S13.E15: The Playoffs, Night 1

[Star Aristille]

From TV Guide:

Quote

The remaining artists perform for coaches Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, and Blake Shelton for a chance at a spot in the live shows.  The performances begin with Team Blake and Team Jennifer.  Blake and Jennifer reveal their Comeback artists.

This will be a two-hour episode to kick off the Playoffs, which, for the first time since season six, were, in fact, pretaped.

Edited November 10, 2017 by Star Aristille

[Star Aristille]

A leaked preview for Monday's show:

Not Noah's best performance by any stretch, but after the rough start, he really nails it.  Hopefully, it's enough, because based on his online following, he might be Jennifer's best, most popular artist.

Make of this what you will.

[viajero]

Spoiler

I really liked that.  Noah may be coming into his own.  My only issue is that yet again were getting a song that has been done to death on these shows.  At least he put his own spin on it.  Noah certainly has his own interesting style and approach to his songs. 

Edited November 11, 2017 by viajero

[soamused]

I love this.  This singer has sucked me into watching this show.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Just as heads up, if you want to be spoiled on who the coaches have chosen as their comeback artists....they are listed on The Voice's Facebook page.

[Star Aristille]

Damn.

Well, now that it's more or less being reported that every Playoffs from this season on is likely going to be pretaped, I might as well start a new tradition (mainly for me, but others are free to join).  Like is usually done with the remaining Knockouts, I figure it's now time to game out how the Playoffs will shake out now that they are being pretaped, and who'll be in each coach's top three.

Team Adam
It's still pretty clear that this team is the weakest, despite having at least two standouts on it.  I think Adam C. might get the nod, because he's a country singer, and Adam is still obsessed with either beating Blake with a country singer or at least taking one farther than Blake does in at least one season.  I think Adam's totally in love with Anthony, and as goes with many of his bromances, he usually saves them regardless of how strong or weak they are, so I'd be surprised if Anthony doesn't get through.  But what about his third spot?  Well, that's among Jon, Addison, and Emily.  Sadly, Adam's "too perfect" synopsis of Emily might have sealed her fate in not getting through this next round, so I might count her out.  Out of Jon and Addison, Addison is a Battle steal, but clearly a true standout on his team, while Jon is his only four-chair-turn.  I'll have to nonetheless give the nod to Jon only because of him being a four-chair-turn.  I'm only slightly hesitant about his chances due to his Knockout montage, but it didn't hurt Matt McAndrew or Mark Isaiah in seasons seven and twelve, respectively, so maybe it won't hurt, Jon, either.  Also, his Comeback has been revealed on the show's Facebook page to be Whitney, but I somehow don't think that Adam would advance her.

Final team for the Lives: Adam C., Anthony, and Jon.

Team Miley
I honestly think that this is a no-brainer.  I find her team either the strongest or co-strongest with Jennifer's.  So really, any combination could conceivably get picked by her.  But IMO, her top three for the Lives should be some kind of three-person permutation among Ashland, Brooke, Janice, and Moriah.  Quite easily, they are her four strongest.  I would personally put through Brooke and Moriah with no hesitation.  They are her two four-chair-turns, and Miley, I think, is smart enough to value her four-chair-turns and hold onto them for dear life.  So leaving that between Ashland and Janice, I think Janice has shown the better, stronger body of work and should take that third spot.  Unfortunately, I could see Miley being just as desperate as Adam to best Blake with a country artist and taking Ashland through.  And she's been on that country kick this season, she just might do that.  Adam P. is pretty much here to give one more performance and then hit the road, so I'm not concerned with him, and I don't think Miley will keep her own Comeback artist, revealed to be Karli, so I'm discounting her, too.

Final team for the Lives: Ashland, Brooke, and Moriah.

Team Jennifer
Although I thought that Hannah wholly deserved her Knockout steal after Adam very blatantly screwed her over for Anthony, I can't see Jennifer taking her beyond this round, even if she bests her chosen ones.  As for the ones Jennifer will pull through, I absolutely think that Davon is a lock to get by.  For one thing, Jennifer loves the people raised in the church like she is, and Davon admitted to that, as well.  Their tastes in music are also the same, which Jennifer will also dig a lot.  She is also highly obsessed with Shi'Ann, but I'm hoping that she doesn't see her as surviving long-term in the Lives.  So that leaves Chris and Noah.  Personally, I think Chris, Davon, and Noah should be her top three because they're her strongest.  Sure, Chris and Davon occupy the same lane, but I could see Jennifer leaving America to choose between them instead of doing so herself.  And Noah is just on a completely different level for a guy his age.  He should leave a dent in the other coaches' teams, for sure.  Lucas was revealed as her Comeback, but again, I don't think he has a chance against the rest of her team.

