FInale Prediction

Finale Prediction

Winner: Tessanne Chin

Tessanne was incredible tonight, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering how great she's been this season. Her duet with Adam was clearly the best out of the three and really blew me away. Her final performance was as good as anything she's done all season, which is really saying something. Her voice is powerful and seems to hit every note almost perfectly. She truly has the best voice on the show and has been able to show it off all season. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Tessanne Chin is going to WIN this season of The Voice tomorrow night, and she clearly is the most deserving contestant.

Runner Up: Jacquie Lee

Jacquie had another great night including a strong final performance that made up for her just good duet with Christina. She once again displayed her strong vocals and trademark scream during her songs. The only negative I would say about her is that Christina didn't pick a great songs for her. Jacquie has been a strong favorite to win the contest all season and has been very fun to watch. This girl is only sixteen so the sky is the limit for her, but unfortunately, she is going to come up just short of winning the competition. She has been great this season and her finishing second just shows how great the talent has been this year.

Third Place: Will Champlin

Will has been one of the most entertaining performers all season and has been able to give us great variety in Adam's song choices for him. Tonight was no different, and he was very fun to watch. His vocals were also solid and smooth, which has been the theme of his rise to the finals. I've been rooting for Will this season and wouldn't mind seeing him win. However, Will's run will come to end tomorrow night. Making the finals was a huge acomplishment, and I am really hoping his career after the show continues because I'd love to see him succeed.

Top 5 Power Rankings

Top 5 Power Rankings

1. Tessanne Chin: Bridge Over Troubled Water

What a performance by Tessanne this week. She stepped up her game this week and dominated her song. Being a very powerful song it was perfect for the powerful singer. the song was sung acoustically which made the listeners focus on her voice. The elongated notes were sung with force and emotion. She was once again able to prove she has one of the best voices on the show. With her performance this week I believe she will be saved.

2. Jacquie Lee: Angel

Christina chose a tough song for Jacquie to sing, and I didn’t think she would pull it off. She proved me wrong. She looked great with a stunning white dress that made her look like an angel. She hit almost every note and avoided over-singing for the most part. This was her most controlled vocal performance yet, which says a lot considering how well she’s done each week. The arrangement was also impressive with the violins and background singers who didn’t overpower her. I almost wanted to cry at some parts of the song because I could feel her emotion through the TV. One big suggestion is for Christina to stop talking so much and letting the other judges get a word in. Jacquie remains a favorite to win the competition next week and shouldn’t be in any danger of being eliminated.

3. Cole Vosbury: Shameless

If Cole did not know what time of singer he wanted to be, as Blake discussed, he should be resolved know. Shameless was a great song choice by Blake and Cole. He started the song with great consistency, and established a great flow. Cole chose his moments to display his unique power. The country voters should show up for Cole and the song should sell well on iTunes. Cole has quickly established himself in the show. Could he possibly be the first one chair turn winner in Voice history? We will have to find out, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

4. Will Champlin

Adam challenged Will this week with a very dynamic song. This song was meant for Will. It is very complex and requires a singer who is multidimensional. He again utilized his ‘no note too high’ philosophy. The performance was powerful and full of energy. I felt he missed a few notes, especially when he tried to reach his high notes. I was entertained by the song, but not impressed. It was not one of his stronger performances. There was nothing particularly memorable about this weeks song. Fortunately, the song will do well on iTunes, but I do not know if that will be enough to save him this week.

5. James Wolpert: With Or Without You

James is coming off an appearance in the bottom two last week and is only here because of the Twitter save. Tonight, he came out in a classic James outfit/glasses and sang another power ballad, which clearly seems to be his niche and comfort level. This is another song where it’s very difficult to stack up to the original, but he did a pretty good job with it. His vocal performance was solid but not spectacular. He did seem into the song, which is to be expected at this point.  I was hoping to see something a little different and maybe more risky considering he was almost knocked out last week. At this point in the competition, he did nothing to make me think he can win this competition. I enjoyed watching James perform throughout the competition, but I believe that he has reached the end of the road.

Top 5 Results Show Reaction

Top 5 Results

Top 5 Finalists

(In Order of Being Announced) 

 Jacquie Lee
Cole Vosbury 
Tessanne Chin 
Will Champlin

 James Wolpert (Twitter Instant Save)

Eliminated Contestant

 Matthew Schuler


We weren't surprised to see Matthew in the bottom two, but were a little bit shocked that James was able to defeat him in the Instant Save. Matthew had at least twenty thousand more followers on Twitter, but I guess that they were tired of his mediocre performances from the past two weeks. He also has more star power and seemed to be a more marketable star. In the end, it seems that his poor song choices are what doomed him. I think James is in trouble for next week, but we'll have to see how his performance goes before jumping to any conclusions. Team Adam remains intact and now has a real good chance at have multiple top three finalists. Christina is down to one, and Blake still has Cole.

