Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Manny Keith and Wendy Moten perform during the battle round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Manny Keith and Hailey Mia earned steals in the battle round matches that aired on The Voice Monday night.

Manny was stolen by Ariana Grande; Hailey Mia, the youngest singer in the competition at age 13, was swiped by Kelly Clarkson.

Also advancing to the knockout round based on results announced Monday were Wendy Moten, Joshua Vacanti, Carson Peters, Gymani, Raquel Trinidad, Sabrina Dias, Holly Forbes, Shadale and Jim and Sasha Allen.

Here’s a recap.

WELL-DESERVED STEAL

Team Blake

The match: Wendy Moten vs. Manny Keith for Team Blake
The song: “If I Ever Lose Faith in You” by Sting
The feedback: Ariana and Kelly said Wendy deserved the victory. But Blake also gave praise to Manny.
The outcome: Wendy was declared the winner. Ariana stole Manny with the final steal or save available in the battles. Remember, we’re not watching these in the order they were filmed.
My take: Manny showed tons of on-stage charisma and I thought he had the battle won until Wendy unleashed her vocal firepower over the past 30 seconds. Wow. Both deserved to advance.

THE COACHES GOT IT WRONG

Team Legend

The match: Joshua Vacanti vs. Keilah Grace for Team Legend
The song: “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo
The feedback: Kelly and Blake gave the edge to Joshua; Ariana said she’d give the win to Keilah. John appreciated some of the extra sauce Joshua brought to his vocal.
The outcome: Joshua was declared the winner; Keilah was eliminated
My take: I would have awarded the win to Keilah because of her immense potential at age 15. And because I like her already released music.

Team Blake

The match: Carson Peters vs. Clint Sherman for Team Blake
The song: “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away” by Vince Gill
The feedback: Ariana would have given the win to Carson. John said he thought Clint won the battle.
The outcome: Carson was declared the winner by Blake, who noted he’s only 17. Clint was eliminated
My take: I would have given the win to Clint. I just liked his voice and tone more. Strategically though, Blake went with the younger four-chair turn recipient.
Also: According to the idolforums spoiler site, no saves or steals remained when this battle was filmed.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Kelly

The match: Gymani vs. Aaron Hines for Team Kelly
The song: “Working” by Tate McRae and Khalid
The feedback: Ariana and Blake both said they’d give the win to Gymani. Kelly said they both elevated one another.
The outcome: Gymani was named the winner by Kelly; Aaron was eliminated. He became the first four-chair turn to leave Season 21.
My take: I didn’t like this song choice at all. But vocally and performance wise, Gymani was the clear winner to me.

Team Ariana

The match: Raquel Trinidad vs. Hailey Mia for Team Ariana
The song: “Car Wash” by Rose Royce
The feedback: John was the only coach to really give an opinion and said he would give the edge to Raquel.
The outcome: Raquel was declared the winner by Ariana, who called her “so talented.” Hailey was stolen by Kelly Clarkson, who had expressed amazement at how well Hailey did at age 13.
My take: Raquel is a former American Idol standout and showed why with a great vocal and great stage presence.

Team Legend

The match: Sabrina Dias vs. Jack Rogan for Team Legend
The song: “Cardigan” by Taylor Swift
The feedback: Kelly and Blake said they would award the win to Sabrina. Ariana said she was torn on who to pick. John said he’s intriqued by Sabrina’s vocals.
The outcome: Sabrina was declared the winner; Jack was eliminated
My take: A wonderful vocal by Sabrina, who was montaged in the blinds, made this a well-deserved win for her.

MONTAGED (UGH!)

Team Ariana

The match: Jim & Sasha Allen vs. Sophia Bromberg for Team Ariana
The song: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder
The feedback: Sasha got compliments for the energy he showed on stage. But we heard very little because the battle was montaged.
The outcome: Jim & Sasha were declared the winners; Sophia was eliminated.

Team Kelly

The match: Holly Forbes vs. Wyatt Michael for Team Kelly
The song: “Sunny” by Billie Eilish
The feedback: We didn’t hear it because the battle was montaged.
The outcome: Kelly awarded the win to Holly; Wyatt was eliminated.

Team Legend

The match: Shadale Johnson vs. Janora Brown for Team Legend
The song: “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande
The feedback: We heard very little because the battle was montaged.
The outcome: Shadale was declared the winner. Janora was eliminated.
My take:
Also: According to the idolforums spoiler site, no saves or steals remained when this battle was filmed.