Season 15 Discussion

[adhoc]

But I do think she's a good fit for Kelly. They're both kind of "firecrackers".  I'm guessing she like Kelly's diversity of style and doesn't feel that would be forthcoming so much on JHud's team.

[Thorkim]

21 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

It's probably just me, but Kelly seems kind of manic this season.  Although I generally like her, she's been over the top a few times and it grates on me.  I thought I would be complaining about JHud Productions, but she seems more comfortable as a judge this season.

I've been thinking the same thing. Lots of rants from me the last few nights.

[ClareWalks]

5 hours ago, JeanneH said:

The 4-chair turn lady from Chicago was the best performance so far.  That doesn't mean she was necessarily the best singer - I'd like to hear her do something a bit more toned down to judge her singing skills, but peformance-wise she was great.

She OWNED that stage. I have never seen anything like it on this show. She performs like she is already a superstar. No wonder all the coaches were so gobsmacked.

[limecoke]

I still do not get the shoe thing.  Seriously, I always thought it was insult-related, but whatever.  Yes, the final performance was amazing but, while her voice was great, I’ve heard just as good over the seasons.  Big notes and bold performances always get the most accolades from the judges and I guess it’s understandable.  Big notes, however, do not always win.  Should be interesting.

[SnarkyTart]

6 hours ago, JeanneH said:

The 4-chair turn lady from Chicago was the best performance so far.  That doesn't mean she was necessarily the best singer - I'd like to hear her do something a bit more toned down to judge her singing skills, but peformance-wise she was great.

That was an outstanding performance, one of the best I've seen on the show.  I was excited to search out her videos on youtube, which go back many years.  Unfortunately, from listening to many of them, she's not a great singer...mediocre at best in my opinion.  It was disappointing.  It'll be interesting to see how far she can get on the show with exceptional performing skills without the exceptional vocal skills to back it up.

Edited October 3, 2018 by SnarkyTart

[viajero]

I thought this was a significant improvement over Monday night.   SandyRedd of course brought the house down.  But I thought all the other performers who got through were at least fairly decent.  I liked Chis in particular.  Reagan has a real nice tone in her voice, even if she did lose a bit of control after Adam turned around.

[EllaDisco]

I was happy when the guy who was going to medical school wasn't chosen.  In my mind, I'm telling him, "Do not give up medical school for this show!"  Then he got picked for the comeback stage.  Hopefully he'll only be around long enough to enjoy his experience, but not long enough to change his plans.

Four chair lady at the end, Blake said he turned because she deserved it and I believe him.  There are lots of bragging rights with getting 4 chairs so he wanted her to have that, even though he didn't really want her.

[blueray]

I randomly caught some of this episode, and I agree no one really stood out as amazing. Also was it just me or Kelly is very annoying. She wouldn't stop talking when she wasn't even a chair turn. Also I much rather watch a battle between Adam and Blake.

[JMarie99]

I knew from the promos that the last singer was the one that would get a four-chair turn and make the judges go crazy. I agree that her performance was great - but the vocals, I don’t know - I’m just not into the screaming and shouting. And I can’t stand that song. “Shut your mouth and run me like a river.” Is that a sexual reference? All I know is when it comes on the radio I can’t wait to change the station. 

Mackenzie may not go all the way, but I love her voice and I’m glad JHud turned for her. Country guy (Chris?) gets my vote because his little boy looks just like my grandson - right down to the blond hair, denim jacket and Binkie. :)

[PhD-Purgatory15]

The Blind Auditions roll into their final week with another two hour episode.

**Where the teams stand, going into Week 3**

Team Adam (7)

Anthony Arya, 15 year old folkster kid (1)

DeAndre Nico, Hurricane Harvey survivor (4)

Foushee, Urban/R&B artist, surprisingly went with Adam over JHud (2)

Radha, Filipino American wailer, probably would've gone with JHud if not for Adam's strategic use of his block (3)

Reagan Strange, 13 year old pop country balladeer (3)

Steve Memmolo, Ben Affleck look-a-like, Improv player, cheesy but interesting wedding band singer (2)

Tyke James, 17 year old hippie heartthrob in training from Hawaii (1)

Team Blake (7)

Rachel Messer, yodeler from a holler in WV, (2)

