The Voice Top 11 Eliminations: One Dance Left

Tonight the Top 10 contestants were revealed and there really weren't too many surprises. Here's how it all shook out:

Brad Paisley (love him) took the stage tonight with his new song "Country Nation," which made the hour a little more bearable. Gwen joined her team for a peppy rendition of "You Get What You Give," with Jeffery as the clear standout, and Adam and his team tackled "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" This tune suited Jordan's voice perfectly. The team collaborations can sometimes be painful but tonight's performances were pretty good overall. 

Results! The first artist to make the Top 10 was Amy, and she was followed by Braiden, Zach and Jordan (17 minutes in). Carson announced Madi, Emily Ann, and Jeffery's names next, and finally...at the 40 minute mark...Barrett and Shelby rounded out the Top 9, leaving Korin and Evan singing for their lives.

Evan chose "Let's Stay Together" as his "save me" song and he sang it well, though I found the performance pretty snoozy. Korin went with "She Will Be Loved," which was a bold move, and she was slightly less snoozy than Evan...but Evan definitely had the stronger vocals. It was really a toss up. In the end, and for the second week in a row, the Stupid Twitter Save went to Korin and she is the final member of the Top 10. 

Team Pharrell is now down to one member and we still have a long road ahead of us before the finale. Can Madi hang in there that long? Will Korin find herself singing for social media again next week? Will the current contestants flying under the radar step up their game? We'll find out when these hopefuls compete again on Monday. Til then!

The Voice Top 11: Tears Don't Mean You're Losing

Last week we saw the return of the Stupid Twitter Save and the departure of the first Top 12 finalist on The Voice. Tonight the 11 hopefuls still left in the competition will take the stage again, keeping their fingers crossed that they do enough to win America over for another week. Can the front runners from last week continue in the top tier? Let's find out.

Artist: Shelby Brown

Team: Adam

Song: "You and I" by Lady Gaga

Love this song. Love Lady Gaga. And I'm starting to really love Shelby. Aside from already having a kick ass voice, she asks Adam to buy her a giraffe if she does well. Adorable. Sure, she doesn't have Gaga's charisma...but Shelby's nerves are barely visible this week and she sounds fantastic. Good for her. 

Coaches Say: Blake says this was his favorite Shelby performance so far. Pharrell thinks Shelby came out like a cannon and worked the stage comfortably. Gwen loved the song choice but gives her one small critique about saving her "growl" and not using it a ton throughout the song. I can see that. Adam says Shelby deserves a giraffe. 

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Artist: Evan McKeel

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Smile" by Nat King Cole

This is a great song and hopefully gives Evan a chance to sing natural and not worry about staging every body movement. He chooses a stool and guitar route and pours his heart into every lyric. I'm relieved for him because I think this is best performance so far. Oh, and shout out to the girl dancing in the silhouette circle behind Evan. That was neat. 

Coaches Say: Gwen says the performance was beautiful and thinks Evan let his voice shine. Blake tells Evan he sings like a pro and Pharrell says Evan "let people in" tonight. 

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Artist: Barrett Baber

Team: Blake

Song: "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker

Barrett is all about switching things up with this song, working with the band to get the beats he wants where he wants them, and Blake certainly thinks it will pay off for him. Barrett has great energy tonight and really gets the crowd going, but he's hard to understand at times (and I even know the lyrics). The performance is a bit all over the place for me.

Coaches Say: Gwen says Barrett really knows how to control the audience and bring them in. Adam makes fun of Blake but tells Barrett he's awesome. Blake wants to give Barrett a heartfelt critique but Adam keeps interrupting and it's ridiculous. 

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Artist: Korin Bukowski

Team: Gwen

Song: "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore

After Korin's stint in the bottom 2 last week, Gwen tells her she needs to "bring it" with this performance. Korin ditches the glasses tonight on her journey to actually become Gwen Stefani, and she sings beautifully. The coaches may have been wowed by her 'save me' song last week, but this HAS to be Korin's best performance.