Final team for the Lives: Chris, Davon, and Noah.

Team Blake
Let's face it.  Red's the kind of bro-country singer that Blake loves, so no question he's going through.  And Mitchell's a hot guy, plays a guitar, and does rock and country-leaning rock, so he might get through, too, for rock representation.  That might leave it down to Keisha and Chloe.  Personally, I am more invested in what Chloe has to offer rather than Keisha, even though I quite enjoy Keisha's voice, as well.  I'd rather see Chloe get through with Mitchell and Red.  I like Esera a lot, too, but after analyzing his team and taking Blake's personal tastes into consideration, I am hesitant to say he gets through.  If he does, he might replace Mitchell in Blake's potential lineup, but I don't see him getting rid of Red.  And Natalie, a Battle loser rather than a Knockout loser, is his Comeback artist.  And while I appreciate him giving her a second chance . . . I think she's toast after this.  No way he lets a Comeback go through.

Final team for the Lives: Chloe, Mitchell, and Red.

But those are just my predictions.  But I am eager to hear what everyone else has to offer. :)

Edited November 13, 2017 by Star Aristille

[viajero]

On 11/11/2017 at 0:31 AM, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Just as heads up, if you want to be spoiled on who the coaches have chosen as their comeback artists....they are listed on The Voice's Facebook page.

You can also find a breakdown of the bring-back artists here:

http://www.goldderby.com/article/2017/the-voice-season-13-playoffs-teams-miley-cyrus-jennifer-hudson-adam-levine-blake-shelton/

I'm quite happy with the people whom Adam and Miley are bringing back.  Not so much with Jennifer and Blake, but I suspect those two are going to be non-factors anyway.

 

Star Aristille, I sure hope Addison and Janice make it through over Anthony and Ashland respectively, but I can't argue too much with your analysis of what the coaches might do.   Complicating matters is that Miley's bring-back artist could also be a threat, given that this particular person was quite good in all 3 of their performances before being eliminated.  On any other team, I'd think that person would have the best shot among the bring-back artists of making it through, but Team Miley is so stacked that its going to be tough.  

Jennifer has a tough decision to make on whether to keep both Chris and Davon given just how similar they are and the fact they might take votes from each other.  Like you, I suspect she will do so anyway.  But if Hannah pulls off another great performance, Jennifer might be tempted to keep at least one woman on her team.

While Blake does love his bro-country singers, he also hasn't hesitated to cut them in the past.  He's also been extremely complimentary about Keisha throughout the season so far.  I still have hopes he'll keep her over Red.

Edited November 12, 2017 by viajero

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I'm just really worried about Chloe on Team Blake., I can easily see a scenario where she performs extremely well...but Blake still chooses to reward Red, Mitchell or even possibly Esera before her. I am relatively confident that he will keep Keisha Renee. I think a Red, Mitchell, and Keisha is probably the most likely line up for Blake moving forward.....but it does feel like a three person coinflip between Mitchell, Esera, and Chloe for that final spot. Here's hoping that Natalie with her "Come back for a one-off performance because I kind of screwed you over in your battle pairing" gift from Blake shows us something authentically Bluegrass or Bluegrass fusion with her fiddle too!

I'm still riding with the "A Team" for Adam. Adam C. gives him that rare chance to take a country singer deep into the competition (I realize he took another steal from Blake, in Josh Gallagher all the way to the finale a few seasons ago too). To me, Anthony is another Mark Isaiah or the teen crooner kid Adam kept picking a couple seasons ago. Their youth and rawness really affects Adam I think, and he likes to give that a chance to develop. I'm still convinced, had Laith not gotten the fan vote at this stage of the competition during his season, Adam would've take 15 year old Caroline Burns over him as his coaches save. I guess Addison is even younger than Anthony, but she comes across much more confident and poised....and she's been one of the most intriguing voices of the whole season. I think she gets the 3rd spot. I will throw it out there, that Adam has been very complimentary towards Whitney this entire season, it's at least in the realm of possibility that he could keep her but it probably would involve Anthony like outright choking or forgetting lyrics on stage where Adam would be forced to feel like it's a bridge to far and he just couldn't choose him even though he clearly clearly wants (and his track records would argue that as well).

To me, Miley has two locks in Brooke and Moriah. The 3rd spot will for sure come down between Ashland and Janice. Adam's there to give one final classic rock performance and leave, and while Karli has been solid, I'd find it hard to believe that she'd be able to knock out both Janice and Ashland (singers with much more vocal horsepower to show off) to take that third spot. I guess I'll lean slightly in the direction that Miley will take Ashland.....but not with much confidence.