Top 6 Power Rankings

Top 6 Power Rankings

1. Jacquie Lee

Cry Baby

Jacquie was coming into this week as our number one and had a lot to live up to. Jacquie saying that she lacks confidence, blows my mind. She was so poised and confident during her performance. Besides the confidence, through the raw power and riffs, Jacquie displayed her emotional and vulnerable side through the performance. She managed to show great control and limited her “screaming”, which was enjoyable. It truly has been a pleasure watching Jacquie and her growth this season and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.

The Voice Within

Jacquie had her work cut out for her by taking on Christina’s song, which was dedicated to her coach. Jacquie started the song beautifully and softly sounding almost angelic with a subtle power behind her voice. Eventually, the subtly faded and the power really emerged. I am normally not a fan of the background singers, but they really added to her performance. She really cemented herself as the favorite to win in this competition. I would be shocked if she exits the show this week and I believe that it would be a shame.

2. Will Champlin

A Change Is Gonna Come 

WIll dedicated his song to his wife and daughter, and his emotional investment to was clearly evident throughout the performance. He came on stage with glasses and a classy suit/sparkling tie combo and chose to play the piano at the very beginning. This song was actually pretty similar to his incredible performance last week. He took a risk by choosing a song with such great range, and it paid off for the most part. There were times where he reached for notes that were higher than his voice permitted, but he sounded great when we was able to hit the other notes. With another heartfelt performance, Will was able to continue his momentum toward the top of this competition.

Hey Brother

Singing Avicii was a risky song choice by Adam, but Will did a great job with it. He switched the outfit up to a more simple collared t-shirt and vest, and chose to play the banjo. However, he didn’t rely on the banjo throughout the whole performance. Once again, he showed great range and handled this song better than his first one of the night. Although it wasn’t the most exciting performance, I was still entertained the whole time, which is what I’ve come to expect from Will. I can’t say enough about the progress he has made each week. He continues his rise up the rankings this week and deserves to avoid the bottom three.

3. Cole Vosbury

Rich Girl

Blake chose a more upbeat and fun song for Cole this week that he said would show off more of his range. I’m not sure it showed off his range too much , but he still sounded solid as always. I didn’t hear any glaring mistakes with the vocals, which seems to be the case every week with him. The song choice didn’t hurt him at all, but I don’t know if it necessarily helped him because it isn’t the most well known. He played the guitar again and wore a red jacket/hat combo that looked pretty fresh. We’re at the point in the competition where we know what to expect from Cole, which are consistently good performance. This wasn’t his greatest, but that’s only because he’s set the bar pretty high for himself.

Better Man

Cole dedicated his song to his first love, who he claimed made him a better man. I’m not crazy about that dedication, and I’m still waiting to see some more fire out of this man. He chose to play the guitar again, and gave us a same old cole performance. It was emotional, and he even changed his outfit to fit the song. He switched to a black jacket and ditched the hat. Although I do like Cole overall, I’m still  waiting for something different from him. I liked the performance but didn’t love it like I did of for some of his past performances. He should be safe for another week.

4. Matthew Schuler

Story Of My Life

Matthew was coming off a bottom three appearance last week and needed a strong performance to claw out. He began by having a loving and touching dedication to his family before the song. I will be honest that I did not like the song choice for Matthew, but it could sell very well on iTunes. Matthew started it off softly and a little bit awkward. I thought he would really turn the power up on the chorus, and though the power was present, I found that the background singers detracted from his performance and did not let him stand out. I really wanted Matthew to do good this week, especially with the great dedication, but again this week, I felt underwhelmed and expect more from Matthew.

When A Man Loves A Woman

After his first performance, he needed to come out strong and make a statement, in order to stay out of the bottom three. In a change of pace from the first performance, Matthew came out stronger and delivered a more satisfying performance. He took on a classic and stripped down song, Matt truly was able to show a more vulnerable side. This was definitely more like the Matthew I have come to expect. While it was a very strong second performance, I am unsure if it was enough to save him from a bottom three appearance. If he does end up there, an infamous Twitter Save is a definite possibility.

