Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The presidential debate forced a schedule change for The Voice this week.

Instead of the typical two-hour Monday night audition show followed by a one-hour Tuesday show, we’ll get the opposite.

And that meant we met only five new contestants Monday — Bindi Liebowitz, Elia Esparza, Lane Mack, Karlee Metzger and Josh Halverson.

I’ve been listing my favorite three auditions for each blind audition episode so far, but that seems sort of silly with only five to chose from.

So I’ll list my favorite, followed by the others in the order they occurred.

1. Josh Halverson: The 31-year-old auditioned with Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” The performance is a bit laid back, but Josh’s voice is one of the more unique we’ve heard so far in Season 11. At the last minute, Blake Shelton, Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus all turned their chairs. Miley says she loves listening to Josh’s voice. Alicia called his voice “striking” and says she thinks something “powerful” could result if they worked together. Josh joined Team Alicia.

Bindi Liebowitz: The 23-year-old auditioned with “Bust YOur Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan, displaying strong vocals and a unique tone in the process. Adam Levine turned midway through her performance. He was later joined by Blake Shelton. Adam complimented her on the choices she made during her performance. Blake noted that Bindi would likely be a one-of-her-kind artist on his team. Bindi decided to join Team Adam.

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Elia Esparza: The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she opted to audition in Spanish, singing “Como La Flor” by Selena. Her first run through of the chorus prompted a chair turn from Adam Levine. By the time the song ended, Blake Shelton and Miley Cyrus had turned as well. Adam complimented her on being different and “refreshing.” Elia joined Team Adam.

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Lane Mack: The 24-year-old auditioned with BB King’s “Every Day I Have the Blues” and looked totally at home performing for a superstar audience. Miley Cyrus turned midway through his performance. Lane ended the performance with one heck of a scream, but no one else turned, putting him on Team Miley.

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Karlee Metzger: She auditioned with Regina Spektor’s “Samson,” displaying a really pretty voice and the ability to belt when necessary. But no one turned until the last second when Blake Shelton and Miley Cyrus turned simultaneously. Miley vows to bring Karlee out of her shyness. Karlee opted to join Team Miley.