Coaches Say: Adam is proud of Korin for beginning to mold her identity and who she wants to be as an artist. Pharrell thinks Korin is coming into her own and showed no nerves tonight. Gwen says Korin is sparkly, beautiful, and confident with a song that means so much to her (Korin), and she's very proud of her. 

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Artist: Amy Vachal

Team: Adam

Song: "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift

In keeping with Adam's "let's flip songs and make my contestants look like total geniuses" theme, Amy takes the stage without her guitar tonight and sings a very happy, bouncy version of the Taylor Swift hit. While I've grown pretty tired of hearing "Blank Space" (the radio still plays it two or three times an hour where I am), I do enjoy what Amy is trying to do here. The music arrangement reminds me a little bit of Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" and overall I really like the performance. I think Amy's "Hotline Bling" cover last week was probably more memorable but  I also think this performance should earn her a spot in the Top 10.

Coaches Say: Blake would like Amy to cover his "Boys Round Here" song just to see what she does with it. Pharrell encourages everyone in America to download the song. Adam thinks Amy is excelling at taking her songs and making them her own. 

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Artist: Zach Seabough

Team: Blake

Song: "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?" by Thompson Square

I loooove this song. Zach seems out of breath at times (or maybe the band is too loud?) but he does make sure to interact with the young ladies in the audience as much as possible. They couldn't care less what he's singing, if he's singing it well, or if he has his shirt on...which, unfortunately for them, he does. This was a much better song choice for Zach than last week's "My Love" but I guess I was looking for a little bit more attitude from him.

Coaches Say: Gwen thinks the song was a perfect choice for him and Adam says Zach did an awesome job. Blake can't get through another critique completely because Adam is being an idiot again. 

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Artist: Madi Davis

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Love Is Blindness" by U2

Madi sits on a dark stage accompanying herself on the piano for the beginning of the song and I wish she had stayed there just a little longer. She stands though, walking slowly to the front of the stage and the strings section comes in to add that last bit of haunting quality the performance needs. Madi's vocals take off then and I'm clapping for her and yelling from my couch. She did a great job and I think she might become a dark horse in this competition.

Coaches Say: Pharrell runs up on stage and hugs her and the camera cuts to Madi's dad crying in the audience. Gwen is crying as well so we go to Adam who says he had no idea Madi had that in her. He loved it. Blake thinks this is the best performance of the night so far and Pharrell says the performance was unbelievable. 

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Artist: Braiden Sunshine

Team: Gwen

Song: "True" by Spandau Ballet

Man, I have not heard this song in a long time. Poor Braiden's never heard it at all. There's probably a reason for that. Gwen is trying to get Braiden back to the "Buble-ness" of his performances. There were probably better songs to accomplish that feat, but Braiden does really well with what he has to work with here. He has such a smooth voice and an infections smile and  I really hope he sticks around.

Coaches Say: Blake talks about how great the pairing is between Gwen and Braiden because of how they meet in the middle. Pharrell really liked the subtle runs that Braiden included in the performance and compliments his control. Gwen sits like a proud mom and tells her contestant how cute and perfect he is. 

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Artist: Jordan Smith

Team: Adam

Song: "Who You Are" by Jessie J

This song means a lot to Jordan in terms of some self confidence and self image issues he has had in the past, and he absolutely nails it. Big notes, big emotions, big applause - it's all there. I love this guy.

Coaches Say: Pharrell says Jordan's talent seems almost effortless and tells Jordan he is generous for what is sharing with people. Gwen is so happy for Jordan because he is getting the chance to be exactly who he is and shine, and Adam says Jordan is one of the best performers he knows because of his conviction. 

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Artist: Emily Ann Roberts

Team: Blake

Song: "Why Not Me" by The Judds

When The Judds released their live reunion CD in May of 2000, I had this song on repeat for the majority of the summer. I did a little happy dance on my couch when Emily Ann's song choice flashed up on the screen. I'll be honest and say this this performance is a bit of a let down. Emily Ann sounds wonderful and she's cute as a button, but man I wish she had more charisma. Watch Wynonna perform it and you'll see what I mean.

