It’s that time of the year, folks. With The Voice entering their first night of battle rounds this season, no vocalist is safe.
Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani had their work cut out for them last night. Not only did the judges have to pair up singers on their teams to compete against each other, but they had the misfortune of being forced to eliminate some from the team, too.
If you missed out on the first heated night of battle rounds, Celeb Secrets has the breakdown of which vocalists are in the clear and which vocalists sadly had to face their early demise.
Season 12 of The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday at 8PM on NBC.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQZWjs2Rv3I]
TEAM ADAM
BATTLE: Gaby Borromeo and Mark Isaiah, “Pillowtalk” by Zayn Malik
Winner:Â Mark Isaiah
Considering the song Levine chose fits best for a male, Isaiah was given a bit of an advantage in this round. The duo had great chemistry onstage together, but a winner had to be chosen either way. Although Borromeo fought her way through the song and gave a solid performance, it instantly felt as if Levine may have had his mind made up early on throughout the battle as to who he’d ultimately choose.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_DL5s4DNik]
TEAM BLAKE
BATTLE: Brennley Brown vs. Lauren Duski, “Better Man” by Little Big Town
Winner:Â Lauren Duski
Although 14-year-old Brennley is unexperienced compared to the seasoned Duski, she held her own against her. Naturally, this forced Shelton to make a tough decision in the end. Shelton may have wisely chosen Duski in the end, but his other half–Stefani–in the end decided to bring Brennley to her team.
BATTLE: Ashley Levin vs. Casi Joy, “How Blue” by Reba McEntire
Winner:Â Casi Joy
It’s fair to say that both Levin and Joy killed their rendition of Reba McEntire’s “How Blue.” So much so, Shelton gave the pair a standing ovation by the song’s end. Likewise, we don’t know how Shelton made the tough decision to let one of these strong vocalists. However, we believe that he made the right choice in choosing Joy because her overall stage presence was much stronger. Fortunately, after a triple steal, Levin was saved by Keys who decided to take a stab at coaching a country artist.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPn6cQHJsPE]
TEAM GWEN
BATTLE: JChosen vs. Kenny P, “I Was Made to Love You” by Stevie Wonder
Winner:Â JChosen
Kenny P did his best to hold his own throughout this Stevie Wonder rendition, but he can’t touch the soulfulness and vocal abilities that JChosen possesses. Although Stefani wisely chose JChosen to remain on her team, Levine mostly likely secretly hoped that she’d let the vocalist go so that he could steal him immediately.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j6JaU5uTDk]
TEAM ALICIA
THE VOICE — “Battle Rounds” — Pictured: (l-r) Missy Robertson, Anatalia Villaranda — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)
BATTLE: Anatalia Villaranda vs. Missy Robinson, “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae
Winner:Â Anatalia Villaranda
Do not underestimate the young talent this season. Although this 16 year old is small in size, Villaranda proves that she deserves to stay by showing off her larger than life personality and strong vocals throughout her performance. The pair managed to compliment each other vocally onstage, even getting Keys to dance in her seat. However, Villaranda tended to stand out because she brought the whole package.
BATTLE: Felicia Temple vs. Quizz Swanigan, “Titanium” by David Guetta (ft. Sia)
Winner:Â Quizz Swanigan
In this round, age proved to be a huge advantage in Swanigan winning. The pair sang the popular Top-40 hit well, but not necessarily as complimentary as other pairings that performed that night. Although Keys surprisingly picked the 13 year old, we think she made the wrong decision. Fortunately, Shelton had his eye on Temple throughout the performance and nabbed her to join his team. We believe this will benefit her in the long run because of Shelton’s winning streak throughout the show.
