The Voice Recap: The Knockouts End With a Stunning Sing-Off — and a Game-Changing Twist
The end of Season 24’s Knockouts on The Voice wasn’t necessarily the end of the line for four lucky eliminees. Following a particularly excellent three-way sing-off, Carson Daly informed coaches John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire of a change to the rules that allowed them each to invite one contestant back to the show. Who were their picks? That, we won’t find out until Monday’s episode. In the meantime, let’s recap what may have been the KOs’ best night.
Team Legend: Mac Royals singing “Lost Without U” (Grade: A) defeated Taylor Deneen singing “Sweet Thing” (Grade: A+) and Brandon Montel singing “Nobody Gets Me” (Grade: B) — Taylor saved by John | Kicking off the evening, Mac broke the swag-o-meter with his beyond smooth and sexy Robin Thicke cover. Mega Mentor Wynonna Judd hit the nail on the head when she described him as “slick as snot on a doorknob.” And that voice? So rich, it’s gotta be filed under “guilty pleasures.” Given the unenviable task of following Mac, Taylor, undaunted, delivered a take on Rufus and Chaka Khan’s classic that was the vocal equivalent of sunshine breaking through the clouds. By the time she was finished, I’d actually changed my mind about who had won the Knockout and felt that it was her and not Mac. Sen. Sa. Tion. Al. Could Brandon possibly top his predecessors? In a word, no. His rendition of SZA’s ballad was quite good, but he doesn’t seem to possess either his predecessors’ range or blazingly bright charisma.
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Team Reba: Jordan Rainer singing “hole in the bottle” (Grade: A) defeated Caitlin Quisenberry and Elizabeth Evans | In another one of those KOs where we don’t hear so much as a second of the losers’ performances, Jordan, described by her coach as witty, mysterious and crafty, ripped right on through Kelsea Ballerini’s hit in such a way that… well, we probably didn’t need to hear her teammates, because the winner was just. That. Obvious. Only problem with Jordan is that I’m not sure which I’d rather see: her concert or her stand-up act.
Team Niall: Alexa Wildish singing “Believe” (Grade: A++) defeated Lennon VanderDoes singing “I Won’t Give Up” (Grade: A) and Julia Roome singing “Unstoppable” (Grade: A-) | First up, Alexa delivered a stripped-down version of Cher’s smash that was so, so freaking gorgeous and emotionally resonant, it left even me crying. And if you’ve never typed a recap while watching a TV show, lemme tell ya: You’re in a hurry, you’re trying to keep up, you’ve got a lot going on, and Alexa just tore through all of that, grabbed my heart and squeezed. Hard. What a star. (Hear what I mean below.) Second at the mic, Julia sent my jaw dropping to the floor. Her performance was so self-possessed, so strong, I felt bad thinking that Alexa was going to send her packing. Julia’s voice just didn’t quit. Wowza. Batting cleanup, Lennon unbelievably matched the firepower of his competitors. His rendition of Jason Mraz’s hit was saturated with energy and passion — so much so that he left the coaching panel weeping.
So, which singers would you bring back to the competition if you could? And to whom do you predict the coaches will throw lifelines? After voting in the poll below, let loose in the comments.
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