Of all The Voice friendships on the coaching panel, Adam and Blake are undoubtedly the strongest. Maybe the relationship endures simply because Adam and Blake are constants on The Voice and they see each so often. Maybe they are just a match made in Bromance Heaven, the douchiest of the Heavens, FYI.
Whatever the reason, Adam and Blake’s friendship and everything it entails (the joking, the bickering and longing stares) are The Voice‘s bread and butter. It was a bread and butter that was the main meal on the second night of Blind Auditions for season 10. The majority of the auditions end up being a choice between Adam and Blake, and one coach is definitely (much) more successful.
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Joe Vivona (“Dreaming with a Broken Heart”)
First up is Joe, who describes his vocal style as “soulful” and “rock.” Joe also says that Adam wrote one of the best albums of all with Songs About Jane and Pharrell is one of the most talented producers around. Personally, I think Joe is greatly overestimating Adam’s contributions to music (and I like Songs About Jane), but he is right about Pharrell and his own voice. Joe is given the chance to choose between the two guys because both turn around for him during his audition. Joe says he is picking his 95-year-old grandpa’s favorite and chooses Pharrell. I need to know more about this incredibly hip and cool grandpa.
Result: Joe Vivona chooses Team Pharrell
Shalyah Fearing (“What is Love”)
Shaylah is in a family band with her huge number of siblings. Shalyah is tired of the Brady/Partridge Family routine, though, and wants to leave them behind. She has a huge voice and loves to employ runs, not unlike a certain coach on the panel. It’s no surprise then when that coach, Xtina, is the first and only one to press her button. All the other coaches tell Shalyah that she is with the perfect coach and that’s why they didn’t press their buttons. They’re totally lying; they just didn’t want Shalyah (and I don’t necessarily blame them).
Result: Shalyah Fearing goes to Team Xtina
Adam Wakefield (“Tennessee Whiskey”)
Adam is a recent transplant to Nashville who describes himself as a southern rock country artist. Adam definitely has an older country voice and it is really refreshing since The Voice mostly attracts the younger poppy side of country music. Adam’s audition becomes the first battleground of the night for Adam (Levine) and Blake. The two argue about the genre and community of country. Blake comes up with his standard country lines that he is a part of the community, “knows people” and blah, blah, blah. Adam gets all angry and flustered about the insular country music scene, but it doesn’t matter. Adam (Wakefield) is swayed by Blake’s country wiles and Adam (Levine) can’t do a thing.
Result: Adam Wakefield chooses Team Blake
Caroline Burns (“So Far Away”)
Caroline was on The Voice in season 9. While she hopes her voice has matured in a year, she is very much her age at 15 years this season. Caroline is cute, but her backstory is ungodly boring and uninteresting. It’s not her fault, though, because no normal 15-year-old, no matter how “crazy” they think they are, is actually interesting. Luckily, her voice is much more enthralling. I don’t remember Caroline from season 9, but she does sound very nice and sweet in season 10. She gets Adam to turn around very early in her audition and Blake joins in at the last second. This audition isn’t quite as big a squabble between Blake and Adam, but that’s mostly because Caroline is pretty set from the beginning. Caroline picks Adam.
Result: Caroline Burns choses Team Adam
Emily Keener (“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”)
This is the first four-chair audition of the night and probably my favorite so far of season 10. Emily’s audition is haunting in every (good) sense of the word. Emily’s rendition of the Elton John classic is creepy in a very good way. She has a great sense of control and sounds like a crisper Florence Welch. All the coaches are equally in love with her.
The coaches pull out all their big guns with their arguments. I hate myself a little bit for saying this, but Xtina really does have the best pitch. She is fighting a losing battle; Emily has a connection to Pharrell right off the bat. Emily picks him and everyone else bemoans the loss. Adam, in particular, says it is so hard to fight Pharrell because he is just so damn nice. It’s something I’ve never really considered until now, but Adam’s right. Who would want to bad-mouth the perpetually smiling and gentle Pharrell? It would be like kicking a basket full of puppies that are being protected by handicapped kittens.
Result: Emily Keener chooses Team Pharrell
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Laith Al-Saadi (“The Letter”)
Laith’s beard is slowly taking over his face. Actually “slowly” might not be the best or most accurate word; the invasion is close to 95% complete. Laith has a rock voice that is about as big as that beard. His audition goes on for a ridiculously long time, though, before anyone presses their button. Adam and Blake eventually do and it is yet another showdown for The Voice‘s biggest bromance. Laith ends up going with Adam because they bond over guitar playing. I wish it was a more impressive reason, but few things in life are as grand as Laith’s beard.
Result: Laith Al-Saadi chooses Team Adam
Angie Keilhauer (“I Hold On”)
Angie is a 24-year-old cruise ship singer. She makes this job sound awesome, which flies in the face of anything that pop culture has taught me about cruise ships. Is it possible that fiction is a lie and that all jobs aboard a cruise ship aren’t soul-crushing and awful? This revelation may cause an existential crisis for me. My life’s opinions are based on TV. I’ve done too much for TV for it to lie to me. There will be time to discuss this later with myself; there is auditioning to be done right now.
Angie’s audition is very nearly actually soul-crushing. It goes on for way too long before any coach presses their buttons. This could just be because Adam and Blake are making googly eyes at one another with their chairs turned around. This only explains half the panel. It doesn’t explain Pharrell’s (and/or Xtina’s) resistance, but it ultimately doesn’t matter. All of the male coaches eventually turn for Angie. Adam and Blake duke it out again, with Pharrell stuck in the middle. As often happens with the really talented people in these duels, Angie chooses Blake.
Result: Angie Keilhauer chooses Team Blake
Theron Early (“Amazed”)
I try not to recap the failed auditions, mostly because they make me very uncomfortable. I may be merciless with my insults about Carson Daly. I find him more repulsive than weird gunk that grows between your toes no matter how good you shower; I can’t help it. I just don’t like to see dreams gets crushed and people to fail. I have to spotlight Theron, though, because he is genuinely really good and it makes no sense when no coach turns around for him. Once the explanations are given, it still doesn’t make sense.
Result: No chairs
Kata Hay (“Redneck Woman”)
The Voice‘s pre-recorded packages before auditions are so produced, you can almost see the editors’ fingerprints on them. There are some contestants who are so full of life that they refuse to be put in a box. Kata is that type of contestant. Kata is not only excitable and wholly herself, but her father is equally awesome. He has a horseshoe mustache and looks like Sam Elliott’s gruffer, slightly younger brother, but he is a complete softie. I love Kata’s dad and need him to be in every episode. I’ll admit that Kata is pretty lovable too.
Kata has a voice that is just as loud and expressive as her personality. Kata owns the stage with her rendition of “Redneck Woman.” She storms the stage, almost literally at times. Adam, Pharrell and Xtina all push their buttons and the pitching session is where the real fun begins. Kata rushes all the coaches, giving them a hug and kiss on the cheek.
Kata goes back for more with Xtina, though, after admitting that the singer was her first girl crush. Kata dashs towards her and actually pecks Xtina on the lips. This is the most chaste of kisses, but Pharrell loses his mind like Kata and Xtina just rolled on the stage, half-naked, with tongues wagging in each other’s mouths. Kata doesn’t lock lips with any of the other coaches and ends up picking Xtina’s team. Kata’s girlfriend doesn’t look too happy about this though…
Result: Kata Hay chooses Team Xtina
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
(Image and videos 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.
