Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Sofronio Vazquez is among the favorites on Season 26 of The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The singing will begin at 8 p.m. and overnight voting by fans will help determine which five artists make it to the season finale on Monday, Dec. 9.

During Tuesday’s results show (9 p.m. start time), the top vote-getters will be announced. Typically, the four singers will the highest votes advance.

Then the remaining singers will perform for an instant save.

Plea Number 1 to The Voice: Please let the singers chose their own songs this round. After all, a spot in the finale is on the line.

Plea Number 2 to The Voice: Please cut the coaches’ mics during these performances. And tell the cameramen to focus solely on the singers. C’mon. It’s only 2 and a half minutes for each song. Surely, you can turn the spotlight away from the coaches for that long. If you try really, really, really, really hard.

Here is how Voice Views is ranking that Top 8 entering this week’s shows.

1. Sofronio Vasquez (Team Michael Buble): He was one of the first contestants we met in Season 26 and my hunch is he’ll be one of the last standing as results come in at the season finale. Sofronio’s performance of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” in the playoffs was one of the best we’ve seen this season.

2. Shye (Team Michael): Yep, I’m going Team Michael for the first two spots. Wow, his team was impressive in the playoffs. And, wow, Shye has been impressive vocally every time she’s taken the stage. Even more impressive in the playoffs was the confidence she showed after auditioning at age 17.

3. Jeremy Beloate (Team Snoop): Here’s a bit of trivia. Jeremy is the only singer stolen at any point in Season 26 to make it to the semifinals. But there was no doubt he delivered the best vocal for Team Snoop in the semis. If he lands lower than this, my guess is it’ll be a matter of musical preference rather than any stumbles on Jeremy’s part.

4. Christina Eagle (Team Snoop): The shrewdest move during the playoffs was Snoop’s decision to advance Christina while other coaches cast their country singers aside. This show has a big country voting bloc, and Christina will likely have no trouble winning them over with her vibrant personality and fun performing style.

5. Danny Joseph (Team Reba): The energy he took to the stage in the playoffs was undeniable. Reba / producers need to continue to let him rock out. Remember, a guy who rocked the stage (Huntley) won Season 25. Another (Bryan Olsen) finished third on Season 26. Yep, Voice fans love male rockers too.

6. Sydney Sterlace (Team Gwen): She’s the youngest singer remaining after auditioning at age 15 and needs a bounce back performance after the playoffs. My hunch is that so-so performance had more to do with song choice than ability, because Sydney was splendid in earlier rounds.

7. Adam Bohanan (Team Reba): Coach Reba loves his dirty soul sound and he’s been solid throughout the show, but I was a bit surprised by her decision to advance Adam. He’s a one-chair turn and the oldest of the semifinalists. But in a season this short, one truly memorable performance could propel any member of the Top 8 to victory.

8. Jan Dan (Team Gwen): He sang a Miley Cyrus song in the knockouts and Kansas’s “Dust in the Wind” in the playoffs. In other words, he’s displayed nice versatility to go with an impressive tone. And Monday is his chance to prove Gwen made the right call in advancing him to the Top 8.