I’m almost ashamed to admit how much I’ve been looking forward to the semifinal eliminations. While The Voice has been enjoyable overall in season 9, it has moved far too slowly in the live rounds. The single elimination a week is probably why Korin lasted so long and it’s made the live results show even more of a chore than usual. The live shows lost a lot of stakes as well because the odds of someone going home were so low.
The Voice has no choice but to get serious for the finale, and as a result, the competition in the semifinals has never been fiercer. Predictions are sure to be controversial with so many going home, but I think we can agree on one thing: Gwen’s hairstyle from the semifinals should never be seen by anyone … ever … again.
The Voice Recap: The Top 9 Perform in the Semifinals >>> It seems a bit repetitive to go forward with the usual format. Since more than half of the artists are going home, there really seems no point in separating the artists into safe, in danger and going home categories. One category really kind of nullifies the other. So instead, we are just going to run down the four artists who are most likely to move on to the finale. They are as follows:
Jeffery Austin: I’ve been saying that Jeffery is going to the finale all season. Nothing in his semifinals performance changed that opinion. “Believe” is a stupid song because it is so overly produced, but Jeffery made it work for him. The lyrics of the song are still way too simplistic, but Jeffery sounded a hundred times better than the techno nightmare that is the Cher original.
Jordan Smith: If Jordan doesn’t make it to the finale, I’m done with The Voice. Okay, not really because I still have to cover the show for work, but I certainly will think less of The Voice and its audience if Jordan doesn’t go to the finale. Obviously, no one wants that to happen. My bitter opinions will single-handedly sink The Voice and its amazing success. If you haven’t caught on, I’m being sarcastic, but Jordan still deserves a finale spot, possibly more than any other artist. Adam calling Jordan’s performance of “Somebody to Love” the best thing he has ever seen was some typical coach hyperbole. It was, however, the best thing I saw during the semifinals.
The Voice Interview: What Led to Korin Bukowski Forgetting the Lyrics >>>
Madi Davis: I didn’t quite see Madi’s performance coming in the semifinals, to be perfectly honest. If I had to pick one teenage girl on The Voice to move on to the finale, it would have been Emily Ann, not Madi. Madi really knocked it out of the park in her terrific (“too perfect to be live”) rendition of “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Next to Jordan, it was my favorite performance of the semifinals and should earn her a spot in the finale no matter how unexpected.
Braiden Sunshine: I typically don’t like to turn to the iTunes sales when making my predictions. I do have to admit that the iTunes standings are a pretty reliable barometer of success on The Voice. They are basically a public leader board for the result show that makes Carson’s job even more irrelevant. Based on those rankings, Braiden is doing pretty well for himself. As of the writing of this article, Braiden is one of the few artists to crack the top 10 on the overall iTunes charts.
To be honest, I don’t think Braiden has much of a chance of winning The Voice. Adam pointed out that Braiden has never really found his identity as an artist. What would a Braiden Sunshine album even sound like? That being said, Braiden’s performance of “Amazing Grace” was easily his best of the season and will cause him to snatch a spot in the final four. It doesn’t really matter then if he has a chance to win The Voice.
Play The Voice Fantasy TV! Pick Who You Think is Going Home Before 12pm PST >>>
The Voice season 9 airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
