Christina Aguilera Plucks Teen Diva From Team Adam on ‘The Voice’
Last night’s peak moment on The Voice came when Christina Aguilera reminded us that while the ladies may scream every time Adam Levine flashes those dimples, this is pretty much her show. After Adam pitted two high school divas-in-training, Alessandra Guercio and Kayla Nevarez, against one another, he cast Guercio aside for being too formal and lacking confidence. After the discard, Christina sprung a pep talk, telling Guercio that she identified with being too-perfectly-trained. Then, in a moment of surprise, Aguilera hit her button to “steal” Guercio for Team Xtina, assuring the singer that “no woman should feel not confident on any level,” and that she was going to help Guercio change that.
The power rankings:
Coach: Christina Aguilera
Rank: #1
In classic Christina fashion, her greatest compliments to contestants are back-door brags about her own talent; she is the star power of the show and she has no problem reminding us. Also, she loves to call out Levine on his dudeishness, as if the reason he dumped Guercio is that she is too much singer for him to manage. Such power moves are gratifying to watch. She also nixed that ultra-religious Euro-trash-looking couple on her team, which was smart. The producers showed like four seconds of their battle, which was also smart.
Coach: Cee Lo Green
Rank: #2
Green’s main battle of the evening saw him keeping previously-in-a-coma kiddo MacKenzie Bourg, who is a total Bieber, but with his emo nerd factor dialed to 11. Bourg’s stage moves during his rendition of OwlCity’s “Good Time” looked like an exercise dance someone learned off a Jane Fonda Workout after ingesting a rave drug cocktail. There was slalom hopping and a lot of arm throwing. Even if the kid can’t dial it back, he is the perfect intersection of teen icon and cooler kid pop – palatable but quirky.
Coach: Blake Shelton
Rank: #3
Few things make for better TV than seeing a superstar act like a sensitive human. After teenage country hopeful Nicole Johnson got the ax, she hurried off stage, sobbing to the camera waiting in the wings. About 30 seconds later, Shelton appeared, saying she didn’t give him a chance to say goodbye, and he gave her a consoling hug and encouraged her. You did not doubt his concern. SO many crying teens this season.
Coach: Adam Levine
Rank: #4
He kept Nevarez and soul powerhouse Michelle Brooks-Thompson and nixed Adanna Duru. Divas don’t make a lot of sense for Levine. Although he has Mary J. Blige as his associate coach, it doesn’t seem like he knows how to handle ladies. His preference and loyalty is always to the unshaven faux-Bono types on his team.
Sign associate coach Michael Bublé is getting The Voice spirit: His advice to two of Team Blake’s country gals – “Destroy them. You are fighting for your life.” Perhaps next week: “Devour them, like a singing wolverine.”
Cee Lo Green’s description of his young contestants that made it sound like he directing them in a commercial for tampons: “You’re young, fresh and fun”
Biggest tearjerker moment: After Bourg survived his battle round, approximately a dozen family members gathered around him in a group hug, bawling. His dad turned to the camera broken up and said that they are crying with happiness because the last time they were all together around MacKenzie, it was in the hospital, when they thought he was about to die. When the dads cry, it’s the heaviest.
Previous recap: Team Xtina Divas Battle on Beyoncé Song on The Voice