S12.E03: The Blind Auditions, Part 3

[Vyk]

From TV Guide:

Quote

The blind auditions continue as vocalists perform for coaches Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani, in hopes of a chance of a chance to win the title of "The Voice."

Special one-hour episode.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Vyk

[Dots And Stripes]

13 is too young for this show. I worry about how those kids will handle being voted off. I did like his crack about B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

As much as the other coaches groan about Blake getting the country artists, he really does have a great track record of helping artists post show. I think an artist like Cassidy who moved to Nashville have done their research and know that. I did find Adam's little meltdown entertaining there.

[Valny]

Damn, I didn't know it was in tonight, just happen to catch it starting at the 13 year old. What did he sing? A Jackson Five song?

That the girl(Cassie?) was really good. She sounded so much like LeAnn Rimes with her song Blue. Great tone, very clean, effortless sounding.   

[TiredMe]

The Blake and Gwen show....please dear lord, make it stop....

liked the 13 year old the best tonight. 

[Valny]

5 minutes ago, TiredMe said:

The Blake and Gwen show....please dear lord, make it stop....

 

What happened? Some more public affection?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Alex Levin had one of the more intriguing voices of the entire first week. I'm already preemptively dreading when Blake decides to pair her up with Lauren Duski for a battle round.

Quizz, these parents who up and move an entire family (and switch careers) for the miracle of their kid hitting it big in show business are an entirely different breed. I think as long as the judges have a say in the competition (Battles, KOs, steals, judges save, what have you) he's not going anywhere, deservedly or not.

Julien, the voice definitely didn't quite match the aesthetic. Someone a little unique to maybe watch out for on Team Adam.

Casi Joy, Blue is one of my irrational hate songs....so I'm biased when I say she (for me, for you) wasn't worth the total insanity that happened during the judges pitch session. Blake is loading up on country singers again. Some of them better pray that the other three coaches feel like using a steal outside their genre/area of expertise or a few of them will be heading home early on.

The MasterBlaster guy, pretty low key (so obviously the show is shading that he's pretty much here to make up the numbers)....but I actually really enjoyed it, and I think he's a good fit on Gwen's team.

[Jabu]

Team rosters/cheat sheets:

Team Adam
Johnny Hayes (2)
Mark Isaiah (2)
Jesse Larson (1)
Julien Martinez (2)

Team Gwen
JChosen (4)
Stephanie Rice (2)
Savannah Leighton (2)
Brandon Royal (2)

Team Alicia
Anatalia Villaranda (4)
Felicia Temple (3)
Autumn Turner (4)
Lilli Passero (3)
Quizz Swanigan (2)

Team Blake
Lauren Duski (3)
Brennley Brown (2)
Aliyah Moulden (3)
Ashley Levin (3)
Casi Joy (4)

Names in bold indicate artists who've newly joined a team.  The number in parentheses represents the number of chair turns.  An asterisk indicates that this artist was montaged.

[Mr. R0b0t]

This is going to be a rough season.  Hailey Reinhart sang "Blue" infinitely better years before.  This year is just weird...judges are looking towards one another for tacit approval before turning around, then when they do its a feeding frenzy.  And another thing guys, I'm beginning to think Blake and Gwen are sweet on each other... Have you noticed???

Edited March 3, 2017 by Mr. R0b0t

[Vyk]

5 hours ago, Valny said:

Damn, I didn't know it was in tonight, just happen to catch it starting at the 13 year old.

I did, but my DVR messed up and recorded the show that was on an hour earlier: my local six o'clock news.  Argh!  (MST dweller here.)

Anyway, I went to YouTube to watch the Blinds from tonight instead.  At least those from before I came in.  So here are my thoughts on the performances:

Ashley Levin: Nice, sweet, smooth tone for an overall beautiful voice.  She sounded pleasant, but not mind-blowing.  I think she might go far with the right song choices and the right Battle partner.  Since she's a country singer first and foremost, Blake was the obvious choice for her.

Brandon Royal: I liked his tone and his sound.  Very nice, very strong voice.  Also, very good enunciation and diction.  An overall good performance.  And a rare reggae artist?  Sign me up!  I was quite surprised that Adam and Alicia didn't go for him, though, as they both very clearly looked interested in him.  Adam even sang along with him the first two lines of the song!  Still, I think he wanted Alicia, but given that she didn't turn around, and also given that Gwen and Blake did, I think the former was the better choice.  Gwen has done reggae before (see her "The Tide is High" performance with Anita Antoinette, Ryan Sill, and Taylor John Williams in season seven), and she's even worked with a reggae artist in the form of Anita Antoinette, so she'd know what to do with him, I think.

