Update: Check the bottom of the post for the updated iTunes chart positions at the close of voting.

First, an apology: I’m sorry I missed last week’s post … my (delayed) flight didn’t have WIFI or – more of a challenge – live television. In fact, I never got around to watching last week’s performances (though I did check out the tracks on iTunes). I can’t say that I was particularly surprised that Kristen Merlin or Kat Perkins were sent home (though Merlin’s “Foolish Games” might have been her best performance of the entire season). The competition was at the point the week before where everyone has the talent to win, now it is simply (and perhaps sadly) just a popularity context.

The final three this season do make for interesting television. As Blake pointed out in the intro, the group consists of a returnee from a previous season (Jake), a player who was Stolen after being sent home (Josh) and a player who was the beneficiary of an Instant Save (Christina). Each is a great performer and each is insanely popular. I think that it’s going to come down to song choice: what singer/song choice is going to chart best on iTunes and get those fans voting like crazy.

Christina Grimmie: “Wrecking Ball” (Miley Cyrus) – Team Adam

I’m a little surprised this was the song that fans choose to bring back from Grimmie’s performances this season. I would have assumed that some of her more recent covers – specifically the cool takes on R&B tracks – would have been more popular. More over, I don’t think it is a song that really allows Grimmie to show off. Until the end of the song, it isn’t nearly as demanding – as you want a song in a competition like this. Blake, however, wasn’t surprised at all (basically because there’s enough of those big notes … I disagree).

Josh Kaufman & Usher: “Every Breath You Take” (The Police)

These coach/contestant duets have always been mixed bag for me over the years. As much money as I’ve been sucked into spending on iTunes, I think I’ve only purchased one of them in the past (Javier and Adam, in case you were wondering). I have a feeling that this is going to be an exception to that rule. This is a song I love to hear covered, and Josh and Usher did wonderful job. Their vocals were great, but more importantly they matched incredibly well.

Jake Worthington: “Don’t Close Your Eyes” (Keith Whitley)
Jake has been his best when he pulls from Country’s yesteryear (a statement that doesn’t always hold true for Blake’s Country singers – I’m looking at you Swon Brothers). His Blind Audition performance of one of Keith Whitley’s classic “Don’t Close Your Eyes” was second only to his cover of Travis Tritt’s “Anymore.” After watching his Final performance here, however, I barely remember the first. Jake owned this performance. Shakira says that Jake has “gained credibility” this season, a spot on assessment. He’s also gained confidence, something that I think could lead to Jake being one of the The Voice’s success stories even if he doesn’t win.

Josh Kaufman: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” (Steve Wonder) – Team Usher

At first, I thought this was another surprising choice by the audience – though we were reminded in the intro that this was the song Josh sung that lead to his Steal by Usher. But once the song really got going, I was reminded once again just how talented Josh is. I loved how Josh admitted to borrowing one of the vocal cues his opponent in the Battle Round, Delvin Choice, used against him. Josh is probably the most talented contestant left in the show (where as Christina might have more upside and Jake is so perfectly tuned into the type of artist he is going to be).

Christina Grimmie & Adam Levine: “Somebody That I Used to Know” (Gotye)

So far tonight, the coaches have nailed their duet song choices. Christina and Adam blended their voices wonderful here. This is a song that has shown up on The Voice three times before, but this performance will hopefully define the song one that needs more than one artist to do it justice.

Jake Worthington: “Right Here Waiting” (Richard Marx) – Team Blake

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Update: Check out the iTunes chart rankings as of the lose of voting at 12:00p Eastern at the bottom of the post.

I swear, I’m not bitter about the results of last week’s episode. I’m perfectly content with the idea that Kat Perkins found herself in the bottom three and stole the Instant Save that I predicted would rightfully go to Bria Kelly. Nope, not bitter at all.

With Bria and Tess Boyer sent packing, The Voice is down to eight contestants. And while as much as Blake and Carson wanted to make the start of this live show about Adam’s new hair, this is the point in the timeline of any Voice season where the performances are great across the board. Now it’s about the little things that the coaches can help their performers find to improve on. That, and song choice, song choice song choice. This week, three people will be sent home, raising the stakes even higher.

