The Voice 11 Live Playoffs - Take the Polls! Vote for Your Favorites

Man oh man. Well, that was something. Twenty performances, 8 eliminations, Top 12 revealed all in the space of two hours. It was a lot to digest and the rushed pace didn’t serve the contestants very well. The format made it difficult for an underdog to deliver a game changing performance. Consider the fact that half the country was effectively left out of the vote. Invested west coast fans could hunt down an illegal stream or vote on a performance they didn’t see.

The format insured predictable results. The only surprise occurred on Adam’s team, when country singer Josh Gallagher prevailed over young crooner Riley Elmore. Adam compounded the surprise by choosing Brendan Fletcher as the third member of his team and sending Riley home. I’m not complaining. It was a nice surprise. I was convinced Riley, who owned his own musical lane in this competition, was destined for the Top 12 in one way or another. Brendan has got something special while Riley needs a few more years to mature.

The format had an upside, however. I didn’t miss the lame coaches banter one little bit. More music less talking please. The jam-packed show meant something had to go. Ditching coaches remarks after the performances was a good call.

I was a little disappointed that Team Blake’s soul singer Jason Warrior and the bluesy guitarist, Kylie Rothfield from Team Alicia didn’t advance. But I’m not surprised. Both ultimately performed the wrong songs at the wrong time. The best performance of the night for me was Team Miley’s Ali Caldwell. She was the only singer that managed to leave a lasting impression.

In any case, host Carson Daly indicated on twitter that the format change only served as a way around the presidential election dilemma and would not be a permanent change.

Next Monday: The Top 12 perform, with mentoring from country superstar Garth Brooks!

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The Voice 11 Live Playoffs – Take the Polls! Vote for Your Favorites