Coaches Say: Pharrell says Emily Ann has a super classic country feel when she sings and Blake tells Emily Ann that she's going to be around for a long, long time.  

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Artist: Jeffery Austin

Team: Gwen

Song: "Dancing On My Own" by Robyn

Last but not least we have Team Gwen's strongest competitor to close out the Top 11 performance show. I have high hopes for this guy and I'm excited that he got the pimp slot. He sometimes reminds me of a less cheesy version of Clay Aiken... Anyway, tonight Jeffery does a stripped down version of this Robyn dance song and it is POWERFUL. I believe every word as if Jeffery wrote the song himself, and vocally, this performance is flawless. This is the best performance of the night and I will be watching it again.


Coaches Say: Adam always looks forward to hearing Jeffery sing and says what Jeffery does is really special. Blake thinks Jeffery could win this season and give a female coach her first victory. Gwen is crying and says Jeffery blew her away and moved her to tears. 

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Tomorrow we will lose another contestant and the Top 10 will be revealed. Based on tonight's performances, I do worry for Korin again as I think her performance, while lovely, might be forgettable. The same goes for Shelby, Evan, and Braiden. Will Korin make it through this week without the Stupid Twitter Save? Will Pharrell hang on to both of his remaining contestants? If not, who will be the coach to say goodbye to a team member? All will be revealed during the elimination hour. Til then!

The Voice Top 12 Eliminations: I Went And Stayed Too Long

Tonight the Top 12 became the Top 11 as one coach had to say goodbye to a maybe not so promising team member. These hour long results shows are excruciating, but here's how the important moments shook out...

There were a few performances tonight as Blake and Team Blake joined forces to sing a very "aw shucks" version of "Lean On Me." The camera immediately went to Gwen when the performance ended. Sorry NBC - she's really not going to play into this as much as you want her to. Pharrell also collaborated with his team and to sing a very, very strange song called "Just a Cloud Away." Madi's solo consisted of one word which made the performance even more strange. 

Results! Jordan was the first person to make it to safety, followed by Jeffrey and Emily Ann soon thereafter. Quirky Madi Davis' name was called next (14 minutes in) and after another break, Braiden, Barrett, and Amy joined her in the Top 11.  As we hit the 38 minute mark, Evan, Shelby, and Zach made it through as well...leaving Korin and Mark fighting for the Stupid Twitter Save. 

Mark chose "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" for his "save me" song, which is another song we hear on these shows all the time. Unlike last night though Mark gives us amazing energy, a ton of ad libs and riffs, and an overall super fun performance. He  really made me smile. Korin and her new do went with "Don't Know Why," which was pretty and pleasant and the complete opposite of Mark's performance in terms of energy and attitude. She certainly did the song justice though. Leading up to this episode I've preferred Korin to Mark, but I thought Mark left it all out on the stage tonight and I was rooting for him to prevail. His journey ended after the commercial break though as Korin won the Stupid Twitter Save. Best of luck Mark...but I'm sure that we'll see you for 3 minutes in the finale and then never again. 

Next week the Top 11 compete again with Team Pharrell down to two members. Will Korin keep herself out of the Bottom 2? Will Blake's country trio stay in tact? Will Pharrell show up without his sunglasses? We'll see what happens in the next two hour performance show. Til then!

The Voice Top 12 Perform: I'll Take The Chance

Hello and welcome back to The Voice! We haven't had too long of a break between seasons and yet so much seems to have happened. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton both broke my hearts when they announced the end of their respective marriages. I spent several hours listening to Miranda's "Mama's Broken Heart" to make me feel better. And is if the divorce news wasn't enough, Blake and Gwen are DATING. I mean, this is such a strange match up but I'm interested to see how this all plays out on live television. This sh*t is bananas!

Tonight the Top 12 take the stage and the coaches are out of saves and steals. Who has the stronger team going in to this last round? Personally, I'm for Team Gwen, but Team Adam might have the ringer this season. Let's see how they do!