Kameron Marlowe, seemingly self confidence challenged guy with a country radio ready voice (2)

Mercedes Ferreira-Dias, Returnee from S14 (2)

Keith Paluso, Bird loving park ranger who Blake blocked Adam from getting (2)

Michael Lee, Bluesy road warrior, does MMA with his wife! (3)

Dave Fenley, another country road warrior with a warm, phlemmy voice (2)

Chris Kroeze, Long haired country rocker from Wisconsin (2)

Team Jennifer (7)

Kennedy Holmes, 13 year old (she's only 13!!), 4 chair turner (4)

Audri Bartholomew, more noticeable for her outfit and style than her voice at this point (1)

Franc West, pitchy bandana wearer/Veteran (1..and lucky for that too)

MaKenzie Thomas, S14 returnee with a pretty voice (1)

Natasia "By the Power of Grayskull" Greycloud, Big voiced pop singer from Nashville (2)

Tyshawn Colquitt, Singing poundcake delivery guy with aggressive taste in red suits (2)

Patrique Fortson, a long ago AI semifinalist (Season 2!), (2)

Team Kelly 

Delaney Silvernell, former wrestler turned theatre teen/aspiring pop singer (1)

Chevel Sheppard, tiny car enthusiast with fast vibrato and a serious case of nerves (3)

Claire DeJean, another theatre teen with a more delicate voice (2)

Mikele Buck, former vet doing the Voice in part to raise awareness for suicides among military returnees to civilian life (2)

Kymberli Joye, blocked JHud from getting (3, lncuding the blocked JHud)

Sarah Grace, 15 year old Blues teen who literally sees colors while she sings/listens to music (3)

SandyRedd, Performance Diva from Chicago, probably will be eliminated sooner than the judges expect when America gets involved (4)

 

**Meanwhile on Kelsea Ballerini's Island of Misfit toys (I'm borrowing Lyndsey Parker's description here) so far we've got Wyatt the furture Orthopedic Surgeon, Lynnea the teen who's mom is in jail on drug offenses, Ele the MPDG who legit works in a cave, and Ayanna who was a child star (well in her words) and then had a child relatively early in life putting her singing dreams on the backburner until the Voice came calling...

Edited October 5, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Guest]

Part 6 of the Blind Auditions airing 10/09/2018

[apollonia666]

The judges this season are starting to work my nerves.  These people are as paralyzed by indecision as Chidi on The Good Place. Or maybe they're putting on a big show of being torn so that they don't look like jerks when they don't like a singer. Either way, ugh.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

So the one complete no of the night, Hannah Blaylock....the band she was in was called Eden's Edge. Those country music fans might remember this song getting a little bit of play on radio, CMT/GAC. To be honest, I was surprised she didn't get a turn. I thought she did a nice job with an Allison Kraus song. I do wonder given Blake's late gesture to Kelly if maybe her audition came very late and his team was already full or down to like one slot left.

 

Kirk Jay was very good. I'm interested to see what kind of song Blake gives him in the battle though. Now with Jared we have an astrophysicist to trump the future Orthopedic Surgeon. Was Colton Smith on the last season of AI? Or a long ago X Factor season? Why does he look familiar? Other's who stood out in a good way for me tonight were Natalie Brady (she's got the female rock lane completely to herself at this point), Joey Green was very good with a distinctive raspy tone, & Erika Zade (who I won't get super attached too because young females who actually try to sing something approaching current "pop" music on this show are usually toast...and fast).

Edited October 9, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Kaiju Ballet]

I loved Kirk Jay's audition. I played the clip several times, and I too, look forward to seeing what he'll be tackling next. It was a really astute description of him as Ceelo Green and Blake Shelton's country baby--that might make for some interesting song choices. (A country cover of "Crazy"? I remember the 4 coaches singing it many seasons ago....) I appreciated Jennifer giving him the opportunity to express why he chose that song. She was so gracious in conceding once he said he was "country until the day I die"--I am really enjoying her this season. The little bit between Adam and Blake was charming, making it seem like everyone (except Kelly) wanted the best for this kid, and the best would be working with Blake regardless of the outcome on the Voice itself.

