembering everyone's names, they can remember singers from 4 seasons ago who got eliminated during Knockouts!!!  That always amazes me, because often it's a stretch for me to remember who won each season!!

Edited October 27, 2015 by MaryPatShelby

[sydneyjane]

I was so looking forward to Rihanna, based on the previews, and while she was definitely fun, I didn't think her suggestions were all that helpful. There were even a few suggestions where I wasn't sure what she was talking about. Maybe tonight will be different.

 

Re Amy, some of her hand movements while singing creeped me out.  It was clear she was uncomfortable without her guitar.  I was disappointed she picked Adam over Blake, but not surprised.  Although, the way Adam fawned over her brought back memories of Pharell and Sugar a few years back.  And, Adam's comment from her audition about her being the most talented AND most beautiful contestant still bugs me.  I don't know how far she will go, but she annoys me in the same way the twins did, with their sugary sweet voices (although, I was sorry to see the twins go this early).  I know Amy is doing well on iTunes, but I just think people will tire of her after a few weeks.

 

Re Jordan - I just like him.  I downloaded his audition song, the only song I downloaded so far this season. If I had to name a winner now, it would be him. I just hope they don't talk about how important/special he is for the whole season the way they did with Michelle.

 

Braiden - was it just me, or did he look like a school girl with that hair style and the funny collar?

Edited October 27, 2015 by sydneyjane

[Kromm]

I was so looking forward to Rihanna, based on the previews, and while she was definitely fun, I didn't think her suggestions were all that helpful. There were even a few suggestions where I wasn't sure what she was talking about. Maybe tonight will be different.

Surprisingly, the best advisor the show ever had was T-Swizzle.  Ms. Swift really doesn't have a supreme voice, but she manufactured herself into a giant stage presence, and was surprisingly good at communicating that kind of advice, and that's where these people are always weakest by this stage (since the earlier stages handle sorting out who actually has the best vocals).

[limecoke]

Personally, I could do without Grimme (sp?) showing up on every episode.  Sigh.  That being said, on the subject of fashion, I love the clothes Amy Vachal chooses for her performances.  My taste exactly.  Her voice is awesome too and I think Pharrell made a huge mistake in letting her go.  I was pulling for Blake to win the steal but, hopefully, Adam will appreciate what he's got and give her good song choices and advice.  

 

Jordan has a huge voice but I don't quite see why everyone goes nuts over him.  I'm not a fan of Barrett but I'm glad Blind Joe blew it and made the choice obvious.  I'm still greatly annoyed by what he did to the other singer in the Battles.

[Kromm]

Grimmie makes me grimace. Her spots are all so superficial. Then again Gwen bangs on annoyingly about people's outfits too. 

[Tara Ariano]

I moved a bunch of posts out of this thread that seemed like they were probably about Tuesday's episode. If any are wrong, please edit.

[DarkRaichu]

Best part of the show, Rihanna. And Blake flirting with her, then Rihanna nicknaming him "Toad." I wish Rihanna would be on every show, she was a hoot, plus is gorgeous to look at, this being said by a straight female. I only hope Chris Brown is a disappearing bad memory for her.

 

I liked all the singers who made it through or got saved. Only Barrett and Blind Joe, both, weren't up to quality IMO. Still, I was sorry to see Blind Joe leave, he was pretty funny and quick with the quips.

Lol at BRihanna vs Rake :D

[MaryPatShelby]

I fast forward thru a lot so could someone tell me when/why Christina Grimme has been on?

