'The Voice' Recap: Latest Round of Battles Ends With a Blake Steal
Get all the details from Monday night's episode of the singing competition.
April 8, 2014 -- "The Voice" aired the last of the duets in "The Battles: Round Two" Monday night. The remaining artists from Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Usher's teams were paired, as the coaches continued to whittle down the field before the playoffs.
By the end of the night, each coach had five artists on his or her team.
Before each battle, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was seen in rehearsals giving advice to the artists.Here's what happened during the two-hour episode:
Team Shakira's Clarissa Serna and Dani Moz faced off. They chose the Pink hit “Perfect" from a list of three songs. Adam saw major improvements from both artists. Usher, still wearing his raccoon hat, thought Dani was the winner because she was "unwavering," a skill that can't be taught. Shakira complimented Dani on her "insane" ability to reach high notes, and picked her. Clarissa was not stolen by the other coaches.
'The Voice' Recap: Adam Pulls Off Steal in The Battles: Round Two
The next battle featured two of Adam's acts: Kat Perkins and the duo Dawn & Hawkes. They joined forces on a folksy version of KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See." Blake said Kat made the song her own and made it seem as if Dawn & Hawkes were her backing musicians. Adam lamented the fact that he has seen neither act in its element since the blind auditions, because they've had to participate in battles since then. He chose Kat, whom he described as one of the most underrated contestants in the competition. Dawn & Hawkes were eliminated.
Usher paired Music Box with Melissa Jiménez. They collaborated on Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire." Shakira called it an up-and-down performance. Adam added that he thought Melissa had more "good moments" than Music Box did. Usher said both women took his advice and made the song personal. He named Melissa the winner. Music Box went home.
Kaleigh Glanton battled her Team Blake teammate Ryan Whyte Maloney. They tackled Rascal Flatts' "Easy." Adam said that while Kaleigh had shown improvement, he'd stick with Ryan. Blake applauded the fact that they chose "Easy" in an attempt to prove themselves. Blake picked Ryan, citing his consistency. Kaleigh is out.
'The Voice' Recap: The Battles Round Two Begins
Jake Barker and Brittnee Camelle of Team Adam covered Usher's "Climax," which was a risk because both artists were previously mentored by Usher before they were stolen by Adam. Usher said he felt uncomfortable analyzing the performance because it was his song, belted out by his former artists. When Carson Daly asked him who sang it better, Usher said, "Me," and then performed a few lyrics to cheers. Adam went with Jake, saying he has a quality that makes you say, "I want to see more." Brittnee was dismissed.
In the final battle, Team Usher's Bria Kelly and Madilyn Paige delivered a duet of The Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You." The general consensus among the coaches was that neither artist stood out. Usher decided on Bria, with Blake stealing Madilyn.
The top 20 will compete in the playoffs tonight on "The Voice.” The fun begins at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Here's an updated look at each of the four teams:
Team Adam: Jake Barker, Delvin Choice, Christina Grimmie, Kat Perkins, Morgan Wallen.Team Usher: Melissa Jiménez, Stevie Joe, Bria Kelly, T.J. Wilkins, Josh Kaufman.Team Blake: Sisaundra Lewis, Ryan Whyte Maloney, Audra McLaughlin, Jake Worthington, Madilyn Paige.Team Shakira: Tess Boyer, Deja Hall, Kristen Merlin, Dani Moz, Patrick Thomson.