Natalie Brady was awesome too, but I've had my heart broken too many times by rooting for the female rock powerhouses. Kirk Jay's was the first clip I watched tonight, which is the only reason why the others didn't impress me as much as they would have if I had seen them in show order.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

They would maybe have to tweak it a little bit, but I'd love to see Kirk tackle Needtobreathe & Gavin DeGraw's duet "Brother". I think that could be really special. Or Lady Antebellum's debut single, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"...

Edited October 9, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[PhD-Purgatory15]

**Where we stand going into the finale night of blind auditions**

Team Adam (9)

Anthony Arya, 15 year old folkster kid (1)

DeAndre Nico, Hurricane Harvey survivor (4)

Foushee, Urban/R&B artist, surprisingly went with Adam over JHud (2)

RADHA, Filipino American wailer, probably would've gone with JHud if not for Adam's strategic use of his block (3)

Reagan Strange, 13 year old pop country balladeer (3)

Steve Memmolo, Ben Affleck look-a-like, Improv player, cheesy but interesting wedding band singer (2)

Tyke James, 17 year old hippie heartthrob in training from Hawaii (1)

Natalie Brady, Nashville stalwart & single mom with a rockin voice (2)

Jarred Matthew, Sexy Astrophysicist (2)

Team Blake (10)

Rachel Messer, yodeler from a holler in WV, (2)

Kameron Marlowe, seemingly self confidence challenged guy with a country radio ready voice (2)

Mercedes Ferreira-Dias, Returnee from S14 (2)

Keith Paluso, Bird loving park ranger who Blake blocked Adam from getting (2)

Michael Lee, Bluesy road warrior, does MMA with his wife! (3)

Dave Fenley, another country road warrior with a warm, phlemmy voice (2)

Chris Kroeze, Long haired country rocker from Wisconsin (2)

Kayley Hill, aspiring country singer with zero confidence issues (1)

Joey Green, "Post-Americana" singer/T-shirt entrepreneur from Texas (2)

Kirk Jay, African American country singer, overcame a lot to make the Voice stage (4)

Team Jennifer (10)

Kennedy Holmes, 13 year old (she's only 13!!), 4 chair turner (4)

Audri Bartholomew, more noticeable for her outfit and style than her voice at this point (1)

Franc West, pitchy bandana wearer/Veteran (1..and lucky for that too)

MaKenzie Thomas, S14 returnee with a pretty voice (1)

Natasia "By the Power of Grayskull" Greycloud, Big voiced pop singer from Nashville (2)

Tyshawn Colquitt, Singing poundcake delivery guy with aggressive taste in red suits (2)

Patrique Fortson, a long ago AI semifinalist (Season 2!), (2)

Colton Smith, Flamboyant pop singer with a familiar look/reality tv history? (1)

Mike Parker, Jennifer saved this former football star (who's grades kept him from a college scholarship) w/ a last second push (1)

Zaxai, JHud finally used her block on Kelly to keep this Haitian-American singer (2, including the blocked Kelly)

Team Kelly (9)

Delaney Silvernell, former wrestler turned theatre teen/aspiring pop singer (1)

Chevel Sheppard, tiny car enthusiast with fast vibrato and a serious case of nerves (3)

Claire DeJean, another theatre teen with a more delicate voice (2)

Mikele Buck, former vet doing the Voice in part to raise awareness for suicides among military returnees to civilian life (2)

Kymberli Joye, blocked JHud from getting (3, lncuding the blocked JHud)

Sarah Grace, 15 year old Blues teen who literally sees colors while she sings/listens to music (3)

SandyRedd, Performance Diva from Chicago, probably will be eliminated sooner than the judges expect when America gets involved (4)

OneUp, Singing couple from Manhattan. Only duo this season (3)

Erika Zade, sassy Cuban-American from Miami with an eye to modern "dark pop" sound (1)

 

**Meanwhile on Kelsea Ballerini's Island of Misfit toys (I'm borrowing Lyndsey Parker's description here) so far we've got Wyatt the furture Orthopedic Surgeon, Lynnea the teen who's mom is in jail on drug offenses, Ele the MPDG who legit works in a cave, Ayanna, who was a child star (well in her words) and then had a child relatively early in life putting her singing dreams on the backburner until the Voice came calling, and Sam, the sleepy voiced folkster from historic New Hampshire.

