‘The Voice’ Recap: Shocking Save Inspired By One ‘Voice’ Coach’s Heartfelt Plea
NBC’s The Voice results show marked the first time this season that the contestants’ fates were fully in America’s hands. Did you correctly guess the Bottom 3? Going by iTunes predictions, it seemed pretty obvious which Voice hopefuls were in danger of singing for their lives.
But before beginning the suspenseful elimination process, The Voice opened with a performance of “Chains” by pop star Nick Jonas. The number included a lot of smoke, dancing women dressed as sexy police officers, and falsetto. As a former guest coach whose music has been performed on the show before (Season 7 saw Chris Jamison perform “Jealous”), he’s enjoyed a great deal of exposure on The Voice over the last couple of years.
It was revealed that the Top 10 would have the benefit of working with top producers, including Mark Ronson. After this exciting news, Carson Daly called the first three save Voice contestants. First to be added to the Top 10 was Kimberly Nichole from Team Christina. The Tina Turner-esque powerhouse did a show-stopping version of “House of the Rising Sun,” which made it all the way to No. 2 on the iTunes charts.
Also saved on The Voice was Sawyer Fredericks from Team Pharrell and Meghan Linsey from Team Blake. At this point in the show, Adam Levine was the odd Voice coach out, which may be a sign he doesn’t have a prayer of winning Season 8.
The Voice exclusive: @AdamLevine shares the best moment of his life http://t.co/k9frdmz6F5 pic.twitter.com/tjoPzHJrSj
— TV Guide (@TVGuide) April 10, 2015
His best chance, and a man I consider this season’s dark horse, is Joshua Davis. Davis’ Top 10’s shot is in question after an awkward performance (who missed their cue?) of “Midnight Hour” by Blake Shelton. The Voice audience also saved India Carney from Team Christina and Hannah Kirby from Team Blake. And here is where the iTunes ranking fails to predict at least one member of the Bottom 3. Although sales of Kirby’s version of “Edge of Seventeen” didn’t sell, she continues to be a popular Voice hopeful. Organic voting rather than iTunes sales saved her.
RT @iamhannahkirby sings ‘Edge of Seventeen’ on The Voice 8 #VoiceTop12 #TheVoice http://t.co/hErgonuGpD pic.twitter.com/DAYDWlODso
— The Voice (@nbcthe_voice) April 14, 2015
But with India not taking her place in the predicted bottom, it made for a suspenseful wait for the bottom three. Prior to that announcement, Team Christina performed an R&B take on the Eagles classic “Hotel California.”
By the time the moment of truth arrived, it was beginning to look like the original prediction just might hold up. But in the end, the Voice audience saved Koryn Hawthorne from Team Pharell, Rob Taylor from Team Christina, and Corey Kent White from Team Blake.
This meant that Brian Johnson, Mia Z, and Deanna Johnson were Bottom 3 on The Voice this week. It also meant that Voice coach Adam Levine was in danger of losing half of his team!
Who are you voting to save? #TheVoice #VoiceResults pic.twitter.com/OsBhaQYkMe
— The Voice on tvtag (@tvtagTheVoice) April 15, 2015
Sixteen-year-old Mia Z sang the bluesy “Stormy Monday.” Vocally she was on point, but her enunciation suffered. I had difficulty understanding much of what she sang. Voice contestant Brian Johnson sang “Amazed By You;” it was so much better than his Sting cover that one might blame his place in the Bottom 3 on terrible song choice. Deanna Johnson sang “It Will Rain.” She was the weakest of the three. Levine blamed it on her lack of self-confidence, which was painfully apparent.
When it came time for the “instant save,” fans of The Voice were given five minutes to vote eagerly to save just one of the remaining singers. It was close. Throughout the commercial break, Deanna and Brian were in a dead heat with 35 percent of the votes each. Mia Z trailed behind, with 30 percent of the Voice instant save votes.
The Voice instant save window closed, and the artist who advanced to the Top 10 was Deanna Johnson. She owes her spot to one heck of a last-minute speech by coach Adam Levine. He wanted the Voice audience to help Deanna believe it herself. Hopefully, this affirmation will give Deanna the confidence boost she needs to do better in the future.
How do you feel about the Voice Bottom 3? Does Deanna Johnson deserve to continue to feature on The Voice? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this shocking turn of events!
[Image Credit: The Voice YouTube]