JHud, if she's playing the game strategically should not take Chris and Davon both into the Top 12. She may end up doing that but she shouldn't. To me Lucas is just there to make up numbers, and despite being probably one of the 5 or 6 best (YMMV of course) singers in the competition...Hannah is probably there to make up numbers as well. I think given that they've already leaked his playoff performance to YouTube and he's clearly surpassed Anthony as the teen heartthrob for the season, Noah isn't going anywhere. He's getting one of her three spots. I'm not a huge fan of Shi'Ann (if it was me, I'd go Davon, Noah and Hannah on this team)...but it seems like JHud definitely is. Plus the coaches haven't squeezed all the "How can you only be 15?" mileage (especially Blake) from Shi'Ann's storyline so I'll say she stays as JHud's 3rd choice. But it should be Hannah. It just won't be lol.

Edited November 12, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Star Aristille]

5 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

To me, Anthony is another Mark Isaiah or the teen crooner kid Adam kept picking a couple seasons ago.

Riley Elmore.  His name was Riley Elmore.  Season eleven.

5 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Their youth and rawness really affects Adam I think, and he likes to give that a chance to develop.

And he still doesn't realize that that always works to his detriment, not his benefit.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Star Aristille

[Jabu]

To remind you all, the current rosters/cheats sheets going into this week's Playoff episodes, including the revealed Comebacks, are the following:

Team Adam
Addison Agen
Jon Mero
Emily Luther
Anthony Alexander
Adam Cunningham
Whitney Fenimore (Comeback)

Team Miley
Janice Freeman
Ashland Craft
Brooke Simpson
Moriah Formica
Adam Pearce
Karli Webster (Comeback)

Team Jennifer
Shi'Ann Jones
Davon Fleming
Noah Mac
Chris Weaver
Hannah Mrozak
Lucas Holliday (Comeback)

Team Blake
Esera Tuaolo
Mitchell Lee
Keisha Renee
Red Marlow
Chloe Kohanski
Natalie Stovall (Comeback)

[Babalooie]

Esera,  all you had to do was put that song a step or at least a half-step down and you wouldn't have been straining like that.  Blake should have known that.

[Star Aristille]

Wow.  You can tell several of these artists really, really, really wanted to make it to the Lives tonight.  That showed through a good number of their performances.

So let's get right into it:

Davon: Excellent way to start the show.  He took that Jennifer Holliday song (later done by our Jennifer) and just slayed it.  He sounded strong, solid, clear, and completely in control the whole way through.  I loved this song.  I really did.  And I think Jennifer did, too.  Excellent job, Mr. Fleming.

Hannah: A nice, fresh song choice.  So for that alone, I expected her to kill it on this song.  Some really good moments here and there, and very emotionally driven, but overall, it was a bit messier than I expected.  The band definitely drowned her out at least once, and her vocals were just a bit too shaky at times.  Still a decent job, but I doubt it'll be enough.

Lucas: Wow.  With this performance, I actually wish that Meagan had won the Battle over him.  Can we please have a moment of silence for whatever that was that died on the stage?  That was a mess from start to finish.  I went from appreciating him in the Blinds and Battles to wondering what the hell Jennifer ever saw in him?  Not at all deserving of moving on.

Shi'Ann: Hmm.  A bit overwhelming with the vocal tricks and runs at times, but not bad.  Not perfect, not even excellent, but at the very least . . . leaning toward good.  I really, really wish she'd listen more about dialing back the runs, though.  If Jennifer passes her through, that's going to hurt her come the Lives.  Then again, this particular Ariana song uses a lot, so I guess Shi'Ann felt the need to her.

Chris: I wouldn't be surprised if Jennifer gave him this song to throw him under the bus, because this?  Yeah.  This wasn't as good as his performances in the Blinds, Battles, or Knockouts.  I mean, he sang it well.  Very well.  There were some very strong parts in some places, but weaker parts in others.  He's been one of my favorites from the start, though, so I hope he can fight his way to the Lives.

Noah: Right up there with Davon as one of the best of the team.  Loved the whole thing.  He's really coming into his own.  Yeah, he had a rough start, but after that, he really nailed it.  Definitely another strong job from him.

Red: Probably a good thing he was gotten out of the way first.  Mediocre as hell.  It wasn't terrible, per se.  But like all of his other performances, it was boring.  My mind wandered several times just trying to listen to him.  He talked about God, though, so he'll be a hit with the viewers if Blake takes him to the Lives.