[Ketzel]

I don't usually download performances from The Voice, but I had to buy Amy Vachal's version of Sunday Kind of Love. Just beautiful. I thought Rihanna was not doing her any favors urging her to think sexier and telling her the song was basically about a sexual fantasy. It isn't. The lyrics are the words of a woman who's been around the block a few times, is disillusioned by too many one-night-stands and is longing for a lasting love. I thought Amy nailed the longing, and the tone of her voice and her phrasing added a note of optimism that Etta James didn't really hit in her much tougher and more weary version. Amy thinks the man is out there somewhere and Etta is pretty sure he isn't.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Ketzel

[Padma]

I don't usually download performances from The Voice, but I had to buy Amy Vachal's version of Sunday Kind of Love. Just beautiful. I thought Rihanna was not doing her any favors urging her to think sexier and telling her the song was basically about a sexual fantasy. It isn't. The lyrics are the words of a woman who's been around the block a few times, is disillusioned by too many one-night-stands and is longing for a lasting love. I thought Amy nailed the longing, and the tone of her voice and her phrasing added a note of optimism that Etta James didn't really hit in her much tougher and more weary version. Amy thinks the man is out there somewhere and Etta is pretty sure he isn't.

I couldn't articulate it this well, but this is one reason I really didn't care for Rihanna as a coach. "Lose the guitar". "Let your hair fall all over your face and look raunchier when you sing."  "Can't you blast it out with more volume?" (okay, all paraphrasing, but close).

 

Translation: "Can't you sing this song in an overtly sexy way with the obvious phrasing and vocal excesses that most other people would? Can't you just be like everyone else?"  I love Amy's phrasing and I love her restraint. I agree completely that her version finds a different emotion--a kind of hopeful longing--that is especially great given how definitive and fixed in our minds Etta James is. 

 

Maybe the ability to do that is why Amy is one of the few on this show who seems like "an artist" to me, rather than just "a good singer". I really hope that Adam will respect that artistry in the next round, but I'm not confident of it, as he really could go either way (but, imo, it'll probably be 'no', as he so often likes to be Svengali with those who are out of his genre, pushing soft singing to be loud, introverts to be extroverts and people to perform songs out of their preferred genre. 

 

I think Blake would have been far more supportive of what Amy does--I think he really does love it, sees the artistry, and would do very little tweeking of it. But the good thing for her, even if she leaves sooner than she should, is that the choice was up to her. If she goes home after being made over by Adam, she only can blame herself.  I think that would be a lot more satisfying knowing that than losing in the blinds or battlerounds.  (I still can't believe that Pharrell let her go--or supported Rihanna's advice--but I think I still don't understand what Pharrell's looking for in singers. I understand what he says, "the other", etc, I just can't really get a handle on his taste or on his strategy.  I do think he will keep Siaha for a while though. (sigh) 

Edited October 30, 2015 by Padma

[Bryce Smith]

Other than choosing Ellie over Tim and Korin over Chase, has Gwen ever chosen a woman over a man in a Battle or a Knockout?  I seem to remember her always picking men over women.  I don't know why she fights so hard for women when she's just going to dump them over men.

 

And two Adam Knockout and two Blake Knockouts, but just one Gwen Knockout and one Pharrell Knockout.  Is there any question of NBC's bias?

 

Team rosters/cheat sheets:

 

Team Adam

Blaine Mitchell (defeated Andi & Alex)

Jordan Smith (defeated Viktor Király)

Amy Vachal (stolen from Team Pharrell)

 

(Still Waiting)

James Dupré
Keith Semple

Shelby Brown

Dustin Christensen

 

Team Gwen

Braiden Sunshine (defeated Ellie Lawrence)

Viktor Király (stolen from Team Adam)

 

(Still Waiting)

Kota Wade

Jeffery Austin

Korin Bukowski
Summer Schappell

Regina Love

Riley Biederer

 

Team Pharrell

Madi Davis (defeated Amy Vachal)

 

(Still Waiting)

Mark Hood

Siahna Im

Evan McKeel

Darius Scott

Tim Atlas

Morgan Frazier

 

Team Blake

Barrett Baber (defeated Blind Joe)

Ivonne Acero (defeated Chance Peña)

 

(Still Waiting)

Zach Seabaugh

Chris Crump

Nadjah Nicole

Emily Ann Roberts

 

Names in bold indicate someone who has newly won a Knockout and stayed on his or her team, or has been freshly stolen.  An asterisk indicates that this contestant was montaged.

