Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Eight more artists earned spots in the live playoffs on The Voice in knockout round matches that air Monday night.

Two artists were stolen, Zae Romeo by Kelly Clarkson and Anna Grace by Blake Shelton.

Winning knockout matches were Kenzie Wheeler and Gihanna Zoe of Team Kelly, Rachel Mac and Jose Figueroa of Team Nick, Zania Alake of Team Legend and Cam Anthony of Team Blake.

Zania and Cam turned in sterling vocal performances that should give them momentum heading into next week’s playoffs. Rachel, a one-chair turn, pulled the stunner of the night, winning her knockout against a four-chair turn artist.

Already advancing to the live playoffs from last week’s episode are Corey Ward, Jordan Matthew Young, Pete Mroz, Dana Monique, Victor Solomon, Pia Renee, Andrew Marshal and Ryleigh Modig.

Here my Monday recap. Note that four of these knockouts were filmed after all the steals had been used. Which makes it shameful that The Voice aired a snippet of Blake talking about how he had a steal left right after the country showdown between Kenzie and Avery Roberson aired.

Let’s be cleared. No steals remained when that knockout was filmed. That’s what you call deceptive editing.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

TEAM NICK

The matchup: Rachel Mac vs. Zae Romeo
The songs: For Rachel, “Foolish Games” by Jewel. She wants to show she can make the audience feel something. For Zae, “Electric Love” by Borns. He’s dedicated to his grandfather’s great love for his wife.
The background: Zae, 21, of McKinney, Texas, turned four chairs in the blinds. Rachel Mac, from Romeo, Mich., turned just one. Just 15 when she auditioned, she’s the youngest contestant on Season 20.
The feedback: John and Kelly gave the edge to Zae. Blake praised the growth Rachel has show over the course of the show.
The result: Nick named Rachel the winner, calling her a dark horse in the competition. Kelly immediately swooped in and stole Zae, saying his voice gave her goosebumps through the whole performance.
My take: Those were two outstanding performances. Zae showed off great range and provided a nice twist on the song. “Foolish Games” is the song that made me fall in love with Jewel’s music, so I hate to see people cover that song. But Rachel, for 15, for a one-chair turn, did a remarkable job. And that ending, as Snoop Dog predicted, was superb.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM KELLY

The matchup: Kenzie Wheeler vs. Avery Roberson
The songs: For Avery, “Tomorrow” by Chris Young, saying he love the story-telling nature of the song. For Kenzie, “Beer Never Broke My Heart” by Luke Combs. He likes the jam-out nature of the song.
The background: Both were four-chair turns in the blinds, though Kenzie, 22, of Dover, Fla., was robbed of a chance to go with Team Blake because of a block. Avery, 20, of Rutherford, N.C., went with Blake, but was stolen by Kelly in the battle round.
The feedback: John and Blake gave the edge to Kenzie; Nick thought Avery won the knockout.
The result: Kelly named Kenzie the winner; Avery was eliminated.
My take: I really like Avery’s tone. But on this occasion, Kenzie provided the better vocal and the better performance, looking completely at home on The Voice stage rocking out on that up-tempo country song.
The truth: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

TEAM LEGEND

The matchup: Rio Doyle vs. Zania Alake
The songs: For Rio, “Issues” by Julia Michaels. For Zania, “If I Were Your Woman” by Gladys Knight.
The background: Zania, 34, of Detroit, turned two chairs in the blinds. Rio, 16, from Adrian, Mich., turned just John’s.
The feedback: Kelly, Blake and Nick all proclaimed that Zania delivered a moment. John complimented both singers.
The result: John proclaimed Zania the winner. Rio was eliminated.
My take: For such a young singer, Rio delivered a great vocal and a great stage performance. Not to mention a nice, sassy ending. Then Zania showed up with an incredible vocal that brought Kelly and John to their feet.
The truth: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

TEAM BLAKE:

The matchup: Cam Anthony vs. Connor Christian
The songs: For Cam, “Feeling Good” by Nina Simones. He said he wanted a song he could lose himself in. For Connor, “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer, saying he wanted a song that would be challenging.
The background: Cam, 19, of Philadelphia, Pa., turned three chairs in the blinds. So did Conner, 23, of Gallipolis, Ohio.
The feedback: All the coaches seemed impressed with Cam’s performance. John said he did some things with the song he didn’t think to do when performing it at the inauguration.
The result: Blake proclaimed Cam the winner, Connor was eliminated.
My take: Not thrilled with Cam’s song choice because it’s been done to death on singing shows. But he sure made it work, didn’t he? Meet a young man who should be among the Season 20 front-runners. Meanwhile, Connor performed with lots of energy. But he’s sounded better vocally.
The truth: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

MONTAGED BECAUSE THE VOICE STILL HASN’T LEARNED HOW TO EDIT A SHOW
(AND DOESN’T CARE ENOUGH TO POST THE PERFORMANCE ONLINE)

TEAM NICK

The matchup: Raine Stern vs. Jose Figueroa
The songs: For Raine, “No Such Thing” by John Mayer. For Jose, “Break Every Chain” by Tasha Cobbs
The background: Raine, 22, of Madison, Wisc., turned three chairs in the blinds. Jose, 34, of Kissimmee, Fla., turned two.
The feedback: We didn’t hear it. It was montaged.
The result: Nick awarded the win to Jose. Raine was eliminated.
My take: Shame on The Voice. Twenty seasons in they can’t figure out a way to edit the knockouts so they don’t have to montaged anyone.
The truth: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

WELL DESERVED WIN AND STEAL

TEAM KELLY

The matchup: Gihanna Zoe vs. Anna Grace
The songs: For Gihanna, “Glitter in the Air” by Pink. She says the song is a perfect example of who she wants to be as an artist. For Anna, “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry. She’s put her own spin on the song and relates to it because of all her health problems when she was young.
The background: Anna, 20, of Milwaukee, Wisc., turned four chairs with her audition. Gihanna, 17, of Redlands, Calif., turned two chairs in the blinds.
The feedback: Nick gave the edge to Gihanna. Blake and John complimented both singers without voicing a preference, at least in the comments we heard.
The result: Kelly named Gihanna the winner, saying she’s the more competitive vocalist. Blake then stole Anna, which hardly came as a surprise to viewers since he had a steal left and this was the last knockout to air.
My take: Loved the emotion in Anna’s performance, especially the build. But not the way the song was re-arranged. Gihanna delivered a great vocal, showed off tons of range and got lost in the performance. Just wish she would have kept her eyes open to connect a bit better.