Chloe: This was quite a respite from her usual rock choices.  Cyndi Lauper was . . . an interesting song to take on.  But her rasp really gave it a little something that even Cyndi's version doesn't have.  Not as good as her Knockout -- it was a tad too linear -- but she still sounded great.  I liked it a lot.  Hoping she gets through.  Oh, and she needs to open her eyes.  She'll connect with the audience much better if she does.  I will say this, though.  Her experience really showed in her package.  The best thing about it was Blake essentially being useless in the rehearsals at such a high point that she had to coach herself.  At one point, you thought she was talking to Blake, but was actually talking to the band!

Natalie: Huh.  I actually enjoyed that.  I find Natalie cute, a good-spirited young woman, and clearly very talented.  And the fiddle was a nice touch, so it was great to finally see her whip that out in a performance.  She looked like she was having a good time on top of it all, which really added to the performance.  Don't know if it'll be enough to pass her through, but at least I liked getting one more performance out of her.

Esera: This was Blake very clearly having his top three in mind and throwing Esera under the bus since he's just as clearly not in said top three.  He is no country singer, and that showed in his performance.  He sounded weak in the rehearsal, and weak in the performance.  No way in hell he gets through.

Mitchell: This was fine, but certainly not wonderful.  His vocals were strong and solid, I guess, but Mitchell himself was just boring.  Even worse, I could tell from the shade that she threw at him afterwards that Jennifer didn't like it much, either.  Still, if Blake's truly being competitive, he could make it.  I think he was at least on par with Red, though inferior to Chloe.

Keisha: Either the best or second-best of the team.  She finally got a song that sounded and felt just right for her.  She was beautiful-sounding the whole way through, and it was clearly why Blake likes her.  I loved it and thought immediately that she gave a performance deserving of reaching the Lives.  The only problem is whether she can make some interesting song choices that engage the audience once she gets there, not the boring ones she's done in her Knockout and now in the Playoffs.

As for the eliminations go, Davon and Noah were pretty much locks for Jennifer to pick.  Based on the performances of the remaining four, Lucas was obviously out as the worst performer, leaving it down to Chris, Hannah, and Shi'Ann.  Honestly, Jennifer probably felt like she had a hard choice among them.  But I really, really wanted either Chris or Hannah to be that last pick.  I continue to not see what she sees in Shi'Ann (and this is from someone who does like Shi'Ann).  Goodbye, Chris.  Bye, Hannah. :(

As far as Blake goes, Keisha was a no-brainer.  Easily, easily one of his best (and I'm glad I was wrong about my prediction and that she made it, after all).  But Red seriously did well enough for Blake to put him through?!  WTF, Blake?!  Is he going to be an adult version of the travesty of Jake Worthington from season six?!  But Chloe did a tremendous job and totally deserved to be the third and final pick.

So Davon, Noah, and Shi'Ann are going to the Lives for Team Jennifer, while Keisha, Red, and Chloe are advancing for Team Blake.  Each coach picked two with whom I agree, and one I thought was questionable.

With the odd schedule change for tomorrow, it looks like we'll get to see how it goes for Adam's team.  Not that I expect to be wowed, since they're the worst team, but I guess I'll stick around to see what happens then!

Edited November 20, 2017 by Star Aristille

[slf]

90% of the time I hate it when one of the guys sings a song by a female vocalist. They can never get there, vocally, imo and I cringe while watching the judges fall all over themselves to fawn over the guys who try. 

[Dots And Stripes]

I do not like the power being taken away from me! Booooo producers! The messages for the coaches thing, aka beg for your singing career, was awkward. That said, I mostly agree with the results.

I do not get Noah. He is this seasons's Hunter for me. I figured Jennifer would have to choose between Davon and Chris, and I thought she would pick Davon. I liked Chris better, but I think she may have made the right choice for her team moving forward. I like Shi'Ann a lot. She is talented and adorable, although like many teen singers I think she has moments where she doesn't feel quite ready for this show.

Blake's team was underwhelming, but he ended up with his strongest 3.  He has two country artists, but they're different enough that I think they aren't competing with each other. I was so happy for Chloe.

Edited November 14, 2017 by Dots And Stripes
clarifying, I think Blake chose the right 3 from his team

[Jabu]

Current team rosters/cheat sheets:

Team Adam
None.

(Still Waiting)
Addison Agen
Jon Mero
Emily Luther
Anthony Alexander
Adam Cunningham
Whitney Fenimore

Team Miley
None.