Adam Pearce: Uh . . . what the hell was that?  Not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but not very good, either.  There were some fairly good parts in there, but otherwise?  Not good.  So many super-sharp parts in there.  Way too pitchy.  It was pretty obvious to me why none of the coaches turned.  He just wasn't selling or sending me at all.

Julien Martinez: I was surprised by his nice rock (or perhaps even rockabilly) sound.  For that alone, I think Adam was probably the right fit for him.  But I wonder how much staying power he'll have on his team?

Quizz Swanigan: I take it from the coaches' reactions that they weren't made aware of the lowered age limit from fifteen to thirteen.  That said, there was something about his sound that I really liked.  He sounded like Michael Jackson mixed perfectly with season ten's Paxton Ingram (and several people on both YouTube and Idol Forums agree with that!).  I think his chair turns were deserved, but having been influenced by M.J. himself, I am shocked that Adam didn't turn with Gwen and Alicia.  I think Quizz would've been fine with either woman, but Alicia probably makes a bit more sense for him.  On a side note, I felt my heart melt when his little sister jumped into his arms, and then when Alicia picked her up after he chose her.

Casi Joy: I already love her if only for her being totally unamused by Adam's little "breakdown" schtick.  But I have to say that she may have either been the best of the night or the second-best after Quizz.  She sounded almost exactly like LeAnn Rhimes and really struck with the same amount of power she has, as well as demonstrated the same amount of control.  I think Blake was the best choice for her, though I wouldn't have been opposed to Gwen getting her, either.  And good on Blake to have his first four-chair-turn in a long time.  The last he had was Mary Sarah in season ten, as he had none whatsoever in season eleven.  (The best he got were two three-chair-turns in Dana Harper and Blaine Long.)  On another note, does Casi remind anyone else of Kimberly McCullogh, who plays Robin Scorpio on General Hospital?

On a side note, I love that self-important Adam is not being the King of the Four-Chair-Turn at all, as he has scored none of them so far.  Every coach has at least one except for him!  (Gwen and Blake each have one, and Alicia has two.)  I'm sure that streak will break, and he'll pick up at least one or two as the Blinds go on, but for now, seeing him clearly out of practice is quite delightful and delicious.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen, eh, Adam?

Finally, I don't mind the Gwen/Blake moments as much as others.  It does get to be a bit much, but Gwen and Blake do go to battle against each other when they have to, so it doesn't bother me.

All right.  Let's what the show has in store next week.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Vyk

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Aaaah, that's a great comparison Vyk. Quizz is totally a baby Paxton Ingram. Looks and sound both.

Yeah, if I was ranking the no turn people so far....Adam Pearson would be at the very bottom of the list. Brandon from Kentucky would be first. Nick the theatrical guy would be second, and then the Cop Lady, and then the Guy who was his Grandma's caretaker. And then Adam. And I think that might be it? Amazingly we've lasted an entire week with no Yes or No montages which is pretty much unprecedented for the Voice.

[Vyk]

5 minutes ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Amazingly we've lasted an entire week with no Yes or No montages which is pretty much unprecedented for the Voice.

Well, I have some good news as to why.  According to my TV Guide, we're having seven Blind episodes.  Two episodes next week, and two the week after.  No "Best of" episode in sight.  Sounds like they really listened to the fans and are dispensing with montages.  Maybe.  Or might have minimal ones for throwaway one-chair-turns.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Vyk

[SnarkyTart]

We demand our montages, said nobody ever.  Thank you, Show, for listening to the fans!

After watching the first 3 blind audition episodes, the only contestant I have any interest in hearing sing again is Casi Joy.  I enjoyed her voice quite a lot, and to say I'm not a fan of country music is an understatement.  That was a good audition!   

[Vyk]

Oh!  Fun fact!

JChosen and Brandon Royal are the second and third black men Gwen's had on her team.  But they're the first and second black men who've actually chosen to be on Team Gwen.  Menlike Zergabachew from season seven, the first black man to be on her team, was stuck being on her team due to him being one of her one-chair-turns that season.

[Vyk]

4 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Yeah, if I was ranking the no turn people so far....Adam Pearson would be at the very bottom of the list. Brandon from Kentucky would be first. Nick the theatrical guy would be second, and then the Cop Lady, and then the Guy who was his Grandma's caretaker. And then Adam.