Sisaundra Lewis: “River Deep, Mountain High” (Tina Turner) – Team Blake

Blake brought Season Two contestant Gwen Sebastian in to work with his artists this week, but the real story is that Lewis is covering a Tina Turner song just like I said she should last week (Granted, “River Deep, Mountain High” is a 60’s song instead of the 80’s time period I recommend, but I totally called that, right?).

I don’t know if it was the fact that Sisaundra’s mother was in the house (seeing her perform live for the first time in a long while) or the fact that she covered Turner or just how amazing she looked on stage, this was easily the best performance I’ve seen this entire season. If she doesn’t vault to the top of the iTunes chart tomorrow, The Voice fans need to be taken behind the woodshed.

Josh Kaufman: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Bonnie Raitt) – Team Usher

Usher brought Josh to Henson Studios where, among its many famous moments, was where they record the original “We Are the World.” Bonnie Raitt probably isn’t the first artist you’d think of for him to cover on the show, but I think it’s an inspired song choice – which we know from the last couple of weeks is pretty much the most important thing to get right at this point. (That Usher’s last contestant is a stolen artist from another team is a fact that shouldn’t be lost on the audience.)

Shakira complimented Josh’s intuition as an artist, a point that I think is spot on. This song works for him (though I’m beginning to think Josh Kaufman could sing anything and make it sound great), because he knew how to tailor the song to his voice, and tailor his voice to the song.

I get that they have to fill two hours, and that’s too short for everyone to sing twice, but I’d rather us spend more time on the contestants somehow rather than featuring the coaches. I don’t remember Gwen Sebastian from Season Two, but I will admit I liked the way her and Blake’s voices blended on his newest single “Come a Little Closer.”

Kat Perkins: “Get Lucky” (Daft Punk) – Team Adam

Adam brought in Maroon Five guitarist James Valentine to work with his team this week. The recap of last week, where Adam guaranteed Kat would make it to the finals if saved, just served to remind us of the tragedy of her being in the bottom three to begin with. I’m curious (read: worried) about the song choice here.

“We knew we had to go big” says Adam. He definitely loved the performance, as he was jumping up and down and screaming as she finished. It was something special: different and powerful and distinct. The live audience loved it. I’m not entirely sure it translated nearly as well at home, but we’ll see tomorrow.

Kristen Merlin: “I Drive Your Truck” (Lee Brice) – Team Shakira

Eight contestants left, and both Shakira and Usher are down to one artist. As much as I like the two of them, this isn’t necessarily because the voters like Teams Blake and Adam more (Though, admittedly the dynamic between those two is one of the show’s hallmarks). Either it’s because Adam and Blake are better at grabbing the multi-chair turns early on, or they’re simply better at talent evaluation. It’s a point to look closely at next cycle with two new coaches.

I’ve underestimated Kristen Merlin both of the last two weeks, and am determined not to do it again. It’s curious that country fans seem to be reacting better to a country artist not on Team Blake. I’m not as familiar with “I Drive Your Truck” as some of the other songs Kristen has taken on, but its emotional core makes it a great choice.

It was a beautiful performance, but I’m not sure I agree with Shakira that it was transcendent. Kristen’s placement on the iTunes charts make her a front-runner, but I still think she needs one or more “game changing” performances before she becomes the front-runner.

Delvin Choice: “I Believe I Can Fly” (R. Kelly) – Team Adam

Carson said that “I Believe I Can Fly” might be the perfect choice for Delvin, and just seconds later Adam mentions his doubts. It takes the artist having an emotional moment for the coach to change his tune and say that “Delvin Choice was born to sing this song.” Don’t get me wrong: I believe Delvin’s moment was sincere … the packaging, however, was a little convenient.

Until the final note, I wasn’t connecting with this song nearly as much as the audience was. I appreciated the way he was rooted in the song, in a way that it he was almost living the song as much as singing it, but it didn’t feel like it topped the original. I get that most people will disagree with me here, but I just wasn’t as happy as everyone else.

Audra McLaughlin: “Forgive” (Rebecca Lynn Howard) – Team Blake

Audra is the artist that I keep expecting to explode each week. Her jump to third on the iTunes chart (compared to the other artists) was nice, but I’m waiting for the week that she’s the highest charter of the contestants. “Forgive” might showcase her voice enough to get her there (but when you’re going to pick a song more than 10 years old, I think you’ve got to pick a classic … I’m concerned this doesn’t fit the bill). Audra’s covered some Martina McBride; I think she should revisit her catalog.