(Still Waiting)
Janice Freeman
Ashland Craft
Brooke Simpson
Moriah Formica
Adam Pearce
Karli Webster

Team Jennifer
Davon Fleming (Jennifer's First Pick)
Noah Mac (Jennifer's Second Pick)
Shi'Ann Jones (Jennifer's Third Pick)

Team Blake
Keisha Renee (Blake's First Pick)
Red Marlow (Blake's Second Pick)
Chloe Kohanski (Blake's Third Pick)

Edited November 15, 2017 by Jabu

[Star Aristille]

12 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Blake's team was underwhelming, but he ended up with the strongest 3.

Um . . . what?  Red's been one of the weakest from jump.

[Dots And Stripes]

2 minutes ago, Star Aristille said:

Um . . . what?  Red's been one of the weakest from jump.

To clarify, I mean the strongest 3 of the 6 on his team. Who do you think should have been chosen instead?

[Cindyluwho]

IMO, the 3 Jennifer let go were stronger than anyone on Blake's team.

[Star Aristille]

24 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

To clarify, I mean the strongest 3 of the 6 on his team. Who do you think should have been chosen instead?

Mitchell!  Stronger vocalist with way more voting appeal than Red could ever have!

[Dots And Stripes]

7 minutes ago, Star Aristille said:

Mitchell!  Stronger vocalist with way more voting appeal than Red could ever have!

For me, Mitchell was easier on the eyes, but I don't think the vocal was there tonight and I didn't get a sense of his personality. I thought Red did better on both counts. I could also see Red playing well with the audience of this show. He's the sort of old school country guy Blake can run with.

Really though, this is why I miss the vote! America can be full of surprises. It would have been cool to see who the audience is liking. In theory, a coach could have just cut their most popular artist.

Edited November 14, 2017 by Dots And Stripes
adding

[Padma]

If I just listened, I thought this was Red's best performance,  I still find him very derivative, but this was less twangy and he sounded fine. However, I hate his guitar "playing" so much that it really distracts me.  If they kept the camera on throughout the song, I bet I could count the number of times he actually frets and strums at the same time. (I'm not even sure he's even really fingering chords that he could play or ever is really strumming.)

It particularly bugs me when I think of all the really talented guitarists that they've told to "ditch your instrument". Red, more than anyone ever on this show, uses his guitar as a prop, not just for  comfort but probably also to make him seem more talented than he is. I'd like to see him have to go without it since others--who really did use it musically--had to do it.  Maybe Blake will coach the fakeness out of him.

[Star Aristille]

1 hour ago, Dots And Stripes said:

For me, Mitchell was easier on the eyes, but I don't think the vocal was there tonight and I didn't get a sense of his personality. I thought Red did better on both counts. I could also see Red playing well with the audience of this show. He's the sort of old school country guy Blake can run with.

Really though, this is why I miss the vote! America can be full of surprises. It would have been cool to see who the audience is liking. In theory, a coach could have just cut their most popular artist.

Wow.  I couldn't agree less with that.  Yes, Mitchell's had problems with really letting his personality out, but Red hasn't really done it with his, either.  All I've seen is another Blake, with more twang in his speech and singing voice, personality-wise.  There's no way America's going to go for him, especially since he's older, and the older guys and girls get dispatched in terms of votes.

And yes, going by online followings, Blake kept his least popular artist (Red) to send his most popular one (Mitchell) packing.  He really doesn't know how to play the game at all the way I thought he did.

Then again . . . Paxton Ingram.  Courtney Harrell.  TSoul.  Those should've been real clues that he's that clueless.

[Padma]

3 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

And yes, going by online followings, Blake kept his least popular artist (Red) to send his most popular one (Mitchell) packing.  He really doesn't know how to play the game at all the way I thought he did.

I don't think Blake's wins are coincidence. I think he plays the game very well, and brands his people intelligently once the voting starts. Mitchell was good-looking but otherwise very average. Red's nothing special imo, although he had his best performance tonight. No way America is going to warm up to a 40 year old corny bald guy (sorry, Red!) the way they have to several of Blake's other not handsome, but more endearing, non-winners.

I think he's very strategic. He got rid of Mitchell, imo, so that women aren't voting for looks over talent. I think he really wants to win with Keisha--and I really think he has a great chance of doing it.  Choosing Red, imo, was his way of clearing her path in the lives.

[Star Aristille]

1 minute ago, Padma said:

I don't think Blake's wins are coincidence. I think he plays the game very well, and brands his people intelligently once the voting starts. Mitchell was good-looking but otherwise very average. Red's nothing special imo, although he had his best performance tonight. No way America is going to warm up to a 40 year old corny bald guy (sorry, Red!) the way they have to several of Blake's other not handsome, but more endearing, non-winners.