Edited October 9, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Gel]

Did I miss when Blake used his block? They kept saying Jennifer was the only one who had one to use.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Gel, Blake used his block on the bird obsessed, park ranger Keith Paluso.

[Gel]

Thanks, PhD-Purgatory15. I remember the bird obsession, but sadly not the actual audition song (had to look it up on YouTube). Downside of actually watching the bios this time around? They seem to have cut down on the sob stories, thankfully.

[veronicalodge44]

i loved the chick's voice who sang "gold dust woman" (kaysey?) - her tone was just amazing to me and i hope blake does some interesting things with her.  

[Lily H]

I wasn't impressed with "MY DAD IS IN JOURNEY!!!" woman (Something Cain) and I didn't think she deserved to be the last Comeback artist. I kind of liked the guitar-playing guy from (I think) Washington and I was surprised Adam didn't turn for him.

[Ellee]

General question.  Does anyone think that the ‘Comeback’ artists were to be good but not too too good (no chair turns) so that this Comeback thing can be a success? Or am I being too cynical?  Lol ... or does anyone really care?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Well, it apparently wasn't the last night of auditions. Huh.

Lily H, I could not agree with you more. She was terrible (in that performance at least). Like objectively the worst auditioner of the entire season so far. Worse than every complete no we've been shown, let alone the other 5 who are getting their second chances on Kelsea's "5th team". Wow the nepotism was strong in this case.

I'm mildly intrigued by Cody Ray Raymond moving forward cause I can listen to that type of music all day long. I hope maybe he pushes the rock button (even drawing in some grunge elements by doing something by Pearl Jam, or Collective Soul, or Soundgarden). Beyond him, I thought the first guy (the guy with the Red Marlowe connection) didn't live up to his backstory, Lela the 15 year was good, but is going to have to grow quickly (or get passed through purely on her potential for growth in the battles & KOs) to last very long on this season, Sweater Boy I'm surprised only got a last millisecond turn from just Adam, and Funsho was definitely fun fo sho lol.

Edited October 10, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Babalooie]

Regarding Cody Ray Raymond,  Not sure where I heard or saw this, but I always thought that the military sent you to the North Pole or somewhere undesirable as punishment instead of kicking you out.  He and the military don't seem like a match.  He seems like a hippie sort of guy with a good voice.

[Keekski]

Sweater Choir Boy is going to crash and burn quickly. Total fodder. Adam is really good at picking  fodder for his team so it's easy for him to eliminate them.  The minute they get matched up in the next round, it's a clear indicator they were picked just to be eliminated immediately. 

[veronicalodge44]

SandyRedd's performance was even more enjoyable for me on a re-watch.  And this time, I was reminded of Tina Turner, in terms of intensity of performance (I had third row to Turner's Private Dancer tour in the '80s).  I really love her energy, in general, and I hope she goes far.  I'm also interested in see how she and Kelly vibe together, think it will be cool.  

[Guest]

Last part of the Blind Auditions, plus the beginning of the Battles

[Guest]

Battles Part 2

[veronicalodge44]

i'm in grad school right now and this show is my respite from studying that just brings a smile to my face - this episode was no exception.

 

the battles between sandyredd and cody ray raymond, and patrique and colton, were both exceptional.  i am especially digging sandyredd - her voice, her vibe onstage, her energy in general.  i was not that surprised that kelly didn't choose her -- she does have a female-heavy team, for one thing, but also often the coaches will let someone go who is likely to be fought over for a steal.  i love jhud, too, but i was hoping that sandyredd would go with blake, as i was thinking she would stand out more on his team.  (sorry but i just can't stand adam, not only because he often seems smug, but i've seen him sabotage too many wonderful singers with horrible song choices over the years.  anyoen i'm a major fan of, i pray they don't choose him!).  at any rate, i hope that sandyredd continues to shine on jhud's team, gets given good songs, and gets supported by the public.  she is the real deal, y'all (as we say in the south).

 

and patrique's voice gave me chills.  i was really happy, though, that blake stole colton and look forward to seeing what they'll cook up together.  colton is only 21 - he probably needs some help with nerves and just gaining more control over his voice.  but his vibe and enthusiasm are infectious and at times he hits some lovely notes, too.  hoping he grows and gets some audience love, too.

 

and i agree with reviewers i've read about the final blinds - katrina cain's version of 'rhiannon' was sublime.  think she'll be in the top for sure.

