Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice Top 4 of Kirk Jay, Kennedy Holmes, Chris Kroeze and Chevel Shepherd will square off Monday night. (NBC Photo)

Who will win Season 15 of The Voice?

Many seasons there’s a clear favorite.

Most seasons, it boils down to a two-way showdown.

As I’ve said before, Season 15 looks wide open.

And, if anything, the competition got more interesting last night.

I can truly see any member of the Top 4 winning. And I’m sorta hoping for a surprise result.

Here’s how I’d rank the finalist’s chances.

1. Kirk Jay (Team Blake) — He’s the guy the show has been pushing hardest. And fans have embraced his teary-eyed country performances. All three of his songs finished in the Top 5 on iTunes after the overnight voting. But that matters not one bit these days. And I’ve found Kirk’s parade of country ballads a bit too one-dimensional.

2. Chris Kroeze (Team Blake) — What matters on The Voice these days is the Apple Music streaming bonus. Chris entered the finals with two in his pocket. If his very engaged Wisconsin-rooted fan base delivers a third tonight … well, think about it. That bonus turns every streaming vote into five. When you’re the only singer getting the bonus, that can quickly add up to a huge difference.

3. Chevel Shepherd (Team Kelly) — Chevel wound up number one on iTunes today. She’s topped Kirk on iTunes the past two weeks. Among the Top 4, she’s gained the most fans on social media since the live shows started. Kelly dubbed her the country Tinker Bell, and I thought she had the strongest trio of performances last night. But will it be too little, too late?

4. Kennedy Homes (Team Jennifer) — When she’s at her best — as in last night’s show-closing performance of “Confident” — she’s the clear star of the Top 4. But that performance landed at number 11 on iTunes, behind six other songs from Monday’s show. Take heart, Kennedy fans. Chris Blue’s show-closing “Rhythm Nation” from Season 12 wasn’t a massive iTunes hit either. And look how that turned out.

See also …
iTunes results for the Top 4
Song by song grades for the Top 4
Why The Voice season finale falls short