Pictured: (l-r) Bryan Bautista, Nick Hagelin, Paxton Ingram, Laith Al-Saadi, Alisan Porter, Emily Keener, Mary Sarah, Daniel Passino, Shalyah Fearing, Hannah Huston, Owen Danoff, Adam Wakefield — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
The Voice 10 Top 12 was revealed tonight, and there were a few surprises. The biggest unexpected outcome was Blake Shelton saving Paxton Ingram, a singer who charted outside of the Top 200 on iTunes. He said he “believed in him.” But if The Voice fans don’t, what’s the point of wasting the save? If he wanted to keep him team diverse, Joe Maye has been a fan favorite all along. Granted, his performances could be uneven, but at least he had a shot of lasting more than a minute. I wonder if there are behind the scenes goings on we don’t know about. You never know how difficult a singer might be to coach or how teachable they are. I’m sure those considerations figure into whether a coach’s decision to keep or let someone go.
The rest of the saves made sense. It’s a shame Owen Danoff and Bryan Bautista didn’t sail into the finals. Their coaches, Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera would have been foolish not to save them. Owen’s need to be rescued, in particular, surprised me. Could Pharrell Williams asking America to vote for Laith Al-Saadi after his performance Tuesday night, garnered the singer some votes? Or maybe the older The Voice demo was drawn in by his rough hewn vocal and musicality, which harkens back to the rock musicians of the day.
I’m thinking Voice brass are looking forward to season 11. Adding Miley Cyrus to the panel is surely a bid to draw in a younger demo. And if they lose a few of the old ones as a trade off? I’m sure they wouldn’t lose sleep. However, alienating a core demo is a risky move. Just ask ex-American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe about American Idol’s season 12 disaster.
Anyway! It bodes well for Blake’s Mary Sarah that a weak performance last week didn’t deter viewers from voting for her. And let’s all say a little prayer for the front runner that never was. Ryan Quinn seemed to be Adam’s secret weapon after the singer’s sensational Blind Audition. That is, until his coach gave him up to Christina during the Knockouts. After that, he really didn’t stand a chance. When Xtina brought back handsome Nick Hagelin and his cute baby backstory back to the Playoffs, Ryan was done.
Here’s the thing. Christina can brag that her team was one of the strongest in The Voice history. And it was! But it was no accident. There was a pattern of not turning chairs, giving up contestants in the middle rounds, allowing her to bring back fan favorites, etc. Her team was stuffed by design. We get it! The producers want to break the girl curse. Unfortunately, because the talent wasn’t spread around all the teams, The Top 12 has suffered. Bye bye Ryan Quinn! Hello cornball Dan Passino! Ugh. Christina’s Tamar Davis is another singer that deserved a second chance. It is what it is.
OK Let’s do some polls!
Favorite Contestant
Favorite Team
DUMBEST Coach Save
Most Robbed Eliminated Contestant
Grade the Episode
Pictured: (l-r) Emily Keener, Daniel Passino, Pharrell Williams, Hannah Huston — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
Pictured: (l-r) Shalyah Fearing, Adam Levine, Laith Al-Saadi, Owen Danoff — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
Pictured: (l-r) Nick Hagelin, Christina Aguilera, Alisan Porter, Bryan Bautista — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
Pictured: (l-r) Paxton Ingram, Blake Shelton, Adam Wakefield, Mary Sarah — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