I think he's very strategic. He got rid of Mitchell, imo, so that women aren't voting for looks over talent. I think he really wants to win with Keisha--and I really think he has a great chance of doing it.  Choosing Red, imo, was his way of clearing her path in the lives.

Hmm. . . . Nope.  Not buying it.  He wouldn't have been his second choice if that were the case.  He clearly does believe he can win, which is just a preposterous idea.  If he were just fodder to clear Keisha's lane, he would've been picked last, not second.

[Dots And Stripes]

Of last night’s performances, Noah is selling the best on iTunes followed by Red and Chloe.

[atlantaloves]

Yep, I think Jennifer threw Chris under the bus with that unknown song, he should have made it on her team, even though he and Devan are so much alike in power. Oh well.  I am really beginning to like Noah and I hate those typical white boys, but honey he really has a pretty face and great tone, heh?

[peachmangosteen]

I love, love, love Chloe and Noah. I couldn't care less about any of the rest from last night. I fast forwarded through every performance except Chloe and Noah. That might have mostly just been because I didn't know most of the songs so I was bored from the get go. 

[Keekski]

I am shocked Blake kept Chloe, even though she deserved it. I would have switched Mitchell out for Red on his team, but no way Blake was going to lose his country guy. On Jennifer's team, I would have kept Chris. I like Chris better than Davon and they're both so similar so I would have rolled with Chris, Noah, Shi'Ann.

[Magic]

Way to tell the Voice doesn't care or want the fan vote.  Still iTunes shows something about who the fans liked and all of them that charted are still on Jennifer or Blake's team.  Since the coaches/producers won't see any of that info in the taping, it is interesting that the singers who charted highest are still here.  Noah's and Chloe's performances pushed up one of their previous songs too.  

Noah has been the biggest surprise to me.  I just didn't expect him to be this good of a performer/singer.  The emotions in his voice make me want to hear more.  My biggest disappointment is losing Mitchell.  I really like a few of his songs but not so much last night, it was too bland.  He seems the type that when he has the right song you will notice him, but otherwise he fades into the background kind of fast.

[Quickbeam]

I loved Noah. My husband (who does not watch the show) cruised through for a few minutes and said: "wow, he's going to be a star".  Still don't get Red at all. I can see that in any bar in town.  I'd have gone with Mitchell. 

[Dots And Stripes]

9 hours ago, Padma said:

I don't think Blake's wins are coincidence. I think he plays the game very well, and brands his people intelligently once the voting starts. Mitchell was good-looking but otherwise very average. Red's nothing special imo, although he had his best performance tonight. No way America is going to warm up to a 40 year old corny bald guy (sorry, Red!) the way they have to several of Blake's other not handsome, but more endearing, non-winners.

I think he's very strategic. He got rid of Mitchell, imo, so that women aren't voting for looks over talent. I think he really wants to win with Keisha--and I really think he has a great chance of doing it.  Choosing Red, imo, was his way of clearing her path in the lives.

We’ve had a lot of male artists without pop star looks do well on this show. I would through Jesse and Sundance into that category. IMO, America has a track record of warming up to guys like Red on this show.

1 hour ago, Keekski said:

I am shocked Blake kept Chloe, even though she deserved it. I would have switched Mitchell out for Red on his team, but no way Blake was going to lose his country guy. On Jennifer's team, I would have kept Chris. I like Chris better than Davon and they're both so similar so I would have rolled with Chris, Noah, Shi'Ann.

Blake really sold the shock angle with Chloe, saying multiple times he didn’t expect to pick her. I wonder if he was thinking of going all country. In the past, he’s mostly had America vote through the country artists and picked someone different with his save. I think he made the right call with Chloe.

31 minutes ago, Magic said:

Way to tell the Voice doesn't care or want the fan vote.  Still iTunes shows something about who the fans liked and all of them that charted are still on Jennifer or Blake's team.  Since the coaches/producers won't see any of that info in the taping, it is interesting that the singers who charted highest are still here.  Noah's and Chloe's performances pushed up one of their previous songs too.  

Noah has been the biggest surprise to me.  I just didn't expect him to be this good of a performer/singer.  The emotions in his voice make me want to hear more.  My biggest disappointment is losing Mitchell.  I really like a few of his songs but not so much last night, it was too bland.  He seems the type that when he has the right song you will notice him, but otherwise he fades into the background kind of fast.

It’s possible that being put through to the next round helped boost sales. Shi’Ann appears to be the exception. She is not selling so well.

