Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 8 on The Voice includes, from left, Paxton Ingram, Hannah Huston, Adam Wakefield, Mary Sarah, Alisan Porter, Bryan Bautista, Laith Al-Saadi, Shalyah Fearing. (NBC Photo)

It’s mass elimination time this week on The Voice as fans select Season 10’s four finalists.

Here’s how it will work. Monday night, all eight remaining singers will perform.

On Tuesday, the three contestants with the most votes / song downloads after Monday’s show will advance to next week’s finals.

The bottom contestants will be eliminated.

Then the three singers who fall in the middle will sing for the final instant save of Season 10 with the winner becoming next week’s fourth finalist.

At least that’s how it worked during Season 9 when Jordan Smith, Barrett Baber and Emily Ann Roberts were voted into the finale and Jeffery Austin earned the instant save spot.

Here’s a look at who’s most likely to advance this time around.

Likely finalists

1. Alisan Porter (1): She finished only sixth among the Top 9 on iTunes last week, but it’s tough to imagine a Season 10 finale without the season’s most versatile and gifted singer. Here’s betting she and Christina spent a little extra time on their song choice this week.

2. Adam Wakefield (2): Last week marked Adam’s second visit to the iTunes Top 10, and that matches Alisan. Remember, those bonus votes also count toward the results in the season finale. No doubt, the soulful country artist has a legitimate shot at winning Season 10.

3. Laith Al-Saadi (3): Honestly, so does Laith, who landed in the Top 10 on iTunes for the first time last week. That’s probably why Adam Levine has stopped yapping about how Alisan should win Season 10. Laith slowed things down with “We’ve Got Tonight” last week, and fans loved it.

Competing for the fourth spot

4. Mary Sarah (4): “My Church” was a smart song choice for Mary Sarah, who has managed to climb higher on iTunes each of the last three weeks and just missed bonus points territory last week. Oh, and have I mentioned recently that she has 84,500 followers on Twitter. The next highest for The Voice Season 10: Alisan with 34,300.

5. Bryan Bautista (6): The former national-anthem-singing usher topped the iTunes Latino chart two weeks ago and the iTunes R&B chart last week. He’s also peeking, in terms of popularity and his performances, at the right time. No doubt, his cover of Beyonce’s “1 + 1” was his best yet.

6. Hannah Huston (5): The pre-school teacher from Nebraska might wind up missing the finals. But, wow, what a season on The Voice for someone who sang in public one or two times a year prior to her time on the show. Bet that number jumps in her post-show life.

Not likely to survive:

7. Shalyah Fearing (7): The teen bounced back a bit last week, when her cover of “A Change is Gonna Come” landed at number 37 on iTunes. But she was still only seventh on the chart among the Top 9. Even a magical moment Monday probably won’t get her into the finals.

8. Paxton Ingram (8): Paxton’s an example of why every future contestant on The Voice should enter the blinds wanting to be a member of Team Blake. The “country” coach took a gamble on a pop singer who was dead last among the Top 24 on iTunes and now has him in the semifinals. In spite of some questionable song choices.

See also …
Nick Hagelin talks about two big benefits from his time on The Voice
Photo gallery of the Top 9
Where the Top 9 landed on iTunes