5. Tessanne Chin

Redemption Song

Tessanne faced a difficult song this week. She was not only singing for herself, but also for the country of Jamaica. With such an iconic song Tessanne was worried that she would not do the song justice. Fortunately, she was able to put her own spin on the song and still stay true the song at the same time. The song was performed acoustically which forced the listener to focus on Tessanne’s singing and the message of the song. Overall I thought she did a fantastic job this week. She hit one huge note that should stay with the voters when they vote.  The competition is very steep this week, but Tessanne certainly did no favors to help her competition.

Unconditionally

Tessanne changed it up for her second song. She sang a difficult pop song that really showed her range. The song has some powerful moments, but I feel also had some missed notes. Overall I felt it was a good performance, but not as good as her first of the night. If Tessanne does find herself in the bottom three it will be because of this song.

6. James Wolpert

Fell In Love With A Girl

This week James sang a song that was similar to what he sang during the blind audition.

Week after week James continues to show his versatility and demonstrates a variety of performing styles. He sang the song with alot of power and used inflection very well during the song. I hoped for more from James this week. I feel that the song did not allow him to demonstrate his range and ultimately didn't challenge him enough. He sang the song well, but I did not hear a ‘wow’ moment that the voters seem to love. With only six talented performers left a slip up or average performance may lead to the bottom three. I hope this is not the case for such a talented singer.  

I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

The final song of the night was a classic James song. He was comfortable with the rock genre and it showed during the performance. He was very dramatic and theatrical and gave life to the song. The song was fun and he showed good stage presence. This was his best performance of the night and made up for his poor performance earlier. However, I do not know if this song will be enough to keep him out of the bottom three. James’ future on the show may rely on the shoulders of the twitterverse.

Top 6 Results Show Reaction

Top 6 Results Show Reaction

Top 6 Finalists

(In Order of Being Announced)

Will Champlin
Cole Vosbury
 Jacquie Lee
Tessanne Chin 

James Wolpert 
 Matthew Schuler (Twitter Instant Save)

Eliminated Contestants
Ray Boudreaux
Caroline Pennell

Well, Caroline and Ray had a heck of a run, and we're really going to miss watching them perform. Handsome Ray is as smooth as they come and has looks to die for, and Caroline's voice was one of a kind with a great personality. However, we aren't at all surprised that they were eliminated because they haven't been the most consistent performers and lacked the range and durability that the other contestants possess. At this point the talent level is so high and being eliminated doesn't mean that they weren't awesome singers and performers. Congratulations to both of them for making the Top 8, and I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them. We were surprised to see Matthew in the bottom three but not shocked because his performance last night was weak and sold terribly on iTunes. We are glad America did the right thing and saved him on Twitter because he remains one of the most talented contestants. This should be a humbling experience for him and should teach him that he can't rely on previous strong performances. At this point, it remains anyone's competition to win, and I think we've learned that past performances aren't going to hold much weight with the audience. They'll have to bring their A game each week to continue to move on. Also RIP to Team CeeLo. Hopefully he makes better decisions about his team next year.

Top 8 Power Rankings

Top 8 Power Rankings

1. Jacquie Lee: Who's Loving You

Jacquie was coming off a weaker performance from last week. Because of the level of competition at this point, Jacquie needed a strong performance to stay. Christina tried to tap into her inner ferocity, which seemed to be absent in previous performances. I don’t know what happened, but Jacquie found that ferocity and intensity and with it came a whole new level of confidence. She began with no music just her voice and she was powerful and displayed such a diverse range with huge riffs. Overall, Jacquie had one of the biggest performances of the night and with this new found confidence I’d be surprised if she isn’t around for a lot longer.

2. Cole Vosbury: I Still Believe In You

What a performance by Cole this week. In my opinion it was one of the best of the season. This week he went back to his country roots. Blake wanted Cole to sing the song aggressively even though it was a love song. I had high expectations for Cole before this performance and he surpassed all of them. The decision to perform the song acoustically was brilliant. It made the viewers focus on the message of the song and the voice of the artist. The entire performance was filled with emotion and touched the audience, judges, and myself. Cole used a raspy tone to convey the heartbreak and feeling of loss. The uniqueness of his voice mixed with the genuosity with which he performed the song all added up to create one of the most powerful and emotional performances of the season. I would be shocked and enraged is Cole fell into the bottom three this week.

3. Matthew Schuler: It's Time

Matthew was coming into this week as number one in our power rankings and had a lot to live up to. Christina brought in a choreographer this week to help elevate him to the “next level”. Matthew’s confidence was apparent, with his phenomenal stage routine. Matthew had a good, powerful performance as usual. I will admit, though, I was not blown away. He had good riffs and range, but it did not wow me. That does not mean the performance wasn’t good, but it left me expecting more from Matthew. Don’t worry Matthew fans I do believe that he will advance and come back stronger next week.

