Team Cee Lo vs. Team Adam on The Voice

While I commend the producers of "The Voice" on the great progress the show has made, I'd have to say I was rather disappointed with both teams this week.

If this had been the semi-finals, Team Christina and Team Blake would have "owned" Team Cee Lo and Team Adam. I am shocked at the way these guys performed last night.  They should have been the top two teams.

The two-hour episode started out with Carson Daly revealing the first 2 contestants who made it through to the semi-finals next week.  Ryan and I laughed, because afterwards, Carson stated that it only took 5 minutes to reveal the results, when in reality, it was more like 13 minutes.  Christina Aguilera just couldn't keep her damn mouth shut. As I predicted last week, Frenchie Davis and Beverly McClellan made it through, and you can easily see why by catching their performances right here.

At the end of the show, Blake Shelton learned his team's fate, and what seemed to be disappointed look on his face, when he found out America voted for Dia Frampton.  I think he was upset with America choosing Dia, because he then had no chance of saving Xenia, whom you could tell in his heart of hearts, sees something in her that nobody else does.  That was exactly what I told my partner, Ryan last week.  

Blake knew Jared Blake and Patrick Thomas were great, but he shocked America last night by choosing the girl he loved most, Xenia.  And I can't say I blame him, I would have done the exact same thing.  Hey, at least I got 3 out of my 4 predictions correct - woo, hoo!

So just like last week....

Each of the contestants sang a solo performance, and then later in the evening, they performed as a group.  In this particular case, it was Cee Lo and Adam Levine.

Only one person from each of the teams will be able to advance depending on the viewers votes, but another one will advance solely on the judge's discretion.  What does all this mean?  It means Cee Lo will lose half his team and Blake will lose half his team.  I loved it last week, and I love it again this week.

As with Christina and Blake last week, the judges provided one-on-one coaching, and they spent some time getting to know their contestants.  Cee Lo chilled at the spa with his team.

Watch the performances, and my reviews after the jump...

The Battle Rounds

Did any of you watch "The Voice" last night?  It was absolutely television at its best.  No, it literally was.  If you missed the first two weeks of auditions, that's okay, because this part of the series is even more exciting. I was kind of hesitant at first, but after Ryan and I watched last night's episode I had a change of heart.  I can definitely sit through 4 weeks of battle rounds compared to "let's go home" episodes of American Idol.

The way it works is, each judge, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Adam Levine have 8 contestants.  They are to choose 2 members from their team, and let them know what song they're singing.   Once they learn of the song, they are introduced to a celebrity friend of the judge who will help mentor and advise them in preparation for the battle.  Christina chose Australian singer, Sia, Blake chose famous country diva, Reba McEntire, music producer, Adam Blackstone assisted Adam, and Cee Lo chose singer, Monica.

The stage is set up to look like a boxing ring (minus the rope) - it's very glitzy.  The singers are introduced by Carson Daly of MTV fame, and they walk onto the stage to sing their battle song.  Whoever comes out the victor will be performing in front of a live-studio audience in front of America, but their win in this round solely relies on their judge.

In the following video, Frenchie and Tarralyn Ramsey battle it out, singing, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyonce

Frenchie took home the win, and I definitely agreed with Christina on this. I thought Tarralyn had an attitude problem that needed to be adjusted. She wasn't very respectful. I'm 1-0.

In the following video, Patrick Thomas and Tyler Robinson battle it out, singing, "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley.

 

I totally disagreed with Blake Shelton on this, and so did my partner, Ryan.  I think he made a mistake playing the "country card" in choosing Patrick.  He needed to look at the fact that it would be much easier for Tyler to move beyond his vocal ability in the live competition.  Patrick could be his downfall, because of his inability to go beyond a "country music" mentality. 1-1

In the following video, Tim Mahoney and Casey Weston battle it out, singing, "Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley.

 

 I agreed with Adam's decision on this one - If Casey were to move forward in the competition. I think it would be a lot easier down the road. 2-1

In the following video, Vicci Martinez and Niki Dawson battle it out, singing, "Perfect" by Pink.

 

Wow oh Wow!  And what a battle it was!  This was definitely the best performance of the night.  My fingers were crossed that it would be Vicci taking this home, and it was!  I was thinking Cee Lo was going to pick Niki, but he obviously felt what I felt, Vicci was ripping it up "hardcore" and he saw something there - he saw a winner! 3-1

As I mentioned earlier, if you haven't seen this, you should.  It is definitely a million times better than IDOL.