The Voice Recap: A Half-Dozen (!) More Singers Knocked Out Ahead of Season 24’s Playoffs
The Voice isn’t even to Season 24’s Playoffs yet, but one contestant after another was played off, so to speak, during Monday’s episode. On Night 3 of the Knockouts, no fewer than six singers were eliminated — including two whose swan songs went unheard. Who managed to advance? Read on, and we’ll discuss not only who was invited to continue on but whether they deserved to.
Christmas Time Is Here! Your Guide to 100+ Holiday Movies on Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix and Others
Team Legend: Lila Forde singing “Fire and Rain” (Grade: B) defeated Stee singing “Pretty Wings” (Grade: B+) and Deejay Young singing “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” (Grade: B+) — Stee stolen by Gwen | Starting out the evening, Deejay flirted with the camera like the two of ’em were gonna need a hotel room by the end of the song. Dude’s a charisma machine and quite the showman. But he wasn’t all style, no substance; by the end of his Mint Condition cover, he’d demonstrated ear-popping range and a gift for having fun with it. Following Deejay, Lila wowed the coaching panel with a perfectly pleasant rendition of James Taylor’s classic. And I love that kinda music. I definitely wouldn’t change the channel if Lila’s version came on the radio. But was it special? Nah. Just lovely and “nice.” Rounding out the trio, Stee let loose an impressively confident vocal on Maxwell’s ballad and brought to the stage arguably as much presence as Deejay, just a different flavor.
More from TVLine
The Irrational Gets Additional Season 1 Episode Order at NBC
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Grade the Premiere of Apple TV+'s 'Godzilla Series'
Team Gwen: BIAS singing “You Should Probably Leave” (Grade: B) defeated Jason Arcilla and Jenna Marquis | OK, this was a different way of abbreviating a Knockout. The show played us a good chunk of BIAS’ performance — so we could actually hear that yeah, he sounded strong and spirited. But it didn’t show us any of his teammates’ numbers, so we couldn’t decide for ourselves whether he should have won the KO. I think I’m OK with this, as I’d rather see more of the contestant who advances. But that may just be because I wasn’t ever all that into Jason and don’t even remember poor Jenna.
Team Niall: Huntley singing “Wanted Dead or Alive” (Grade: A-) defeated Noah Spencer singing “Where Rainbows Never Die” (Grade: A) and Claudia B. singing “Don’t Know Why” (Grade: B+) — Claudia saved by Niall, Noah stolen by Reba | First beneath the spotlight, Claudia altogether redeemed herself after a snooze-worthy Battle (at least compared to former teammate Mara Justine!) with a Knockout that was smooth, silky and irresistibly sumptuous. Obviously, Norah Jones’ hit is much more the kind of song that she should be singing. Next up, Huntley secured his place in the competition from the first note of the Deadliest Catch theme song Bon Jovi’s smash. His vocal was big, bold, almost unbeatable. Almost. For my money, Noah gave the better performance, singing with as much power as Huntley but a whole lot more nuance and intentionality. And not for nothing, but he was the only one of the three to make Reba cry.
Team Reba: Ruby Leigh singing “Blue” (Grade: A) defeated Ms. Monét singing “Best of My Love” (Grade: B-) and Rachele Nguyen singing “Die From a Broken Heart” (Grade: C+) | I was really looking forward to Ms. Monét’s take on the Emotions’ oldie… until I heard it. She was a blast to watch, for sure, but vocally, she was kinda all over the map — and not in a “Let me show you what I can do” way. I’d expected a performance as polished as it was entertaining. (Also: Does a whistle note still count as a whistle note if the singer barely gets it out?) Second to run the gauntlet was Ruby, who sang not just powerfully but as if her heart was breaking with every line. And whereas Ms. Monét’s whistle note had fallen a bit flat, Ruby’s yodel slayed. Last up, Rachele, who shrewdly chose a country song — all the better to appeal to Reba fans… well, if she’d gotten that far — teed up a reminder of how pretty her voice is. But she was a little shaky here and there, and was it just me, or did it feel as if her vocal was rushed?
Team Gwen: Kara Tenae singing “Leave (Get Out)” (Grade: C) defeated Kristen Brown singing “This One’s for the Girls” (Grade: B) and CORii singing “Ain’t It Fun” (Grade: B-) — Kristen stolen by John | OK, look, CORii can sing. She can hit notes. But her performance reminded me of an accountant going wild at the karaoke party that the company threw to celebrate the holidays. Nothing about it seemed authentic. Tripping over the low bar that she set was Kara, who wandered in and out of pitch on a JoJo cover that was no KO; I had anticipated more (and can’t have been the only one… or was I?). Finally, Kristen took to the stage with a Martina McBride number that may not have been the best choice ever. But it still provided her with enough of a showcase to mop the floor with her competitors. Wish she hadn’t sounded so iffy on her big notes, but at least she landed them. Mostly. Not a great Knockout on which to end the evening. Would you agree?
Whose performance was your favorite? Vote in the poll below, then back up your vote in the comments.
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
