The results during The Voice season 11 semifinals were brutal, as half of the competition was eliminated, bringing the total number of finalists down to just the final four who will compete in the finale.
BuddyTV took part in a conference call with the four who were sent home — Aaron Gibson, Ali Caldwell, Brendan Fletcher and Christian Cuevas. They shared their thoughts on landing in the Instant Save round, Miley Cyrus‘ influence on the song choices and results, and more. Also, who does Aaron Gibson think will win? Read on to find out.
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Aaron Reveals What It Felt Like to Constantly Be in the Instant Save Round
Aaron Gibson landed in the Instant Save round for three weeks in a row but ended up advancing every single time.
When I asked if he found that frustrating to always be in danger, he replied, “No, not at all. To be honest, I got to sing more than anybody else on the show. So for what that’s worth, it’s awesome. I came into this [thinking] music is not a competition. This is about exposure. This is about proving something to myself. Everybody has different reasons for being on the show, and I guess I was able to be lucky enough to get to achieve all mine. It was not frustrating at all.”
Why was Ali “Upset” Over Her Instant Save Song Choice?
The contestants who compete on The Voice don’t always get to choose their own songs. There’s not only input from the coaches but also influence from the producers. And Ali wasn’t comfortable with the song chosen for her, Rihanna‘s “Sledgehammer,” but it had nothing to do with the quality of the song.
“I honestly feel a little weird about the decision that was made for my Save choice song because that was actually a song that I kept putting at the top of my list for me to perform on the show as just a regular performance song. And when they chose it as a Save song, I was a little upset because I felt like that was a strong song for me and I felt like it’d be a great look on the show during the competition.”
Ali felt that “Sledgehammer” would have had a better impact if she was able to sing it during a performance episode, something that Christian can relate to with his Instant Save song, Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Christian continued the discussion by saying, “That was also another song that I had at the top of my list to put on the show. I would have done it a little bit different, but it’s one of those songs that you can’t really get the message across with just a minute and 50 seconds.” Despite these concerns, both Ali and Christian were happy with the songs and how they performed them on stage.
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Did Miley Force Aaron to Change His Top 8 Song?
In previous interviews with eliminated season 11 contestants, some of the singers expressed their opinions on Miley influencing the outcome. Some said her huge social media following helped her team. Others said her polarizing personality hurt their chances. So what does Ali think?
“I feel like there are people out there with their own opinions and thoughts towards Miley,” she explained. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think it had anything to do with the results because her following is her following, and the world is the world. It’s two different things.”
Speaking of Miley’s influence, some viewers wondered if Miley had forced Aaron to change his Top 8 song choice to “(Everything I Do) I do It for You” since he said he was performing it for her. When asked if that was the case, Aaron revealed that Miley did in fact choose the song.
“I did do the song at the request of Miley,” he said. “I came to her with a different idea that she was happy to run with. But then she thought this was a better pick. I trust her. I trust her as a coach. And if she thinks she has a good idea, who am I to say it’s not? So I have no regrets at all and I was very happy to do it.”
Who Does Aaron Predict Will Win?
With these four contestants eliminated, that means the finale is coming up next. The Voice contestants don’t usually give a straightforward answer on who they think will win, instead saying that everybody deserves to win, as Brendan mentioned during this interview. But Aaron got a little more specific with his answer.
He started off by saying, “I still think it’s anybody’s game. I think it’s the first time that they don’t have a very clear frontrunner, and it all comes down to song choice,” which is a typical answer. But then he called out one contestant by name, adding, “If I had to guess based on weeks prior who’s been doing the best on the charts, I’d probably go with Sundance.”
Were you shocked by the results? Do you think Miley’s influence is getting to be too much or is it being blown out of proportion? And do you agree with Aaron’s prediction?
The Voice two-part season 11 finale airs Monday, December 12 at 8/7c and Tuesday, December 13 at 9/8c on NBC. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
