Team Cee Lo’s Star Gets Knocked Out on ‘The Voice’
Last night’s whoa moment on The Voice was the sudden surprise of pick-to-win teen triple-threat Avery Wilson footworking himself right out of the competition. Wilson did Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3X,” dancing up such a storm that he got winded. Wilson apparently thought this was so in the bag that all he had to do was jump around and grab his crotch emphatically – and he bet wrong! In fact, in a major upset, he was edged out of his slot by fantastic cowboy Cody Belew doing an operatic version of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene,” just pleading for that homewrecking hussy not to take his man. Cee Lo was obviously shocked by this unexpected turn but was just as evidently pleased to have someone who’d take Jolene out of the box.
Power rankings FYI: Monday’s show only covered the eviscerations of Team Cee Lo and Team Adam.
Coach: Adam Levine
Rank: #1
For all his love of Bono-wannabes and soulful young bros, Levine pared his team down to three women who clearly grew up singing along to Mariah and Beyoncé records (Joselyn Rivera, Amanda Brown and Loren Allred), along with quirky-pie Melanie Martinez and, inexplicably, the meh Bryan Keith, who squeaked past with a big-note finish on Bryan Adams’ leaden “Everything I Do I Do It For You.” As much as judges are grooming more dynamic teams this year, it always comes down to who can sing the loudest, highest and most soul-screamiest; this is a divas battle. Now Levine has a stable of them, including two of the most flawless voices in the competition: Rivera and Brown. Brown did “Paris (Ooh La La)” and got all hard-rock dazzle – here’s hoping Adam throws Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” her way for the win.
Coach: Cee Lo Green
Rank: #2
Team Cee Lo got whittled down to a five-man sausage fest last night, losing one of its stars in Wilson along the way. The remainder of the team is now a little uneven in terms of talent. It’s hard to imagine that the formerly comatose MacKenzie Bourg, even when adding some teen sensuality to “Call Me Maybe,” can hold a candle to the way Trevin Hunte takes everyone to church and ends in tears every single time he touches the mic. Still, Team Cee Lo retains its spunk: Nicholas David’s wardrobe is show-stealing: his lavender shoes/pink suit/flowing hair/blueblocker grandpa sunglasses/friendship bracelet/rings makes the dapperdiculous Cee Lo, in his silken medical tunic (or whatever he had on this episode – it’s very “upscale male nurse”), look like he needs to fire his stylist. Diego Val, ever in his culottes, popped around the stage like a Latino Gwen Stefani and sold his “Are You Gonna Go My Way” purely on aerobic machismo.
Best worst facepulling from a coach: Christina Aguilera‘s “who farted/no scrubs” eyeballing of Nicholas David, despite his righteously funky version of “Put Your Records On.”
Best dismissive coaching comment: Levine on Sam James’ Joe Cocker-esque over-pronunciation of “Memphis” as “Mamfeece” made it sound like a disease.
Most heart tugging elimination reel: As soon as Cee Lo pitted Terisa Griffin (in sparkly cast and crutches, surely the first woman to grace The Voice stage in flats) against Trevin, she shed a lonely tear and it soon became clear that the two had grown family-tight and just didn’t want to compete against each other directly. Terisa got axed for a flawless Whitney song, and her exit interview was essentially her consoling a sobbing Hunte, who explained how the experienced Griffin been diligently coaching him the entire competition. “Don’t cry about what God gave you!” she admonished him through tears. UGH!
Previously: Team Cee Lo’s Breakout Star Melts ‘Titanium’ on The Voice