Artist: Braiden Sunshine

Team: Gwen

Song: "Renegade" by Styx

The competition's youngest contestant takes on a rock song to kick off the show and he's a totally different kid when the stage lights go up. This little dude with curly hair and glasses in the rehearsal package has straight hair, contact lenses, and a confident attitude for this performance. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well he does with "Renegade." Braiden is not a full blown rock star here, but his vocals and use of the stage are definitely impressive. Great start. 

Coaches Say: Adam loves Braiden and loves watching him perform. Blake thinks the kid can do anything and Pharrell was impressed by the "cool runs" Braiden infused in the song. Gwen says she was initially scared by Braiden's song choice but thinks he did a great job.

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Artist: Amy Vachal

Team: Adam

Song: "Hotline Bling" by Drake

Adam's first contestant puts her own spin on a song that I never would have thought would be on her set list. Amy plays with the melodies and certainly gets creative. I think she loses lyrics at times in terms of annunciation, but overall I like her performance. She also gets bonus points for the mic stand matching the color of her dress. 

Coaches Say: Blake says there has never been a more elegant and classy version of a song about a booty call on the show. He then flirts with Gwen and Adam starts fanning himself. Pharrell is happy for Amy and says "you put so much of you into that song." Gwen tells Amy she looks pretty and says the performance was gorgeous. Adam thinks the song choice was bold and brave (pats self on back) and says she created an entirely new spin that he wants to download right now.

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Artist: Mark Hood

Team: Pharrell 

Song: "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins

Okay, confession: I hate this song. I loved it long before TV singing competitions were a thing...but so many contestants sang this on the various shows over the past decade, and I just can't anymore. I don't want to take a look. I'm sorry. So when I actually do bring myself to watch Mark, I'm relieved to see he's 100% thrown himself into the performance. His vocals are not always on point but his body language and emotions are there. Unfortunately, there's just no way for him to make me like the song. 

Coaches Say: Gwen thinks we saw a more sensitive side of Mark tonight and Adam says other artists can learn from Mark's drive. Pharrell stands up a second time and asks the crowd to join him and vote for Mark. 

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Artist: Emily Ann Roberts

Team: Blake

Song: "Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless

I do enjoy some Patty Loveless. Blake is looking to see more attitude from Emily Ann tonight and the 17 year old is eager to perform this song about "stupid boys." Heh. She stays up on a platform with the band all the way through the second verse though which doesn't leave her a lot of time to work the stage and show her personality. I actually didn't get much "attitude" from Emily Ann at all, but she sings the song very well and I'd like to see her stick around.

Coaches Say: Gwen tells Emily Ann that she is adorable and she's a star. Gwen didn't know the song (come on, Blake) but she really liked it. Adam thinks Emily Ann has grown up right before their eyes and Blake says she is starting to treat the stage like it's her stage. 

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Artist: Korin Bukowski

Team: Gwen

Song: "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia

This song helped Korin get through high school (which makes me feel incredibly old) and she wants to put her heart and soul into it tonight. Korin also went platinum blonde this week so there's a lot happening for her right now.  I always have a hard time getting past the Pitch Perfect awesomeness when I hear this song, but Korin's version has its own bit of awesomeness as well. There's a slow build to her performance and she definitely nails her notes. The hair, however, is going to take some getting used to...

Coaches Say: Pharrell asks Korin how she feels and tells her that having a great time is what it's all about. Gwen feels blessed to be part of Korin's journey and see says Korin showed everyone her range tonight. 

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Artist: Barrett Baber

Team: Blake

Song: "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx

Barrett isn't looking to "country the song up" but he is absolutely looking to tell the story. I'll be honest and say that I think this is a little snoozy. I'm a big fan of the song (and Richard Marx for sure) but I think this performance will be forgettable by the time the episode ends. 

Coaches Say: Adam loves the way Barrett attacks songs and Blake says what comes out of Barrett during his performances is 100% real. 