It is a big song though. They featured the ending note during the prep-session, and it was enough to get me to set down my laptop and listen. It was a killer performance, but we’re already too far behind to get even three of the coaches a chance to tell her how great it was.

Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani both performed as well. I am looking forward to them both joining the coaching ranks next cycle, especially as it signals the departure of CeeLo and Christina Aguilera – the weakest of the whole bunch. Plus, anyone dropping a “TV-Land” reference is top-notch in my book.

Jake Worthington: “Hillbilly Deluxe” (Brooks and Dunn) – Team Blake

I think NBC needs to option a sitcom that’s Blake Shelton and Jake Worthington as a father and son country act. Ratings gold, baby. The question will be whether Jake can overcome his “allerngies” on stage.

Jake is the artist who is probably most ready to go out on tour – with Blake – tomorrow. This wasn’t necessarily his best performance (I think his allergies did have a small impact), but he’s still kicking ass and taking names. But I’m not sure that we saw the introduction of “Jake the Artist” tonight, more like “Jake the Performer,” an important distinction.

Christina Grimmie: “Something” (Lil Wayne) – Team Adam

I liked that the show highlighted the fact that Christina’s two closet friends on the show went home last week; that’s the kind of behind the scenes point that critics are likely to discount, but I think has big impact. It’s also interesting that Adam would advocate a song choice that might be seen as a similar direction to last week (especially considering he originally cautioned Delvin against a choice that might be perceived as being a little on the nose).

Christina Grimmie could win this whole thing (words you wouldn’t have expected from me even two weeks ago). As great as the performances were tonight, this was the first that I rewound and watched again. There’s just something special about those “big notes” that always do well on this show, but it’s even more impressive when they seemingly come from nowhere.

So who goes home? Picking one artist at this point is hard; picking three is nearly impossible. In this stage of the game, it’s more about the performances than raw talent (because everyone left has the talent to win). So did Kat Perkins’ Daft Punk cover go over well with voters? Did Jake’s allergies affect his performance just enough? Will Delvin’s song choice not be as beneficial as I hoped?

Update: Here are the iTunes Chart positions at 12:00pm Eastern (one hour prior to the close of voting). It’s particularly interesting how last week played out. Kat was the 4th highest charting contestant on iTunes, but slipped into the bottom three in the overall voting. That means that Josh, Jake, Sisaundra and Delvin all sold less MP3s but gained more votes.

Note: Previous tracks appearing in the iTunes top 200 include “Hold On, We’re Going Home” (Grimmie) at 31, “Stay With Me” (Kaufman) at 99, “I Won’t Give Up” (Grimmie) at 145 and “This Is It” (Kaufman) at 198.

Update: Check the end of this post to see how each artist faired on the iTunes Charts.

Last week, my accuracy of predictions was all over the place. I had no clue that Josh Kaufman would be the runaway favorite, but he was the only contestant to get the iTunes Top Ten Chart multiplier. While the show has brought back the Last Chance performance to incorporate with the Instant Save, I doubt Tess Boyer – who was saved last week as Dani Moz (sad panda) and TJ Watkins went home – will live to see another week.

This week, the coaches have brought in “Titans of the Industry”(™ Carson Daly) to coach up the players. Adam invited Graham Nash, Blake brought in his producer Scott Hendricks, Shakira had busbee work with her team and Team Usher worked with his producer and musical director Natural.

The show opens with a performance by Rixton. I am rarely a fan of performances by other artists – especially on Monday nights. Heck, I’m not even a fan of the team performances on Tuesday nights (one of the reasons I rarely watch the results show). Thankfully they get it out of the way quickly, though I’d have preferred more time to discuss Blake tweeting Adam’s phone number.

Kat Perkins: “Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac) – Team Adam

Nash has some wonderful things to say about Perkins, who predicts she’ll have a hard time getting through the song without crying – she couldn’t even manage her last cutaway. It’s a brilliant song choice for her; the type of song where she can deliver a wonderful performance without going over the top.

So many of The Voice’s “big” performances are characterized by crazy powerful notes, which is probably why Kat added it in here. I think it was a bad call; everything up to that was outstanding … the texture in Kat’s voice is just fascinating to listen to. But the ending note, while very good, was completely unnecessary.