 

So the Knockouts:

 

Andi & Alex vs. Blaine: I'm surprised that Adam didn't stick to his desire to be the second coach to bring a pair to the Lives.  Let this be a lesson to all pairs.  Do not pick Adam.  For any reason.  Blaine is okay, but nothing special.

 

Braiden vs. Ellie: I knew that Ellie would be knocked out because she was making some pretty bitter rants toward both Gwen and Ellie on Twitter while the Blinds were still airing.  Pretty much hinted that she'd lost to him in a Battle or a Knockout.  Seeing the actual performances, I can see why she was bitter.  Even while sick, she kicked the kid's ass.  I repeat my sentiment that Gwen wants Braiden as her Ryan Sill this season.

 

Barrett vs. Blind Joe: Barrett won this.  Flat-out.  I loved Blind Joe's performance, too, but I'd have definitely chosen Barrett just like Blake did.

 

Amy vs. Madi: Both were very good.  Pharrell couldn't go wrong no matter which way he went.  Madi made a bit more sense, though.  Feel bad for Amy, though.  She should've gone for Blake.  Adam's gonna lead to her ruin, unquestionably.

 

Chance vs. Ivonne: Oh, that was no contest.  Ivonne won that one, hands down.  Chance was good, but he paled in comparison to Ivonne.  I bet her comeback storyline will get her the votes for a while during the Lives.

 

Jordan vs. Viktor: Jordan was good, but Viktor was way better.  It's frankly unbelievable to me that Adam's so in love with Jordan.  Or that NBC is pimping him out so heavily.  But I think Viktor will be happier with Gwen.  He should've picked her or Pharrell in the first place.

 

Pretty good initial Knockouts.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Bryce Smith

[ToxicUnicorn]

Twins vs Blaine: I think the twins were coached to lose whatever was special about them in the first place.  I remember liking Blaine better, but now I can't remember who he is at all.

 

Braiden vs. Ellie: I thought Ellie won this, but I don't mind seeing Braiden saved.  He's got a good story, and I do think he benefits more from the extra time with Gwen.  Ellie looked like she didn't have a great attitude even before Gwen made her choice.

 

Barrett vs. Blind Joe: Barrett won this for me, by default.  I did not think Blind Joe was good this time, and I liked his audition.  That said, I'm not very excited about Barrett.

 

Amy vs. Madi: Madi came out of left field for me.  I loved her!  These two are a highlight of the season.  I wish Amy had chosen Blake.  Then again, Adam kept James Wolpert around forever and his tender voice (A Case of You) is the closest thing to Amy's voice I can remember Adam working with - I can hope that he might do right by Amy.

 

Chance vs Ivonne:  Oh, Chance.  That was no good.  Ivonne seems so sweet and for some reason her weeping father makes me want to root for her more.  What an experience for her/them!

 

Jordan on Adele - I listened to that again without looking at him, and it was much worse than I thought at first.  Not that it was bad, it just wasn't a standout.  Part of what makes him so enjoyable is hearing his performance while watching him.  While I enjoy that, I thought he lost by a mile to Viktor.

 

Viktor has a crazy good voice and - almost - the kind of taste in music that I like.  He's a hair on the good side of being over the schmaltzy line, but I think he can be rescued.  If so, I think he has tremendous potential.  I do enjoy his voice, and I loved, loved, loved that he was trying to be more raw/emotional this time through.  He definitely deserved the steal, and I'm looking forward to what Gwen does with him.

 

Rihanna was entertaining.  I haven't followed her ever, but I really liked how assertive she was.  All of the guest mentors that I can remember being really good have been women: Alicia Keys was my favorite, but I agree Taylor Swift was, too.

Edited November 1, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn