‘The Voice’ Top 11: The Frontrunners And Bottom 2 According To iTunes


As we inch closer to the Top 10, it’s becoming increasingly clear that The Voice Season 9 is far more competitive than many people imagined. However, all signs point to the battle waging largely between Team Adam and Team Blake — with either Team Gwen or Team Pharrell waiting in the wings with a surprise dark horse winner.

If iTunes is to be believed, many of us that assumed Jordan Smith had all but already won may have miscalculated. As of now, the top trending Voice artist on iTunes happens to be Amy Vachal. The decision to have Vachal put her unique spin on popular music may be what keeps her on The Voice all the way to the season finale.

It’s still too early to see if her style will be enough to wrest the “main frontrunner” crown from Jordan Smith. Right now, and according to results compiled using PopVortex, the top four frontrunners are Jordan Smith, Amy Vachal, Jeffery Austin, and Emily Ann Roberts. I wasn’t sure about the producers’ decision to sandwich her between Jordan Smith and Jeffrey Austin. However, her overall likeability combined with being the last country artist of the night were a potent combination.

Meanwhile, Shelby Brown, having gone first out of all the Voice artists, was all but forgotten by evening’s end. Her version of “You and I” didn’t really inspire iTunes sales. I hope she inspired a significant amount of votes. Otherwise, she’s in serious danger of leaving The Voice. Should Shelby Brown go out this week, it would also eliminate the protective buffer Team Adam has against Team Blake.

A Voice contestant also in danger of leaving The Voice is Braiden Sunshine. At least, Braiden is in jeopardy of exiting the show if you trust PopVortex and the iTunes ranking alone. More than once Braiden has looked on paper like an artist heading off The Voice. However, he has the “adorable” factor. That means that no matter how badly Braiden does, his cuteness will save him. This usually happens to one or more singers until the show is simply too competitive to be influenced by a block of fangirl votes.

Having said that, I do think it would be really harsh for Braiden Sunshine to fail to make The Voice Top 10. Especially since one other artist did worse — while having previously been near elimination twice.

Will Korin Bukowski evade a third near-elimination scenario on The Voice? That’s a question that will be answered tonight as all signs point to Korin being on the chopping block yet again. Last week, Bukowski was spared because her instant save hashtag outperformed Team Pharrell’s Mark Hood. Should she find herself in a similar situation tonight, it will be difficult to pull off a similar escape.

Although she’s not last on iTunes (which would suggest an entirely different Bottom 2), she’s above two people who may find themselves ahead of her in the overall rankings: Shelby Brown, a country music artist, and Braiden Sunshine, “adorable fangirl bait.” The voting blocks that support these two could lift them despite their poor iTunes rankings. That means Korin Bukowski would likely fall below them and into the last place in the Top 11.

Should that happen, there’s a chance she’ll be paired with an artist that (1) will out sing her (2) has stronger fan support or (3) both.

As things currently stand, iTunes/PopVortex predicts a Bottom 2 consisting of Shelby Brown and Braiden Sunshine. With the uncertainty of voting surrounding Shelby and Braiden, it’s also possible we could see a Bottom 2 featuring Evan McKeel.

Keeping past voting trends in mind, I predict Korin Bukowski and Shelby Brown will both be on the bottom. Amy Vachal, Jordan Smith, Jeffrey Austin, and Emily Ann Roberts will all most likely be safe from elimination. The Voice artist headed home and missing the Top 10 will probably be Korin Bukowski.

Do you think my predictions are correct or off the mark? Share your own predictions in the comments below, along with your reaction to the Voice live results!

[Image via NBC Universal]

Share this article: ‘The Voice’ Top 11: The Frontrunners And Bottom 2 According To iTunes
More from Inquisitr