Tess Boyer: “Ain’t it Fun” (Paramore) – Team Shakira

Again, as Tess was the artist that benefited from the Instant Save last week, she needed a game changing performance here. I’m not that familiar with Paramore’s latest, but choosing a relevant pop song might capture some voters that she didn’t get last week.

Blake said that he couldn’t find anything wrong with the performance, and while I can’t disagree, I’m not sure it was distinctive enough to bring a new following to the table. It’s a shame, because I’m a fan of Tess, and think she’s one of the more marketable contestants left in the game.

Audra McLaughlin: “You Lie” (Reba McEntire) – Team Blake

Audra is probably the best pure female country singer the show has seen in some time. The pre-performance bit stalks about a confidence issue that makes no sense to this writer.

I don’t think most audiences will be familiar with “You Lie,” but Audra killed it. Adam called it a “World Class vocal performance;” she was Reba-esque in every way she needed to be, while providing an original performance. If country fans buy into that performance – like we know that they can do – she could easily find herself near the top of the iTunes charts Tuesday at noon.

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Update: Top 200 iTunes Chart Results at 12:30pm Eastern have been added to the bottom of this post.

The Voice Live Shows are easily the best round of the show … at least the best round not named “Blind Auditions.” While they’ve improved over the last couple of seasons, I hate the middle rounds; the show is drastically better when the decision-making changes from the coaches to the audience. The coaches far too often create match-ups that end with the wrong people going home.

That all changes in the Lives. Song choice matters more than match-up … hell, song choice matters more than just about anything. By now, the contestants have truly starting coming into their own, and the performances will begin to improve dramatically.

Bria Kelly: “Rolling in the Deep” (Adele) – Team Usher

Kelly is the only survivor of my group of favorites. I’ve been impressed by her talent – and she’s a hometown-ish contestant for me. “Rolling in the Deep” a “big” song, but there’s not much of an opportunity for an individual take on it that retains those “big” moments. Kelly did a pretty good job here; that long note towards the end is the kind of thing The Voice voters generally look for.

Adam and Shakira seemed to like it, but didn’t love the lower key; Blake sussed out that that decision was made for that beat at the end that kept going up and up (and up and up). Bria said she’d have died if she hadn’t started out that low.

Delvin Choice: “Unchained Melody” (The Righteous Brothers) – Team Adam

“Unchained Melody” is one of my all-time favorite songs, so I have high expectations anytime someone covers it. Delvin is an artist that I don’t feel like we’ve gotten to see enough. As a four-chair turn, I’m not sure he’s never been relegated to a montage, but I still feel like I’ve only heard him sing once or twice. There are several big moments in the song that lend themselves to showing off, but I don’t think Delvin nailed them. I actually found myself enjoying the verses more, particularly the more “breathy” beginnings.

The judges, however, disagree. Blake still hasn’t stopped talking about his hair, but Blake’s hear to be the goofball. Shakira talked about losing herself in the moment, and while my mind immediately went to Eminem, I doubt that’s what she meant.

Dani Moz: “Just Give Me a Reason” (Pink) – Team Shakira

I love it when competitors play instruments – especially the piano – so I jumped on the Dani bandwagon last week. TV watchers have heard a very average cover of this song recently – Sorry, Glee – but Dani has all the power that Diana Agron doesn’t. The way they arranged the song, originally a duet, didn’t leave Dani much room to breathe. There were a couple of moments where you could tell, but she was smart enough to “schedule” that in moments of the song where it would be less likely.

Adam talks about the breathing demands of the song, but gives Dani more credit that I. Shakira jumps all over herself to defend her artist, almost overdoing it in my opinion.

Audra McLaughlin: “Angel of the Morning” (Juice Newton) – Team Blake

Audra is one of those artists that I’m just not sure about yet. She’s had some ups and downs, and probably sits in the middle of the pack at this point. I was actually a bit surprised when Carson mentioned that this song had never been done on the show yet; you’d think it was one of those that lends itself well to competition. Audra did a solid job; providing one of the first performances of the night I’d purchase on iTunes (Bria’s is/was my favorite performance at this point, but I have too damn many copies of “Rolling in the Deep” in my library as it is).

Usher’s comment about Audra holding that last note so long, while prompting an unfortunate conversation about peeing mid-song, was spot on. As much as I love the coach’s interplay, I do get a little tired of the platitudes, like Blake’s pronouncement about Audra having a different calling than as a medical assistant. I think The Voice needs to produce more bona fide stars to support that kind of talk.