 

and i was thinking about the coaches and mentors and the other versions of the voice.  i watched the australian voice when keith urban was a coach, and he was wonderful (as was the show - it's my favorite version), so i was pleased to see him as blake's mentor.  and i've seen both seasons of the voice UK with jennifer as a coach as well.  it's interesting, because on the UK version, jennifer is clearly most contestants' favorite coach and she seems to be celebrated in a different way than here (yes, it's the internet, but i have read so many snarky remarks about jennifer in u.s. comment sections).  it didn't hurt that her first season out she had mo on her team, who not only won but is one of my favorite singing show contestants ever (his audition is still one of the greatest).  on the australian voice in recent seasons, kelly rowland has been a judge, and she is superb - super-smart and so lovely.

[atlantaloves]

This season is going to be wonderful, this is so much better than last season.  Thank you Voice, love it. 

[viajero]

I thought this was the best episode of the season so far.  Katrina and SandyRedd were superb (in very different ways), while most of the rest were at least fairly good.  The only two that I thought were somewhat subpar were Matt and Josh, who I think are probably fodder in the battle rounds.

I have no idea what Kelly was doing in giving away SandyRedd.  That's one of those questionable decisions that make you wonder about producer interference. 

Edited October 17, 2018 by viajero

[TVbitch]

I am enjoying this season so far. Did they even montage any of the blinds? It seems like they got right to it and filled the teams quickly, which I liked.

I think Kelly kept Cody because he is going to bring in a lot of those tween girl votes. 

@veronicalodge44 Voice AU is my favorite too. Kelly Rowland is great and I'm glad they picked up Boy George. I also think Jennifer acts quite different on the US version. She tones it down quite a bit, and I'm glad, cuz she was a bit much. LOVED MO! 

[vb68]

I fastforward through all the intros and get right to the performances, so I was genuinely shocked to see Keith Urban. What a treat!I can totally believe both Kelly and JHud was unhappy and jealous he wasn't with their respective teams. He's a great mentor and was on point here. Please, please let this be a prelude to a fulltime coaching gig in a future season. He would be a terrific choice for a Blake or Adam replacement if they ever (or I would say finally) decide to take a break.

Speaking of those two, I had to chuckle when Adam and Blake were furiously trying to one up each other to get SandyRedd and basically shut  Jennifer out only to have SandyRedd say "No thanks, I'm going with Jennifer."  their antics go over the top so much that it was nice to see them get deflated a bit.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

This is when the Voice always gets screwy for me. Like in no universe from the 12 people on Kelly's team should SandyRedd be battling Cody Ray. It was purely to force a steal. I'm sure it goes back even farther, but Pharrell was the first coach to egregiously start doing this. He'd literally pair up his best (4 chair) person against his 3rd best contestant (3 or 4 chair) to ensure they'd both stay in the competition, even if one had to do so on a different team.

Blake also annoys me at this point in the season because he truly does not care who he steals in the battle rounds because 90% of the time they are toast in the KO round (the other 10% is the two or three times he's paired his steals against each other in a Knockout). The season has some legitimately interesting people on Team Adam/Kelly/JHud who Blake would be a great coach/mentor for and yet he wastes a steal on Colton of all people? Because they sang his song? Ugh.

[Ellee]

Who did Adam have as his team advisor?  I thought it was supposed to be CeeLo Green.  :) ..... :D

Also it dawned on me that there wasn’t a day that went by that there wasn’t a dozen stories about Blake and Gwen.  Did that go kaput?

As far as the contestants .... I’ll let you all talk about it.  I’ll have to watch it tonight. 

[veronicalodge44]

kimberli and katrina and natasia - dang, all of these ladies can sing.  and yes, blake was right about katrina's ability to emote with that sarah maclachlan song - which has been done to death, but when she sang it i didn't mind.  

i did also enjoy chris and was glad he moved on.  his expression when blake said he sings like martina mcbride and looks like chris stapleton was priceless, though.

and once again i ended up absolutely loving keith urban and his feedback during the mentoring session.  i enjoy him, as rosie o'donnell would say.

Edited October 17, 2018 by veronicalodge44
there is no 'd' in sarah maclachlan's name...

