‘The Voice’ season 23 episode 5 recap: Blind Auditions continue for Kelly, Chance, Niall and Blake [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]

John Benutty and Denton Davidson
·8 min read
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“The Voice” Season 23 Blind Auditions continue on March 20 with Blake Shelton, Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper and Kelly Clarkson all vying to discover and coach the next singing phenomenon.

The show’s innovative format features five stages of competition: Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and Live Performance Shows. Shelton announced last year that this season would be his last. Can the nine-time champ make it an even 10 before signing off for good?

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Below, read our minute-by-minute “The Voice” recap of Season 23, Episode 5 to find out what happened Monday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite artists on NBC’s long-running reality TV show, which coach you’re rooting for and who you think will ultimately join “The Voice” winners list for this 23rd season. Carson Daly hosts the Emmy-winning program.

TEAM BLAKE: Neil Salsich, Tasha Jessen, Alex Whalen, Carlos Rising, Walker Wilson, EJ Michels, Mary Kate Connor

TEAM NIALL: Ross Clayton, Michael B., Kala Banham, Ryley Tate Wilson, Jerome Godwin III, Laura Littleton, Kate Cosentino, Tiana Goss

TEAM CHANCE: Sorelle, Noivas, Magnus, Jamar Langley, Manasseh Samone, Chloe Abbott

TEAM KELLY: Holly Brand, D.Smooth, Sheer Element, Allie Keck, ALI, Marcos Covos

SEE Everything to know about ‘The Voice’ Season 23: Mega Mentor announced

Keep refreshing/reloading this “The Voice” live blog for the most recent updates.

8:00 p.m. – “Previously on ‘The Voice’!” In Episode 4, blind auditions continued with five artists advancing to the Battles. With all blocks having been played, each coach must win over an artist fair and square moving forward. Let’s find out who moves forward from tonight’s crop!

8:01 p.m. – Singer and dancer Mariah Kalia kicked off the night with her audition to “idontwannabeyouanymore.” It took only a few lines of the song for Chance and Niall to turn their chairs and it seemed like Kelly and Blake were content to let the new coaches fight it out amongst themselves, despite clearly liking what Mariah was doing with the song. Chance loved her tone and stage presence, calling her mature for a 17 year old. Niall liked she expanded on the “soft and whispery” interpretation that most singers do with Billie Eilish songs. Niall tried to make the case that opposite styles could attract in this case and they’d make a great team, but Mariah decided that Chance would be the stronger choice.

8:11 p.m. – Up next was Kylee Dayne with “Fallingwater” who got very late chair turns from Chance, Blake and Niall. Chance said he liked the control that she showed in the higher register and that she’s “eclectic and different.” Niall mentioned that Kylee “gave us everything” in the performance and said there’s a lot they can do together with her big voice. Blake said he decided to turn his chair when she started hitting the bigger notes because he thinks she can put together powerful performances. Blake pulled out all the stops with his oversized light-up “pick Blake” finger hanging from the ceiling and the gag worked to get Kylee to join his team.

8:22 p.m. – Joe with the Flow brought his guitar to the stage for his version of “Mystery of Love,” which did not show off the rapping skills he displayed in his package. The song choice was a miscalculation that did not get any chair turns. Blake told him that “the performance never really got on track” and acknowledged that it was a hard song to sing. Niall called the performance pitchy and Chance urged him to come back next year. Before he left the stage the coaches let Joe perform an original rap, but there was no changing the outcome.

8:31 p.m. – Expecting the judges to be surprised by her voice, 18 year old Gina Miles performed “The One That Got Away” to the delight of both Kelly and Niall. Kelly was certainly surprised at how small Gina’s speaking voice is when her singing voice was so big. Niall said that Gina’s voice has a lot of character and for her age she had a lot of control. Kelly noticed that Gina had her eyes closed while she was performing and said that she could be a good teacher for her with breath control and combatting the stage nerves. After admitting that he’s not the biggest singer out there, Niall was able to get Gina to pick his team because of his ability to perform with feeling.

8:44 p.m. – Strawberry farmer Kason Lester sang “It’s Not Over” for the coaches, impressing Blake with a strong rock and roll voice. It was an automatic win for Blake, but Chance said that he would have turned his chair if he thought rock was in his lane. Blake was happy to get a rock artist and so it sounded like a perfect match between him and Kason.

8:54 p.m. – Currently going through the “writer rounds” in Nashville, JB Somers brings the memory of his sister to his artistry in the hopes of honoring her talents with his own. He sang “A Case of You” with her in mind. Kelly was taken by the texture of his voice and Chance couldn’t get enough of the high notes he was hitting. Kelly said that after she turned around it was “even more beautiful” to watch him perform and she would love to have him on her team. Chance mentioned that he’s particular about people covering Joni Mitchell, but he liked his strategic approach to the high notes and said that he has no one like him on his team. Kelly and Chance both fought really hard for JB and this time Kelly won the fight.

9:07 p.m. – Alison Bailey went with “Rescue” for her audition and though it was special for her to be performing in her grandmother’s presence, none of the coaches turned their chairs for her. Kelly said that her youth was apparent because she didn’t quite hit all the notes she went for. Niall told her to work “in the alto world” and practice her breathing and Chance said this is just a step in her career and she can continue to rise.

9:15 p.m. – Because his creativity peaks late at night, Ray Uriel said that he often practices in his car at night so as not to disturb his neighbors. Though he grew up singing, he put it all on hold to help his mom raise his siblings, so the trip to the show is about finding his voice and place in music again. His audition of “Glimpse of Us” was looking like it’d be a strike out, but at the very last note of the song Chance turned his chair and brought Ray over to his team with an automatic bid. Chance told him he reminds him of a recording artist and that even with the shaky moments he sees the potential in him to do well with a variety of songs.

9:26 p.m. – Chance also brought Alyssa Lazar over to his team following her take on “Maybe I’m Amazed.” He liked her unique voice and appreciates that she’s the only rock singer on his team.

9:33 p.m. – As a huge Kelly fan, Rachel Christine was hoping she’d get selected to join her team, but Chance was willing to fight Kelly for her based on “Uninvited.” Blake said he didn’t turn his chair because he was creeped out by the music to the song, but managed to put a good word in for Team Chance. Niall noticed the power in her voice and thought that he wouldn’t know what to do with it so he didn’t turn either. Kelly said she achieved something really difficult with that song, but advised her that as a coach she’d show her how to be “more wild” and less controlled. Chance said she has an amazing tone and sees her as an artist that could win the whole competition. Despite Chance making a strong case and turning first, Rachel just had to join Team Kelly.

9:41 p.m. – Domenica Coka was striving for an emotional connection to “When I Look at You,” but unfortunately it didn’t resonate with any of the coaches. Kelly acknowledged that she has a powerful voice, but she found the performance pitchy. Niall and Chance both cheered Domenica on to go back and work on returning to the show next season for another chance.

9:52 p.m. – Voiceover artist Cait Martin flipped “As It Was” on its head in her audition and earned the respect of Kelly right away. Niall was next to turn his chair, followed by Chance and then Blake to give us the fifth four-chair turn of the season so far. Kelly said she turned quickly because her “beautiful vibrato” was clear and she could tell that she was a powerful vocalist. Blake made the pitch that he’d be able to win his last season with Cait. Niall offered that they could connect on a storyteller level and likes that she had executed a different take on the song with so much control. Chance likened Cait’s lower tones to Whitney Houston which seemed impressive to Cait, but ultimately Cait decided to go in the direction her parents were urging her to from the sidelines and that was for Team Kelly.

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