4. Tessanne Chin: Underneath It All

Tessanne had no worries today, while she embedded Jamaica in her performance. She gave the audience a real flavor of Jamaican pride. The stage was fitted with Jamaican colors and items. Confidence was also not a problem as it was present strongly as she was moving all around the stage. I loved her dictation during the song, she displayed her accent, and did not run over her words. Overall, this was one of the funner and catchy performances of the season and should translate to high iTunes sales and ultimately with Tessanne moving on.

5. Will Champlin: At Last

Will took a huge risk by singing a song that no male vocalist had ever tried on the show. That risk paid off BIG TIME as he gave his best performance of the competition so far. He came onto stage with no glasses and a swag jacket/bowtie combo. He dominated the vocal performance by showing off great range and hitting almost every difficult note flawlessly. He kept the mood right and gave the audience a performance to remember. I shed a few tears toward the end of the performance and I don’t know if they were tears of joy or tears of sorrow because the song couldn’t last forever. Will deserves to avoid the bottom three and hopefully America makes that happen.

6. James Wolpert:  Somebody To Love

Adam decided to push James this week with a classic Queen song. James said he felt comfortable with the challenging song but was nervous that he would be too zealous and attack the song too much. Honestly, I don’t know why he was nervous. Yet again James did a fantastic job. He went back to being a rocker and brought fantastic energy to the stage. James surprised me this week by hitting a high note that I didn't know was in his vocal arsenal. He again demonstrated great control with his voice and always on time with his singing. The only criticism I had on the performance was that in the beginning song I thought the background singers were too loud and didn't let James stand out enough. All the judges had high praise for the artist. With such a stiff competition, I would not be surprised if James ended up in the bottom three.

7. Caroline Pennell: Dog Days Are Over

Caroline’s song choice this week was clearly more exciting than last week and was probably a response to the negative feedback last week’s song generated. She came out in a simple yet unique dress that fit her personality perfectly. She really picked up the pace with this performance and showed a different side of her personality. The vocals displayed more range than usual, but she missed a few of the tougher notes. I did enjoy the performance very much even if it wasn’t the best song for that unique voice of hers. However, it did fit her personality pretty well, and I was digging the harp in the background throughout the song. The problem with Caroline is that her personality and unique voice may only carry her so far because this is a VOICE competition. We do like Caroline a lot but it’s getting competitive. Her bottom three appearance last week was alarming, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see her there again.

8. Ray Boudreaux: Gimme Some Lovin'

Handsome Ray lit the stage on fire this week. He was engaging and showed great stage presence. The audience was clapping with the beat and you could tell they were really into it. He brought a lot of energy to the stage and truly created a fun and entertaining environment. The band and the background dancers added to the exciting atomosphere, but i feel at some points they were too overpowering and tended to overshadow him. Blake pointed out that it was up to Ray to create moments in the song that help him stand out. He did a decent job of selecting his moments to shine most notably the final note. Overall the performance was solid, but I do not feel it was enough to keep him out of the bottom three. At this stage in the competition each performance has to be outstanding if a contestant wants to stay alive.  If Ray wants to stay in the competition it may come down to twitter. 

Top 8 Results Show Reaction

Top 8 Results Show Reaction

Top 8 Finalists

(In Order of Being Announced)

James Wolpert
Matthew Schuler
Ray Boudreaux
Will Champlin
Tessanne Chin 
Jacquie Lee
Cole Vosbury
Caroline Pennell (Twitter Instant Save)

Christina came out sounding and looking great to begin the show, and her team gave a very entertaining performance. The performances all sounded good and helped the hour pass quickly. However, it seems kind of cruel to make these contestants perform towards the end when they haven't been saved yet (Caroline). Now back to the results. Although we had Ray ranked 9th, we were not too surprised that he was able to avoid the bottom three. The guy has a lot of star power, and a lot of women are going to vote for him simply based on look (not that his vocal performance wasn't good). We also really like Will and felt that it was a toss up between him and Austin, so his save was not shocking. We were surprised to see Caroline in the bottom three, and it may have been because of the somewhat boring song that she chose. She definitely deserved to advance out of the three, and the Twitter Save got it right this week (still not a fan of it though). Apparently the country vote was not strong enough to carry him through to the next round last night, which was probably because he had the bad luck of being matched with Caroline in the bottom three. There's not much to say about Kat other than she ran out of lives tonight and was clearly the weak link out of the bunch this week. She gave it a good run and definitely overachieved. Next week is sure to be as competitive as ever and very difficult decisions will have to be made.