It is slightly puzzling that TPTB would get rid of votes this round since it’s likely to yield a less popular top 12. Depending on when this was filmed they may have already had some indicators of popularity from past rounds.

[MillionReasons]

For me, Team Jennifer = Team Overwrought.  Of all of them, I like Davon the best, but suspect that is because I enjoy his personality. 

Esera was one of my four initial favorites.  I'm very sorry to see him eliminated.  While I don't know what song I would have chosen for him; the one Blake chose did not do Esera any favors. Deliberately, IMO.  When two of the judges had specific criticisms I knew it was over for him.

There is nothing about Red that I like.  Did I hallucinate this or did he say he was, or was expecting to be a grandfather?  At 40?  It was, though, a given that he would stay.  Personally I would have preferred Mitchell to Red.  Chloe was great.

Three of my initial favorites are still in the running.  It seems that Brooke is in the strongest position.  I've read that the odds are not in favor for my two other favorites, Janice and Jon...

[Star Aristille]

5 hours ago, Magic said:

Still, iTunes shows something about who the fans liked, and all of them that charted are still on Jennifer or Blake's team.

In fairness, Adam and Miley's teams still have yet to perform.  Some of them might chart high, too, for this round.

4 hours ago, Dots And Stripes said:

It’s possible that being put through to the next round helped boost sales. Shi’Ann appears to be the exception. She is not selling so well.

With her overuse of runs, that's no surprise to me.  I like Shi'Ann just fine, but not taking the advice of others to pull back on those runs is hurting her with the fans.

She will be either the first or the second of the top twelve to go.  I'd stake my life on that.

[viajero]

This episode was kind of mixed bag for me.  There were several very poor performances (Esera, Mitchell and Lucas in particular), but these were offset by some very good ones (Davon, Noah, Chloe, and Keisha, in that order). 

I do agree with the coaches choices, with the exception of Shi'Ann.  I thought Hannah should have been the third person on Jennifer's Team.  That Kesha song is incredibly hard to sing and though a bit uneven in places, I think she did a surprisingly good job on it.

I do suspect that some contestants were sabotaged by their coaches.  Chris and Esera were given songs that really didn't work to their strengths, while Mitchell was sounded much better in rehearsal before Blake suggested he lower the key.

Davon may be the best pure vocalist, but I think my two favorite artists from these two teams are Chloe and Noah.  They may be young, but both seem to have a good idea of who they are as artists and how to approach each song in a way that well suited to their strengths.

[Star Aristille]

23 hours ago, Cindyluwho said:

IMO, the 3 Jennifer let go were stronger than anyone on Blake's team.

Even Chloe and Keisha?

[Padma]

9 hours ago, Dots And Stripes said:

We’ve had a lot of male artists without pop star looks do well on this show. I would through Jesse and Sundance into that category. IMO, America has a track record of warming up to guys like Red on this show.

That's why I said, "....the way they have to several of Blake's other not handsome, but more endearing, non-winners." Key, "endearing". Not everyone would agree, but I was perfectly fine with Sundance and a big fan of several who weren't what you'd call good-looking, but had charisma or at least some real likeabilty  I'm bad with names but can see the faces--a couple, even sort of homely, but very talented and I hoped they'd win.   I think Red's good-ol boy earnestness is as fake as his guitar playing, but I'm not exactly unbiased. Maybe America will buy it all and find him completely relatable.  Blake seemed as surprised as I was by Red's perfectly fine performance.  I think he chose him -because- he won't be in it long, but I guess time will tell.

[Dots And Stripes]

5 minutes ago, Padma said:

That's why I said, "....the way they have to several of Blake's other not handsome, but more endearing, non-winners." Key, "endearing". Not everyone would agree, but I was perfectly fine with Sundance and a big fan of several who weren't what you'd call good-looking, but had charisma or at least some real likeabilty  I'm bad with names but can see the faces--a couple, even sort of homely, but very talented and I hoped they'd win.   I think Red's good-ol boy earnestness is as fake as his guitar playing, but I'm not exactly unbiased. Maybe America will buy it all and find him completely relatable.  Blake seemed as surprised as I was by Red's perfectly fine performance.  I think he chose him -because- he won't be in it long, but I guess time will tell.

We all respond to different things, but I still don't agree that Red is outside of what the audience responds to. Not everyone will like the same personality, but Red has shown a personality, which is more than a lot of artists can say at this point. I also don't see Blake picking someone to purposefully have them voted off early. Blake has a record of taking artists further than people think they can go. I just don't see a track record of him sacrificing everyone for his favorite (last season is a great example of him taking T-Soul and Aaliyah as far as they could go, the Swons making the finale is another example). Actually, if I had to pick who I think his favorite is, I would guess it's Red. 

