Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 10 on The Voice includes (from left) Katie Kadan, Rose Short, Joana Martinez, Jake Hoot, Ricky Duran, Kat Hammock, Shane Q, Hello Sunday, Will Breman and Marybeth Byrd. (NBC Photo)

Predictability was not what The Voice needed for Season 17.

But it’s what the show appears to be getting.

At this point, does anyone doubt that Katie Kadan will make the finals?

At this point, does anyone doubt that Jake Hoot will too?

And what’s the likelihood they’ll finish as the Top 2, though the order might still be in doubt?

After a disaster of a Season 16 that was barely worth watching thanks to a mangled format, The Voice needed a wide open Season 17.

That’s not what we’re watching.

Next week, The Voice cuts to a Top 8 for the semifinals. Here are my rankings.

1. Katie Kadan (Team Legend) (1): She’s topped the iTunes chart the past two weeks, but might not be the shoo-in to win Season 17 that it appears. That’s because Jake Hoot has won the streaming bonus the past two weeks.

2. Jake Hoot (Team Kelly) (2): And those bonus points could wind up being huge for Jake. Consider this: Say he tallies 10,000 streams of his song and Katie tallies 9,999. The bonus means he carries 50,000 votes forward to the finals compared to 9,999 for Katie.

3. Rose Short (Team Gwen) (4): To me, she’s been the most impressive artist to date. She’s a heck of a performer too, but didn’t need to show that side of her talent on Top 11 night, dazzling with her vocals alone.

4. Marybeth Byrd (Team Legend) (3): she’s already proven herself one of the most talented vocalists remaining in Season 17, but I worry a bit about Marybeth after this week’s solo and Team Legend group performance. Both times, her voice sounded strained.

5. Ricky Duran (Team Blake) (5): He had the final performance spot on Top 11 night, but couldn’t crack the Top 80 on iTunes. Which perhaps means fans feel the same way I do: They want to see more individuality and pizzazz before proclaiming Ricky finals worthy.

6. Kat Hammock (Team Blake) (6): She certainly isn’t going to get into a belting battle with Katie or Rose, but she’s oh, so pleasant on the ears. Song choice is crucial for Kat, as evidenced by the Team Blake group number that fell way outside her wheelhouse.

7. Will Breaman (Team Legend) (8): Either through his stage presence or his arrangements, Will can be counted on to deliver a performance that won’t bore. My guess is that’s going to get the leader of the Blue Crew into the semifinals.

8. Joana Martinez (Team Gwen) (10): Joana has been at her best when she’s singing current songs, not 1990s pop tunes made popular by Latin artists, which is what she’s been saddled with the past two weeks.

9. Shane Q (Team Kelly) (10): Myracle Holloway deserved the save Shane got Tuesday night. But let’s give Shane credit too. He turned in perhaps his best vocal since the blind auditions, when he turned four chairs. Hopefully, it’ll serve as a springboard for him.

10. Hello Sunday (Team Kelly) (7): They’re young, talented, greatly improved, but also wildly inconsistent. Unfortunately, the wildly inconsistent is what came across loudest on Top 11 night.

See also …
iTunes rankings for Top 11
iTunes rankings for Top 13