NBC/Tyler GoldenOn Monday night’s The Voice, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson continued trying to add to their teams.
The show ended with Kelly using “The Block” — which gives the coaches one chance each to block one of their rival coaches from getting an artist — to keep Jennifer from nailing the biggest artist of the night, and claiming the singer for herself.
Here are the highlights of Monday night’s episode:
Nashville native Dave Fenley, 39, auditioned with Travis Tritt‘s ”Help Me Hold On.” Addressing the camera earlier, he was counting on Blake to turn his chair around for him, but would’ve gladly taken Kelly as well. Kelly turned around midway through the first verse, Blake was a little slower pulling the trigger. The two coaches went back and forth showing off their knowledge of country music, but after a lot of consideration, he chose Team Blake, out of deference to his mom.
Boston’s Steve Memmolo has been told he looks like another famous Beantown native, Ben Affleck. His performance of “Spooky,” by Classics IV got Adam and Jennifer to bite, touching off a battle between the two to prove who could help Steve get the most from his slick, soulful singing style. Ultimately, it was Adam who claimed Memmolo for his team.
Audri Bartholomew hails from Missouri by way of Los Angeles. She performed her take on “Never Enough,” from The Greatest Showman, sung originally by The Voice season 3 contestant Loren Allred. Jennifer, impressed with Bartholomew’s brave song choice, turned around for Audri, who even coaxed JHud to sing a snippet of the song with her.
Rachel Messer, a 19-year-old country girl from West Virginia, impressed Kelly with her yodeling on the Patsy Montana classic, “I Wanna Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” Clarkson thought she had this one in the bag, until a last minute turn by Blake spoiled her plans. Shelton went on to nab the young singer by convincing her that he, as a traditional artist, understand the need for singers like her in country music.
Chevel Shepherd is a tiny 16-year-old – she’s four-foot-10 – with a big voice, and yes, she’s named after the classic car — a “rock star” name,” according to her dad. Her rendition of The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” got Kelly, Blake and Jennifer to turn their big red chairs, although it was really a two-way battle between Kelly and Blake. Despite crushing on Blake, the teen shocked everyone — including Kelly — by picking her.
Another Nashville native, Natasia Greycloud had her sights set on Kelly turning around for her and accomplished that with her version of Sam Smith’s “I’m Not the Only One.” To make things even more interesting, Jennifer turned her chair. After what seemed like more of a love-fest between the two coaches than a fight, Hudson, touting her film and theater experience, snatched the artist away for her team.
Gospel singer Kymberli Joye, whose professional credits include singing backup for Childish Gambino, closed out the show with Whitney Houston’s “Run to You.” Kelly turned her chair, followed by Jennifer and Blake. However, Clarkson knocked Hudson out of the running by using “The Block.” JHud took her revenge on Kelly by trying to convince Kymberli to choose Blake, who also fought hard for the contestant. However, in this match, it was Kelly who prevailed.
The blind auditions continue with a one-hour The Voice episode airing Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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