TJ Wilkins: “Waiting on the World to Change” (John Meyer) – Team Usher

I like TJ, who I think is on the verge of his “big” The Voice moment. Covering John Meyer is a bit of an interesting twist for TJ, but I really liked the arrangement and his take on the song. While it was solid, fun performance, I think he’s going to need to do more than be solid to have staying power on the show.

Most of the coaches seem to be talking about his showmanship, which furthers my point. He’s good, and he’s got wonderful stage presence, but really needs that breakout song and performance.

Christina Grimmie: “Dark Horse” (Katy Perry) – Team Adam

There’s something infectious about Christina’s enthusiasm, and while I’ll probably never forgive her for her ouster of Behyer, she’s starting to build a little momentum at exactly at the right time. “Dark Horse” – and that performance – weren’t at all what I expected from Christina, but it was the kind of performance that

Blake identified Christina as Team Adam artist to beat, and I’m really coming around to the fact that he might be right.

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This list is far from complete; if I were to yap on and on about everything I liked, this list could last until the pumpkin pie is served on Thursday. So this is just a survey; some of the many, many things that I count myself fortunate to watch or listen to:

Shawn Ryan – His latest show Last Resort might not have been a good – or successful – as I’d hoped, but Ryan continues to be one of my favorite showrunners in television today. While I wasn’t nearly the fan of The Shield that others are, I love The Unit and The Chicago Code immeasurably, and think that his season of work on Lie to Me was incredible. I’m not sure what he’s got up his sleeve once Last Resort ends, but I know I’ll be watching from day one.

Star Wars and Disney – There is a great deal of trepidation in the fanbase as Disney announced their purchase of Lucasfilm and their intentions to produce Episodes 7, 8 and 9. I understand why, considering just how disappointing and uneven the prequel films were. But I’ve got faith. While some of the people I’d been hoping to be involved with the project have indicated they won’t be a part of it (damn yous Brad Bird!), I’ve still got faith. Plus, as a big amusement park guy, I know there’s no way after watching the insane success that Universal Studios had with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and it’s planned sister zone in California and as-yet-announced-but-not-secret Orlando expansion), that I’m going to be able to walk through the Millennium Falcon sooner rather than later.

Joss Whedon – I’m just going to leave this name here, and expect you to understand why. If you’re having trouble, I suggest looking up the following projects: Avengers, Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, Dollhouse, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly/Serenity. Plus, he also gave us Amy Acker, so: bonus points.

Suits – It is simply the best show you’re (probably) not watching. I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much you’ll like it. I’m just going to look down my nose like the Dowager Countess until you give it a chance.

Resurgence of Genre films – Avengers, Hunger Games, Looper … these are my kinda films. I absolutely bask in the fact that we’re getting some really great geek stuff in the theatres these days.

Game of Thrones – Yeah, I still to this day remember an instant message conversation with Carla before GoT premiered where I said that I wasn’t sure if I would get into the show or not. I hadn’t read the books, and had seen similar shows like Pillars of the Earth fail. I couldn’t have been any more wrong (I highlighted that part out as a pull quote because it has been inferred that I never admit to being wrong … it just doesn’t happen often); I am addicted to everything Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Since the show premiered I’ve read the full set of books twice, I participate in online discussions about theories regarding future books and love the weekly column Bob Degon and I produce when the show is on the air.

The Voice — Or, more specifically that the next cycle starting next year will be missing Christina Aguilera. I won’t particularly miss Cee-Lo’s inability to make a comment to a female contestant that doesn’t start with how beautiful she is, but I won’t miss anything about Christina.

Delta Rae – The first night of San Diego Comic Con this year, as I sat down with Keith McDuffee, Michael Noble and Tara Shrodes, somehow the topic of my favorite band came up. Keith and Mike were so kind to point out to me that they where incredibly aware of just how much I liked the band. Apparently, I mention them on Facebook and the Twitter quite often. Like, way often. But I don’t care. I’m no music critic, so I can’t break down their work like I can a TV show or flick, but I do know I like the band. So, instead of telling you, I’ll just leave you with their latest video:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOM0IUsd_0

Grey’s Anatomy – I get a great deal of flack for being a fan of this show, but I don’t really care. While I admit that there are shows on the air that I think are better, there’s no show I look more forward to each week than Grey’s. Make fun of me all you want, but I’m hooked. The far-reaching repercussions of last season’s plane crash have created several great character arcs … even if it did mark the departure of two of my favorite characters on the show, Mark and Lexi.