Branden Martin, Nick Townsend, Skyler Harris, Shaun Chrisjohn, and Adam Pearce are the names you're looking for.:)

[vb68]

Adam seemed particularly bored for most of the episode. Even with the guy he got, he only turned around at the last second because he liked the scream. Or it woke him up. ;) I kid, but I still think he would benefit from sitting out a couple of cycles.

Blake, on the other hand, seems like he still enjoys the show a lot IMO. It shows he's having fun.  Obviously it helps having Gwen there, but I have no doubt he loves the gig. He gets carried away though, too.  Didn't need his line to Brandon about his hose.  

Edited March 3, 2017 by vb68

[Vyk]

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

Adam seemed particularly bored for most of the episode. Even with the guy he got, he only turned around at the last second because he liked the scream. Or it woke him up. ;) I kid, but I still think he would benefit from sitting out a couple of cycles.

He actually almost sat out last season due to his wife being late in her pregnancy.  But Blake talked him out of it.

[TaraS1]

I don't know how I'm going to survive an entire season of endless Blake/Gwen schmoopiness AND Gwen's laugh.  

I wish we could get four brand new coaches next season, just to change things up, but I know that'll never happen.

[sleepyjean]

Quote

 I love that self-important Adam is not being the King of the Four-Chair-Turn at all, as he has scored none of them so far.

I'm new to this show. Why does the number of chair turns matter for a judge? I can see why it would be a big deal for the singer, but why would a judge care?

Quote

The Blake and Gwen show....please dear lord, make it stop....

Every time those two start up, I imagine Gwen's boys at home, watching mommy giggle, and flirt, and sit on the lap of a guy who isn't their daddy. Especially considering that mommy and daddy haven't even been divorced a year and Blake has only been in the picture for several months.

[Newberry]

So three shows in and here are my two thoughts - 1. Too much chit-chat when trying to have a singer choose them. Can't they just give them one very compelling reason why they should be picked as a coach, and then move on? So much wasted time could be spent on more contestants.

And 2. So far this season, none of the chosen contestants have annoyed me. Usually by this time, I am so over a number of these people and their back stories and entitled attitudes, or just their personality, and those people just seem to keep moving on. So far I am not rooting against anyone. What gives?

[sleepyjean]

Well, I don't know about you, but I find the judges (except Alicia) so annoying, the contestants are almost an afterthought. The constant needling between Adam and Blake was funny for like 10 minutes, but now I want them to focus on the talent more than each other.

[chenoa333]

I think a lot of people who post on this thread know way more than I do about singing, vocal perfection, pitch, tone etc. But I'm going to say this anyway, I absolutely DO NOT get why Ashley Levine got ANY chairs to turn. I do have excellent hearing and I did not hear anything special or memorable from her. Other than using her poor elderly father with advanced Alzheimer's as her "background story". I could never ever exploit anyone like that. Family or friend.

[ProudMary]

4 hours ago, Newberry said:

So three shows in and here are my two thoughts - 1. Too much chit-chat when trying to have a singer choose them. Can't they just give them one very compelling reason why they should be picked as a coach, and then move on? So much wasted time could be spent on more contestants.

Hey, it could be worse.  We could be sitting in the studio audience instead of getting the (thankfully) edited version as we screen it at home!  Imagine what it must be like for those poor folks. :/ 

I have to admit that I laughed loudly at Adam's facial expression when he finally pressed his button for Casi.  He heard this country singer performing very well, didn't want to turn as he just knows that Blake is getting her on his team, but ultimately realizes that she's very good and he has to at least try.  The rest of the pouty shtick, hiding behind the chair, walking across the set, that stuff was pre-meditated but the initial facial expression was gold.

[Vyk]

9 hours ago, sleepyjean said:

I'm new to this show. Why does the number of chair turns matter for a judge? I can see why it would be a big deal for the singer, but why would a judge care?

Every time those two start up, I imagine Gwen's boys at home, watching mommy giggle, and flirt, and sit on the lap of a guy who isn't their daddy. Especially considering that mommy and daddy haven't even been divorced a year and Blake has only been in the picture for several months.

It actually mainly matters to Adam.  In past seasons, he would constantly get the most contestants to turn all four chairs, and it puffed up his ego to the point that it was obviously VERY huge, and it brought out a terrible smugness from him.  He started to think he was the top dog who could attract almost every four-chair-turn.  But in recent seasons, he's barely been lucky enough to score only one or two per season, which did a number on his ego.

