Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jay Allen and Jaeden Luke were stolen and Destiny Leigh was saved during the battle round on The Voice Monday night.

That means they’ll join battle round victors Bodie, Justin Aaron, Reina Ley, Cara Brindisi, Emma Brooke and Orlando Mendez in the knockout round.

Cara bested Jay in a Team Gwen match, leading to the most hotly contested save-steal situation of the night.

That’s because Gwen tried to save Jay, only to find herself competing with her husband, who pushed his steal button.

A veteran artist based in Nashville, Jay opted to join Team Blake rather than remaining on Team Gwen.

The good news: That meant Gwen still had a save to use when Destiny and Justin — both of whom turned just one chair in the blinds — turned in the most dynamic battle round performance The Voice aired Monday.

Of course, longtime readers of this blog know I think The Voice handles the battle round all wrong.

I firmly believe the coaches should have to watch every battle round match before making decisions on who to save and who to steal.

That came into play against during Monday’s episode. All three singers who were eliminated — Nia Skyfer, Grace Bello and Ave Lynn Thuresson — performed when there were no saves or steals left to be had.

Here’s my recap of Monday’s show.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Team Gwen

The matchup: Justin Aaron vs. Destiny Leigh
The background: Justin Aaron, 34, of Junction City, Kansas, performed “Glory” by Common and John Legend. Only Gwen Stefani turned. Gwen was also the only coach to turn for Destiny, 18, of San Diego, who performed “A Song for You” by Donny Hathaway in the blinds.
The song: “No More Drama” by Mary J. Blige
The feedback: John Legend and Blake Shelton gave the edge to Destiny. Camila gave Justin the edge based on his vocal prowess. All the coaches praised both singers’ performance.
The outcome: Gwen named Justin the winner of the battle, then saved Destiny from elimination.
My take: Yep, those were two one-chair turns burning up The Voice stage. The ending was sensational.

TOO EARLY TO STEAL

Team Gwen

The matchup: Jay Allen vs. Cara Brindisi
The background: Jay Allen, 36, of Nashville, Tenn, performed“”Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson. He turned the chairs of Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. Cara, 34, of Worcester, Mass., turned the same two chairs, singing “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift.
The song: “Leather and Lace” by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
The feedback: John Legend, Camila Cabello and Blake Shelton said they’d all give the edge to Jay. Gwen loved Cara’s soothing tone.
The outcome: Gwen named Cara the winner, calling her performance effortless. Gwen then pushed her save button for Jay while Blake hit his steal button. Gwen says she was never going to let Jay leave. Blake complimented Jay on a great voie. Jay opted to join Team Blake.
My take: Cara’s vocal had a nice soothing tone and was spot on. I especially loved her ending. Jay seemed to try to do a bit too much with a simple love song. And, again, I think the coaches should be forced to watch all the battles before deciding on how to use their saves and steals.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

Team Legend

The matchup: Nia Skyfer vs. Emma Brooke
The background: Nia Skyfer, 26, of Miami, Fla., performed “Bam Bam” by Camila Cabello and landed the very last spot on the show. Emma Brooke, 19 of Lyman, S.C., performed “California Dreaming” by The Mamas and the Papas and turned the chairs of John and Gwen Stefani.
The song: “She’s All I Wanna Be” by Tate McRae
The feedback: Blake Shelton gave the edge to Emma for her vocal control. Camila loved Nia energey and would give her the edge. John complimented both singers and said Emma improved her stage presence since rehearsals.
The outcome: John awarded the win to Emma. Nia was eliminated.
My take: Nia’s style and charisma stole that show for me and her vocal was very good too. I would have given her the victory.
Special note: There wasn’t a steal or save left when this battle was taped.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Camila:

The matchup: Orlando Mendez vs. Ava Lynn Thuresson
The background: Ava Lynn, 18, of Santa Barbara, Calif. performed “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, turning two chairs. Orlando Mendez, 26, of Miami, Fla., performed “Beer Never Broke My Heart” by Luke Combs and turned the chairs of all four coaches.
The song: “Rocket Man” by Elton John
The feedback: John Legend called it an interesting version of the song and complimented both singers. Blake Shelton gave a slight edge to Orlando. Camila loved the character in Orlando’s voice.
The outcome: Camila awarded the win to Orlando. Ava Lynn was eliminated.
My take: Ava showed off great range, but that battle was deservingly won by Orlando. He just has tons of character in his voice and could become a Season 22 fan favorite.
Special note: There wasn’t a steal or save left when this battle was taped.

Team Camila

The matchup: Reina Ley vs. Grace Bello
The background: Reina Ley, 13, of San Tan Valley, Ariz., performed “Cielito Lindo” and got chair turns from Camila and Gwen Stefani. Grace Bello, 21, of Lacey, Wash., auditioned with “Ghost” by Justin Bieber. She turned all four chairs.
The song: “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.
The feedback: Gwen Stefani gave the edge to Reina. So did Blake Shelton, who accurately noted that Grace seemed a bit overwhelmed by the situation.
The outcome: Camila named Reina the winner; Grace was eliminated.
My take: The age discrepancy is misleading here. At just 13, Reina took the stage with a whole lot more performance experience than Grace, and it showed. Reina also showed off more vocally than in the blinds.
Special note: There wasn’t a steal or save left when this battle was taped.

Team Blake

The matchup: Jaeden Luke vs. Bodie
The background: Jaeden Luke, 22, of Bothell, Wash., performed “Make It With You” by Bread for his audition and got chair turns from Blake Shelton and John Legend, the only coaches with spots remaining on their teams. Bodie, 29, of Ladera Ranch, Calif. performed “You Found Me” by The Fray and turned the chairs of all four coaches.
The song: “As Long as You Love Me” by Justin Bieber
The feedback: Gwen Stefani said she was blown away by their performance and “got lost in it.” Camila Cabello said she’d steal either singer. John Legend gave a slight edge to Bodie.
The outcome: Blake awarded the victory to Bodie. Camila fulfilled her promise, stepping in and stealing Jaeden. Gwen tried to steal him as well. Jaeden decided to join Team Camila.
My take: Bodie delivered the more powerful vocal and showed more vocal versatility. He just needs to learn to keep his eyes open, especially when singing a ballad. Jaeden’s voice is unique enough to merit that steal, though again, I wish those decision were left until the end of the battle round.