The three-way Knockout Rounds of The Voice Season 22 concluded Monday, and as is typical for the series, it was a nail-biter right down to the end — with the final showdown between Team Gwen teens Alyssa Witrado, Daysia, and Sasha Hurtado yielding a shocker result.
It seemed obvious, at least to me, who’d won this round. Daysia’s “Get Here” was lovely and elegant but old-fashioned and lacking in fire, and Alyssa’s cover of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” was fun — she wanted her “Freddie Mercury moment,” so she attacked the anthem with gusto — but it was ultimately too “gigantic” a song for Alyssa stay in control or stay in tune. Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani’s own husband Blake Shelton was declaring Sasha the victor, and John Legend described Sasha’s “Make It Rain” performance as “flawless” and a “tour de force.” But Gwen has always had a soft spot for her fashionista mini-me, Alyssa, so she ignored even her adored husband’s advice.
“Sasha, you made it really complicated for me because that was a perfect performance,” Gwen admitted… before choosing to go with Alyssa instead. Gwen even admitted that her connection to Alyssa was “something I can’t put words to.”
Some viewers were no doubt shocked by Gwen’s decision, but no one appeared more flabbergasted than Alyssa herself; her expressive face looked like a living animated GIF as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Thankfully for Sasha — who’d already gone through two coaches this season, having started on Team Camila before being stolen by Gwen during the Battle Rounds — there was another surprise during this episode’s final minutes. Sasha got yet another chance — and another coach — when John, who still had a Steal left in play, decided to save her.
“Sasha deserved it, and I couldn’t let her go home,” John explained. “She’s been so good throughout these rounds. She’s been stolen now twice. And she just hit every note so beautifully and with such precision and control.”
Will the third coach be the charm for Sasha? We shall see, but for now, she has already bucked the odds by making it to next week’s top 16 Live Playoffs. As for whether Alyssa is prepared for the Playoffs remains to be seen, but Gwen seems convinced that the 19-year-old pop starlet is ready for prime time. “With Alyssa, she’s just special. What I’m excited to see her do in the Live Playoffs is show what kind of star she really is,” Gwen asserted.
But before we look ahead to the Playoffs, these were the other final Knockouts of the night, some of which also ended with surprising verdicts:
TEAM GWEN: Cara Brindisi vs. Justin Aaron vs. Kayla Von Der Heidie
Cara went hard with the early Bonnie Raitt classic “Love Me Like a Man,” playing wailing guitar while also following Gwen’s instructions to be more flirty and animated with her face and body language. This was smoky and sexy, tough but tender, and just all-around fierce. Justin’s cover of Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk” was sexy in its own way, but his vocals weren’t quite as silky-smooth as I had hoped, and the verses seemed uncomfortably low for him. Kayla’s “Losing My Religion” was smoldering and quietly compelling, but also vocally unsteady. I thought Cara completely slayed her competition, but once again, Gwen made a choice seemingly based on a contestant’s potential and kept Justin, explaining: “He doesn’t really realize how gifted he is.” It’s too bad Camila Cabello didn’t have a Steal left, because she revealed that she would have saved Cara if she’d had the chance.
WINNER: Justin Aaron
TEAM BLAKE: Austin Montgomery vs. Eva Ullmann vs. Brayden Lape
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