‘The Voice’: Team Christina Aguilera Performs Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody” On Elimination Night

Thursday night was the first live eliminations of The Voice Season 5, and Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo and Blake Shelton were well prepared for the occasion. All four clearly rehearsed their variations on the lines, “You all/y’all deserve to move on,” “This is so much harder than it looks,” and “Don’t worry, you can still call me at any time,” for use on whichever eight were to be eliminated.

Might as well get some performances from everyone before they get kicked to the curb though, right? Blake, who picked up two Country Music Awards Wednesday night, still managed the time to coach his team on a performance of Edgar Winter Group‘s “Free Ride” to start off the results show. Shelbie Z. stands out, possibly because she is the only female contestant on Team Blake, and Nic Hawk stands out because he does not stop dancing throughout. Austin Jenkes, Cole Vosbury and Ray Beaudreaux all give solid performances, with the former two on guitar as well.

Up next, Team Cee Lo performs Supertramp‘s “Give A Little Bit.” He’s got the most diverse talent at this point: Caroline Pennell with the sweet voice that doesn’t quite fit with anyone else; Tamara Chauniece with the rich, soulful pipes; Amber Nicole hitting some powerhouse notes; Jonny Gray giving a better rock performance than his actual competitive performance; and Kat Robichaud…who still growls it out, but looks slightly less intimidating with her new Carly Rae Jepsen bangs.

Team Christina performs Maroon 5‘s “Love Somebody.” The deal with Maroon 5 songs is that they typically sound rough when anyone other than Adam’s falsetto is on vocals, and Team Christina is no exception. It’s mostly a cacophony, with moments of “is that Adam?” when Josh Logan sings. Fortunately for Jacquie Lee, Matthew Schuler, Olivia Henken and Stephanie Anne Johnson, it doesn’t count for votes.

Team Adam performs “Safe and Sound” by Capital Cities at a time when Tessanne Chin, James Wolpert, Grey, Will Champin and Preston Pohl are decidedly not safe and sound. Irony aside, the song choice allows each performer his or her own moment to shine, and it is the most fun performance of the night.

The time for fun and games, however, is over, and the time to send eight unlucky contestants home has arrived. Don’t worry, kids, your coaches will definitely dole out their personal cell phone numbers on your way out.

TEAM BLAKE Audience saves: Austin Jenckes and Cole Vosbury Blake saves: Ray Beaudreaux Headed home: Shelbie Z. and Nic Hawk Life’s not fair: Tough luck for Shelbie Z., who had a killer performance this week, and probably deserved to make it another round. Nic Hawk’s ridiculous performance of “Blurred Lines,” on the other hand, has proved mentally indelible, so it’s like he’s still around in all of his pitchy glory.

TEAM CEE LO Audience saves: Caroline Pennell and Jonny Gray Cee Lo saves: Kat Robichaud Headed home: Tamara Chauniece and Amber Nicole Wonder if it factored in to the save: Would you want to be the one sending Krazy Kat home?

TEAM CHRISTINA Audience saves: Jacquie Lee and Matthew Schuler Christina saves: Josh Logan Headed home: Stephanie Anne Johnson and Olivia Henken But how bad are cruise ships anyway? Miss you already, Stephanie Anne Johnson.

TEAM ADAM Audience saves: James Wolpert and Tessanne Chin Adam saves: Will Champlin Headed home: Grey, Preston Pohl Good call: Will Champlin took a little time to come into his own, but he’s been on a steady upward climb for the past few weeks. Keep up the soul baring, and he might just win some more votes.

The Live Rounds continue with the Top 12 on Monday! What do you think of the results? Any surprises? Disappointments?

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