[2727]

It's ironic that after the blinds the coaches heavily factor in appearance as they cull their teams in anticipation of audience voting. This year Tyke especially seems to be a recipient of that.

[rollacoaster]

On 10/16/2018 at 12:56 PM, veronicalodge44 said:

and i've seen both seasons of the voice UK with jennifer as a coach as well.  it's interesting, because on the UK version, jennifer is clearly most contestants' favorite coach and she seems to be celebrated in a different way than here (yes, it's the internet, but i have read so many snarky remarks about jennifer in u.s. comment sections).

For some reason, US folk are much harder on Jennifer here. Her shenanigans aren't any worse than the other judges, and I think she does a good job of coaching her recruits. 

[Quickbeam]

I like Kelly a lot but I really wish she’d stop drooling over the male singers. It’s creepy even if she means it in fun. If a man did that they’d be called on it pretty quickly.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Quickbeam
typo

[viajero]

I guess its better that they at least show a snippet of four battles rather than montage three of them like they did in past seasons.  Besides, none of those battles seemed very good from what little we saw, though I would have liked to see Katrina's performance in its entirety.  At least the first and last battle were both good, primarily because Kymberli and Natasia really stepped up, while their battle partners held their own.

9 hours ago, 2727 said:

It's ironic that after the blinds the coaches heavily factor in appearance as they cull their teams in anticipation of audience voting. This year Tyke especially seems to be a recipient of that.

Perhaps, but Jarred was so awful in the little bit we saw that Tyke almost won by default.

[bluepiano]

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 1:12 PM, 2727 said:

iIt's ironic that after the blinds the coaches heavily factor in appearance as they cull their teams in anticipation of audience voting. This year Tyke especially seems to be a recipient of that.

 

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 7:59 PM, Quickbeam said:

I like Kelly a lot but I really wish she’d stop drooling over the male singers. It’s creepy even if she means it in fun. If a man did that they’d be called on it pretty quickly.

 

Great minds, and all that. These are the two things I was coming to the forum to write about. Actually, maybe just one thing, because it was Kelly who clearly chose Tyke because of his looks. She was also the one who also saved 14 year old Anthony after gushing "he's beautiful."

It's absolutely correct that in this day and age a man has to completely avoid commenting on a woman's appearance. I get why there might be historical reasons for a double standard, but Kelly is openly lusting after guys in their early teens, and to me that's inexcusable and super creepy. It's not like arrests of female teachers for inappropriate behavior with male students don't happen. (I also watch America's Got Talent, where I'm so over the cougar act from Mel and Heidi when there are young male dancers or acrobats.)

Unlike a previous poster, I thought the guy Tyke was up against had an interesting voice, and I remember really liking his blind audition.  But he clearly had no chance against Kelly's "Tarzan." I felt bad that we only got to hear about five seconds of him singing given how the battle was edited.

The same thing happened to Yoddler Girl, who much to my surprise, could actually sing. She wasn't going to beat Katrina, but I wish they'd let us hear more., She had a little of that vulnerable Dolly quiver in her voice. I guess she had her 15 minutes of fame, but it would've been nice for her family to hear her sing a bit during the battle. 

Steve (Ben Affleck) Wedding Singer got lucky because the guy he was paired against was super weak. I guess Adam did that to keep him around. Each season he seems to get attached to some "super cool dude" and try to push him further than his talent merits. 

Apparently the only battles we got to hear in full were the ones in which the two sides try to outscream each other. 

Edited October 19, 2018 by bluepiano

[PhD-Purgatory15]

The battle rounds roll on with another two hour episode.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

So apparently tonight was Revenge of the 1 chair turn, or so called "fodder" contestants. Had it happen with both Jake Wells (not overly surprising given Adam's musical tastes), and Franc (wait, what?!?!). To a slightly lesser degree with Delaney coming up with Adam's second steal.

Also had a bit of "water finding it's level" in that both Keith, and Zaxai both ultimately found their way to the coaches (Adam & Kelly) they should have had from the beginning if the block was not now a thing on the Voice.

I almost would have loved Adam to pose a simple question to Emily and Reagan. Would you be agreeable to staying in the competition as a duo (like give them that option prior to choosing the battle winner, and basically telling them both of you have agree or it's off the table)? Because their harmonies were lovely and they had a nice blend of voices.