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Artist: Madi Davis

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Who Will Save Your Soul" by Jewel

Madi makes this Jewel tune more of a reggae song and I love it. She's a neat girl and I enjoy seeing what she does with her performances each week. Here's hoping Madi is in it for the long haul. 

Coaches Say: Gwen thinks it was fun to see Madi so free tonight and Blake says Madi has snuck up on the other contestants going into these live shows. Pharrell reminds us that Madi is 16 and encourages the crowd to go crazy...which they do.

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Artist: Jeffrey Austin

Team: Gwen

Song: "Let It Go" by James Bay

I'll admit that I do not know this song but it really doesn't matter. Jeffrey's voice is so powerful and so pure that I'm happily buying every word he's singing. My apologies to Madi, but this is the best performance so far tonight. 

Coaches Say: Adam says Jeffrey is growing so much on the show and he thinks Jeffrey is one of the best in the competition. Agreed. Blake tells Jeffrey his voice is strong and his pitch is perfect. Gwen says Jeffrey looks hot and thinks he took the song to a whole other place tonight. 

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Artist: Shelby Brown

Team: Adam

Song: "In Color" by Jamey Johnson

Okay. I don't know this song either and I feel like I might be slacking on popular music or something. Anyway, Adam is hoping Shelby will have "a moment" tonight but she's going to have to get out of her own head. I think she does a pretty good job of that. Shelby interacts with the crowd, her vocals are fantastic, and she really seems to love this song. Good for her. 

Coaches Say: Blake notes that Shelby got ahead of the band a bit but she hit some power notes that made up for it. I didn't even notice. Adam agrees, saying Shelby recovered with one of the most powerful notes of her life. 

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Artist: Evan McKeel

Team: Pharrell

Song: "This Is It" by Kenny Loggins

Evan is working on making his stage presence a little more natural. For me, this performance still comes across as 100% choreographed. He comes down a flight of stairs and skips back and forth on the stage for bit, stomps his feet a few times, skips some more, stomps his feet in the middle of the stage, etc. It's a shame too because I love Evan's voice. I actually went back through the performance again, just listening, and and I liked it so much better.

Coaches Say: Gwen thinks Evan was much more free tonight and he wowed her. Pharrell says that "when you share who you are with the world, it uplifts people."

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Artist: Jordan Smith

Team: Adam

Song: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" 

This gospel song is right in Jordan's wheelhouse. His college choir actually sang in the Vatican which is pretty amazing. Jordan begins the song a capella then accompanies himself on the piano. The band sits this one out and Jordan just blows me away. I've got tears, chills, goose bumps - you name it. Best of the night. 

Coaches Say: All of the coaches stand and rightfully so. Adam runs up and gives Jordan a hug and I'm a mess. Blake mentions the tragedy in Paris and how he has had a heavy heart the past few days. He looks at Jordan and says "Thank you for that." Pharrell says he stood up in the middle of the song and everyone should buy it. Adam thinks Jordan gives people a lot of hope and joy. He thanks Jordan as well. 

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Artist: Zach Seabaugh

Team: Blake

Song: "My Love" by Little Texas

We can go ahead and add this to the list of tunes I have never heard before tonight. What's the deal? In my defense though, Blake does say "My Love" is an old song. It's also kind of a boring and repetitive song. Zach does the best he can with it, but I think Blake did the teen heartthrob a disservice with this song choice. Given the number of fans Zach already has (most likely kissing his picture this evening), I'm sure he'll sail through to next week. Here's hoping he'll have a song that suits him more when we see him perform again. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell compliments Zach's range and calls him a professional. Gwen thinks Zach is a natural on stage and believes Zach is going to be a huge star. Blake says Zach could walk off the stage right now and go headline a tour. 

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Tomorrow we will lose one contestant and we will also see the return of the Stupid Twitter Save. Based on tonight's performances, Jordan and Jeffrey have set the bar super high, and Madi and Amy held their own as well with their creativity. Which coach will be down to two contestants first? We'll find out during the elimination hour. Til then!