However, it also matters to Gwen since usually, her pitches to contestants are so weak, she rarely gets the ones who turn four chairs.  Like, very rarely.  She mostly only gets one- and two-chair-turns.  That's why she was so happy about getting JChosen back in the first episode.  He was only her third four-chair-turn in her entire Voice coach career.  (Anita Antoinette from the seventh season was her first, and Lyndsey Elm from the ninth season was her second.)

On a final note, the number of chair turns usually determines how long a contestant will last.  If you turn four, you're usually considered to be a strong member of the coach's team and are thus almost guaranteed to get to the Lives, or at least the Knockouts.  "Almost," because some four-chair-turns have gotten screwed over and eliminated by their coaches during the Battle rounds, the next stage after the Blinds.  The times he's gotten a large number of four-chair-turns, Adam himself has dumped a lot of them during that stage.  Christina dumped one of her two four-chair-turns, Jeremy Gaynor, in that round, as well, in the eighth season.  In her last season, Gwen dumped Lyndsey Elm, her only four-chair-turn and possibly the strongest member of her team, in that round in one of her all-time dumbest decisions.  Just last season, Alicia dumped one of hers there, as well -- a guy named Dave Moisan.  Though in that case, he was very fairly stomped by his one-chair-turn Battle partner.

Point is, four-chair-turns typically are considered strong contestants and are rarely touched before at least the Knockouts unless the coaches of said contestants are incredibly stupid.

As for Gwen's sons, I don't think they mind her with Blake.  They've actually been together for over a year now, not just several months.

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

The rest of the pouty shtick, hiding behind the chair, walking across the set, that stuff was pre-meditated but the initial facial expression was gold.

It's worth repeating that Casi was very much unamused by that shtick.  She had a smile on her face, but it seemed more like a lethargic, tolerant one to me.  It's why I already love her.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Vyk

[MaryPatShelby]

On 3/2/2017 at 9:44 PM, Mr. R0b0t said:

 This year is just weird...judges are looking towards one another for tacit approval before turning around, then when they do its a feeding frenzy.  

Yeah, what is up with that?  It's been creeping for a couple seasons but really bad this year.  The coaches used to be shown listening intently; now it's all making a game of it.  Sometimes it looks like they're not even paying attention to the singer, just each other.

[PepperMonkey]

I give zero fucks about Gwen-and-Blake's relationship. It hasn't been TOO over the top, though, so I'm not sick of it yet. Adam keeps mentioning it more than anyone.

Also, as the kind of person I really am, I would never pick Blake, Adam, Gwen OR Alicia; however, if I were a country singer, especially a young one, and especially a cute female one, I would pick Blake and no one else. His track record, as someone else mentioned, of taking care of a great many of his former contestants after the show, is non paralleled. I think the only ones who haven't benefitted are the ones who haven't wanted it, or possibly in the case of that guy that started on Gwen's team and ended up on Blake's and ended up winning the show? I cannot remember his name but I think he was a three-namer. Wait, Craig Wayne Boyd? Anyway, I think he may not have been a "good winner" even, so that's why we've never heard from him again?

Still think the banter between Blake and Adam has cooled down a bit. They are not nearly as mean to each other as they used to be, although I am kind of tired of Blake talking about the sweater. It's a striped sweater. Call him the Hamburglar and move on.

[kathyk24]

I thought this was the strongest night of auditions yet. I really miss Miley I liked her more than Gwen even before she started dating Blake. I think the producers are encouraging the banter regarding their relationship they seem like a low key couple away from the show. I noticed Adam hasn't had any luck getting any female singers I think contestants are noticing that he drops them in favor of male singers during the battle rounds.

[Vyk]

On ‎3‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 2:22 PM, kathyk24 said:

I noticed Adam hasn't had any luck getting any female singers I think contestants are noticing that he drops them in favor of male singers during the battle rounds.

Battles and Knockouts.  Save for some very rare exceptions (Alessandra Castronovo being saved over Joe Kirk in their Battle in season seven, Tonya Boyd-Cannon being saved over James McNeiece in their Battle and over Barry Minniefield in their Knockout in season eight, Deanna Johnson being saved over Blaze Johnson in their Knockout, also in season eight, Andi & Alex being saved over Chance Peña in their Battle in season nine, Shelby Brown being saved over James Dupré in their Knockout, also in season nine, Caroline Burns being saved over Mike Schiavo in their Battle in season ten, and Simone Gundy being saved over JSOUL in their Battle and over Dave Moisan in their Knockout in season eleven), Adam has pretty much personified the expression "bros before hoes."  He'll almost always save a man over a woman.  If I were a female artist, I'd never pick him unless I were a.) a four-chair-turn, as Adam usually doesn't let them go so soon, or b.) at least ninety-nine-percent sure that I would be paired up with another woman in the Battles so it could feel like more of a fair, unbiased choice on his end.