Nashville’s Clare Bowen’s voice – Nashville is a pretty good show. I — like all Friday Night Lights fans – am a big, big fan of Connie Britton. I also remember “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.” But the biggest surprise of the show has been Clare Bowen’s performance, and her amazing voice. Her vocals on each of the tracks – but especially “Fade into You” – are just haunting. Bowen, who nails her southern accent despite originally hailing from Australia – is easily my favorite thing about the new television season. It helps that her part of the Nashville story is much more interesting than either Britton or Hayden Panettiere’s thus far, but it all comes down to her voice. I just can’t get enough. (Oh, and the second best vocal performance on the show thus far? Lennon and Maisy Shelly – Britton’s daughters on the show – singing “Telescope”)

My CliqueClack family – I wanted to end with Bowen’s voice (because, damn), but the guilt finishing with anything but Team CliqueClack would eat at me all through Turkey-Day (Except when the Washington Redskins take on the dastardly Dallas Cowboys … nothing gets through after kickoff). I have the great fortune to work with an incredibly talented group of writers … and Michael. We’re a fairly diverse group as far as individual backgrounds, shows & movies we’re fans of … heck, we’re even spread out across this great nation of ours. In the end though, I’m pretty lucky to have these guys as friends.

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I don’t like reality television; that’s not a secret around these parts. I’m quite famous for it around the halls of CliqueClack HQ. Generally I lump musical competition shows – heck, any competition show that’s not named Jeopardy! – into that mix. But The Voice has oddly become an exception to that rule. I’m a big fan of the Blind Auditions, of the chairs and of the judge’s interplay. I have not, however, been a big fan of the second round of competition.

Through the first two seasons, The Voice’s weak spot has always been the Battle Rounds. I’ve never been a fan of a way that portion of the competition has been structured. After their teams are fully constituted, the judges pair two competitors, pick the song they will sing and then are finally the arbiter of who advances. Call me a cynic – everyone does – but it has always felt to me like the judges have too much power to use the performance to justify a decision they’d likely made in advance. Not saying it happens every time – or often – but that particular round has had some of the oddest eliminations in both seasons.

The Battle Rounds also marginalize one of the show’s greatest assets: the competition and interplay between the judges. I love when Adam and Blake are giving each other grief over strategy, their music or whatever else that might have come up on any given day. But when the judges are only truly focusing on their own teams, there is literally no weight to anything they say about the other contestants. Combined with the power imbalance mentioned above, the Battle Rounds are a drag on the rest of the competition.

But the Steal changes everything. It’s a simple change, to be sure. So simple that it’s hard to believe it took them three seasons to come up with it. The Steal forces judges to make better strategic decisions with their matchups and who advances. It also makes things not so incredibly … what’s the word … oh, yeah: BORING. But just because we’re now living in post-The Steal world doesn’t mean things are so rosy on The Voice.

I’ve never been a fan of the show’s practice of “montaging” some of the results in the Blind Auditions. At the end of the competition, the audience decides who wins The Voice. Surely, we’re easily influenced by outside forces, like Justin Timberlake stumping on the Twitter for Tony Lucca last season — though I am still bitter about neither he nor Lindsey Pavao winning. But if the audience only sees the performances of some of the contestants in the first round, and the remainder in the Battle Rounds, then the others have a decided advantage in developing fans. But in Tuesday’s episode, The Voice montaged two Battle Round competitions, including contestants from Team Christina whose performance was also cut short in the Blind Auditions.

Frankly, this blows. As the show expands, from the number of contestants to the number of cycles in a calendar year, it doesn’t make a great deal of sense to gloss over these performances early on. Fans want an opportunity to see everyone in the competition. In the last two seasons, I connected with the contestants that I followed though the final rounds during their first performances. For those contestants whom we haven’t seen perform, they aren’t provided that same opportunity. The producers of The Voice have always had a great deal of influence on the competition; that’s not necessarily a criticism, it’s just a fact of life considering how these shows are put together. But keeping certain contestants off the air – especially for more than one round – is just a bit unfair.

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