Sad for Mikele. Got the "pull on your heartstrings" pre-blind audition package, and didn't get a second of his part of the battle aired. So that Chevelle, one of the contestants I'm more skeptical about could advance? Okay then. Also thought Natalie Brady got hosed a little bit against Jake. At first, it was like she is going to blow him off the stage, but then Adam arranged and produced their Closing Time to fit his voice to a T, and really stretched her (in a way that was quite lovely, IMO) away from where her wheelhouse would've been. Should've known, the quote unquote throwback or classic rock singers have made less and less of an impact as the seasons have ticked up into the double digits...

Edited October 23, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[LucidDreamer]

Could it have been more obvious that Adam wanted Jake to advance over Natalie? Choosing that song, and arrangement, totally gave Jake the edge. Natalie did a great job with what she had to work with, but that song choice totally negated her real strengths.  If I was her, I would've been pissed. 

I think Kelly and JHud had worked out that Franc and Zaxai choice/steal ahead of time. 

[adhoc]

I was also pissed (or something like it) on Natalie's behalf.  She's really good, while Jake does nothing for me, singing or looks-wise. (I actually think he looks unkempt.) But hey, Adam and his "bromances," what else is new?

Did anyone notice when Adam got Natalie in the blinds he said to her "I won't let you down."   Well, except maybe I'll give you a song that is really not in your wheelhouse and doesn't showcase your strengths.

Moving on. I'm looking forward to seeing 13-yr-old Kennedy perform. (Hopefully she'll be good and her battle won't be montaged.)

[PhD-Purgatory15]

The Battles conclude with a one hour episode. Here's where the teams stand going into the Knockout Round:

Team Adam

Jake Wells (defeated Natalie Brady)

Reagan Strange (defeated Emily Hough)

Steve Memmolo (defeated Anthony Arya)

RADHA (defeated Foushee in a montaged battle)

Tyke James (defeated Jarred Matthew in a partially montaged battle)

DeAndre Nico (defeated Funsho)

Keith Paluso (STOLEN from Team Blake)

Delaney Silvernell (STOLEN from Team Kelly)

Team Blake

Dave Fenley (defeated Keith Paluso)

Chris Kroeze (defeated Mercedes Ferreira-Dias)

Katrina Cain (defeated Rachel Messer in a mostly montaged battle)

Michael Lee (defeated Joey Green)

Kirk Jay (defeated Caeland Garner in a montaged battle)

Kameron Marlowe (defeated v. Kayley Hill)

Colton Smith (STOLEN from Team JHud)

Funsho (STOLEN from Team Adam)

Team JHud

Tyshawn Colquitt (defeated Zaxai)

Mike Parker (defeated Natasia Greycloud)

Franc West (defeated Matt Johnson)

MaKenzie Thomas (defeated Audri Bartholomew in a montaged battle)

Patrique Fortson (defeated Colton Smith)

Kennedy Holmes (defeated Lela in a montaged battle)

SandyRedd (STOLEN from Team Kelly)

Anthony Arya (STOLEN from Team Adam)

Team Kelly

Abby Cates (defeated Delaney Silvernell)

Chevelle Sheppard (defeated Mikele Buck in a completely montaged battle)

Kymberli Joye (defeated OneUp)

Cody Ray Raymond (defeated SandyRedd)

Claire DeJean (defeated Josh Davis in a montaged battle)

Sarah Grace (defeated Erika Zade)

Zaxai (STOLEN from Team JHud)

Natasia "By the Power of Greyskull" GreyCloud (STOLEN from Team JHud)

.

Edited October 24, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Kayce]

I am looking forward to seeing Kennedy.  She is my fave so far. 

[Lily H]

Add me to those who think Natalie got hosed with that lame song choice. She has a really good rock voice and deserved to continue. Jake is bland and ordinary.

I continue to think the deck is stacked against those whose battles come later, when the coaches have used up steals on questionable talent.

[Morgan of Hed]

14 minutes ago, Lily H said:

I continue to think the deck is stacked against those whose battles come later, when the coaches have used up steals on questionable talent.

I think the "steals" are all pre-arranged. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I've been watching bits here and there.  Caught quite a bit last night.  What's up with the Come Back option?  Is that new?  I didn't catch how it works.