Actually, regarding male vs. female saves, as much as I'm glad to see Gwen back, I'd also be very wary of her if I were a female artist intent on choosing her.  She's historically picked males over females every time but two (she never saved a woman over a man in season seven, but she only saved Ellie Lawrence over Tim Atlas in their Battle in season nine, as well as Korin Bukowski over Chase Kerby in their Battle in that same season).  Despite the "girl power" mantra by which she claims she lives, she loves being surrounded by men.  Loves it.  Both of her prior seasons, she's decimated the female-heavy teams with which she came out of the Blinds into male-heavy ones by the time the Lives rolled around.

Alicia's been pretty even regarding the men and women she's saved, so I'd feel comfortable about picking her regardless of my gender.

Blake has saved some men over his women, but he mostly seems to save women over men, so if I were a female artist, I'd also be comfortable choosing him.

Edited March 5, 2017 by Vyk

[waving feather]

Poor Blake hasn't gotten any men on his team so far. I think young men would rather choose Adam over Blake, because they can have a bromance with Adam and probably feel they will have nothing in common with Blake and Blake is not cool enough for them. But I think Blake has been good to his male artists even outside the country genre, at least to those he connected (e.g. Paxton). 

As a young woman, I would definitely choose Blake regardless of the genre. As a young man, maybe Alicia. Gwen and Adam would be my last choices. Even with Adam's bromance angle, Adam and Gwen have always enforced their vision on their contestants instead of highlighting who they are. 

Edited March 5, 2017 by waving feather

[limecoke]

Quiz is adorable and I loved his voice but he's probably going to be this season's We.  Still...13 is too young.

Yes, I'm weary of the Gwen/Blake schtick (let it go, Adam) but I'll take her over Miley any day and twice on Sunday.

[Noreaster]

On 3/3/2017 at 8:25 AM, Vyk said:

He actually almost sat out last season due to his wife being late in her pregnancy.  But Blake talked him out of it.

This kind of sounds like tabloid stuff.  The show sets their filming schedule way in advance to work around everyone's schedules.  Occasionally they have to make some last-minute changes but a coach can't just decide to sit out for the rest of the season.

On 3/3/2017 at 10:48 AM, sleepyjean said:

I'm new to this show. Why does the number of chair turns matter for a judge? I can see why it would be a big deal for the singer, but why would a judge care?

I don't think it really matters that much for the judges anymore.  

To give some history, 4-chair turns used to be somewhat rare and would only be on really strong blind auditions.  Maybe just a handful each season.  And Adam would get most of them because he gave compelling pitches.  Because of this, some viewers believed that Adam had the strongest teams going into later rounds.

At some point (basically the non-Christina Aguilera seasons), the show started seeing many more 4-chair turns each season.  They became less special.  They also started to get spread out more evenly amongst the coaches.  So in my opinion, the number of chair turns is really not as meaningful anymore.  

Edited March 9, 2017 by Noreaster

[Vyk]

51 minutes ago, Noreaster said:

I don't think it really matters that much for the judges anymore.  

To give some history, 4-chair turns used to be somewhat rare and would only be on really strong blind auditions.  Maybe just a handful each season.  And Adam would get most of them because he gave compelling pitches.  Because of this, some viewers believed that Adam had the strongest teams going into later rounds.

At some point (basically the non-Christina Aguilera seasons), the show started seeing many more 4-chair turns each season.  They became less special.  They also started to get spread out more evenly amongst the coaches.  So in my opinion, the number of chair turns is really not as meaningful anymore.  

Given some of his tweets, it still really matters to Adam.  When Gwen got JChosen, he tweeted that he hoped that didn't continue, because getting four-chair-turns was "kind of [his] thing."

Of course, it did continue. Gwen got another one, Alicia got two, Blake got one, and it took until episode four before Adam finally got even one.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Vyk

[Noreaster]

Okay, I don't look at tweets.  I think they're more of a promotional tool for the show.  I mean, I think the show likes to make a big deal out of 4-chair turns but I'd be surprised if the coaches care that much anymore.  

Edited March 9, 2017 by Noreaster