[Star Aristille]

36 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

We all respond to different things,

Well, nothing about Red is a thing to which I'd respond.  Not.  A.  Thing.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Star Aristille

[Cindyluwho]

17 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

Even Chloe and Keisha?

I thought the first part of Keisha was off. Thinking back, I guess I enjoyed Chloe.

[Kaiju Ballet]

I'm still stunned at the loss of Chris. Wow, that song choice was pure sabotage. Just based on the previous week's rendition of I Put A Spell on You, I expected another perfect song choice, powerfully executed. There had to be some strategery going on, as with her comeback artist (who I also expected great things from) saddled with an impossible song. Lucas butchered one of my favorite songs by Prince, and there was no coming back from the moment he attempted that voice going upwards and ending in a "hiccup". I think he knew it too when he was performing.

I also hated Chloe's rendition of Time After Time. I appreciated that the show made a huge point of showing that she put effort into making the song "her own" but it was still close enough (to me) that it invited comparison, and the more obvious tweaks felt like distractions where she veered from the original.

Noah has really been the big surprise to me. That "leaked" performance was the right choice to hype up the night. I actually preferred his version over the original -- he's proven to be not only thoughtful in his arrangements, and gifted vocalist but he has the charisma as a performer to sell it.  There was an earlier discussion comparing him to Hunter Plake, and I think Noah has the charisma, personality and depth in his voice that Hunter lacked. (Obviously I'm not a fan of Hunter's)

I also think that he benefited from Jennifer being a much better coach than Gwen, just based on the technical advice J gives on singing and performance. Noah's growth and evolution on this show probably owes a lot to that.

[Bridget]

On 11/13/2017 at 7:22 PM, Star Aristille said:

Um . . . what?  Red's been one of the weakest from jump.

Red is simply freakin' Sundance 2.0 and I FFwed through all of Sundance's (and Red's) performances.

I'd have loved to have seen Blake take a chance with Mitchell, if I'm honest. Mitchell needs more polishing, but he's got the raw talent. He could be the 3rd Swon Brother in a few years. Mitchell also needed to get over his nerves too - not throwing shade, but it's a reality of any performer. I'm a teacher and you should hear me on Back to School Night! :)

On 11/13/2017 at 7:50 PM, Star Aristille said:

Mitchell!  Stronger vocalist with way more voting appeal than Red could ever have!

Does this mean we are officially BFF now? :)

[Bridget]

On 11/14/2017 at 8:53 AM, Keekski said:

I am shocked Blake kept Chloe, even though she deserved it. I would have switched Mitchell out for Red on his team, but no way Blake was going to lose his country guy. On Jennifer's team, I would have kept Chris. I like Chris better than Davon and they're both so similar so I would have rolled with Chris, Noah, Shi'Ann.

Agree with everything, except I cannot get on the Shi'Ann train. I think it's her age and her lack of personality on stage. I swear she is whispering when Carson asks her a question. She's so brave to even do the show being a teenager, but I hope she gets as much as she can from this!

[jhlipton]

Team JHud: Davon, Hannah, Lucas, Shi'Ann, Chris, Noah

I would have kept: Noah for sure.  Soooo very good.  Then Davon and Shi’Ann.  (Davon over Chris for me is easy, because I don’t like Chris!)  Jennifer has a really strong team!

 

Team Blake: Red, Chloe, Natalie, Esera, Mitchell, Keisha

Kiesha is everything!  Love her to the moon and back!  Natalie was fun and sang great!  Last choice is Mitchell, barely edging out Esera.

Red can miss me – I won’t regret not having to hear his crappy “country” schtick again.  Chloe totally missed the mark with “Time After Time”.  Just no.

Blake has a contender in Keisha, but without her, his team is weak.

[limecoke]

The first 45 minutes of this show were so hard on my ears, I had to take a break.  Why do some of these singers have to screech every note? Because it gets applause.  Don’t get it.  I guess Hudson made good choices but I take exception to Shi’Ann.  She’s young and talented but needs serious help with enunciation, controlling the endless and annoying use of vocal gymnastics and use of light and shade in her voice.  No song should be full-on straight through. 

I get Blake choosing Red but thought Mitchell was the better choice.  I do like Chloe, though.  She actually sings and uses volume sparingly and effectively.

[Court]

Huh. I'm going to have to watch Noah's performance again because I hated it. Clearly, I'm missing something.