‘The Voice’: Tessanne Chin Stuns With Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”

Caila Ball-Dionne | December 17, 2013 5:31 am

It’s been quite a road from the Blind Auditions to the Finals of The Voice, with so much happening with both the blooming artists and their already famous coaches. Adam Levine earned a Sexiest Man Alive honor with his on-again, off-again facial hair. Christina Aguilera looked slimmer with each episode, and her collaboration with A Great Big World is still soaring on iTunes and the charts. Cee Lo‘s  2012 Christmas Album made it onto Rolling Stone‘s “Essential 40” list. Blake Shelton brought home two more CMA Awards (he must be running out of mantel space by now). Carson Daly begrudgingly took on the duties of the Sprint Sky Box while Christina Milian lost almost immediately on Dancing with the Stars. Truly a season for the books.

Closing out the season just as they opened it, the coaches collaborated for another highly entertaining performance, this time Def Leppard‘s “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” The super group of The Voice really killed it with the Coyote Ugly favorite. Xtina, in particular, stood out both vocally and for looking absolutely stunning.

Taking the collaboration cue from their coaches, the contestants joined together to sing the Jackson 5‘s “I’ll Be There.” Jacquie Lee, Tessanne Chin and Will Champlin are all forces to be reckoned with, and it’s still anyone’s game going into the final votes.

Collaborations can only get them so far, though, so the three finalists each struck out on their own to rally final votes. Each sang a reprisal of the Blind Auditions song, a coach duet and one last song to stun. It’s a tough choice ahead, based on these fantastic performances:

Team Adam: Tessanne Chin

To kick off the contestant performances, Tessanne Chin emerges from the audience for her encore performance of Pink‘s “Try.” She nails it…again. Having the time to sing the entire song allows her to build to a huge finale.

“Everything you do just draws me in,” says Adam.

“I’m pretty sure the people that have come and gone from the show, wherever they are watching, still appreciate you,” says Cee Lo.

While it’s unlikely that Cole Vosbury and James Wolpert are happily cheering on Tessanne with their exit wounds so fresh, it’s still a nice sentiment.

Tessanne and Adam Levine duet on The Beatles‘ “Let It Be.” Adam, much like the rest of the free world, truly loves The Beatles. It’s all fairly straightforward, with the exception of one verse set to a reggae beat. The result is a rendition that stays true to the original, but manages to add a unique Tessanne touch.

For her final vote-seeking performance, Tessanne swings for the fences with Whitney Houston‘s “I Have Nothing.” Yes, prepare yourself for feedback that includes the term “sacred ground.” Whatever ground she’s walking on, she struts on it with a combination of strong soaring notes and sweet falsettos.

“As everyone knows, this is sacred ground,” says Adam, “I know in my mind and my heart that you are the winner of this show.”

Team Adam: Will Champlin

When Will Champlin performed Gavin DeGraw‘s “Not Over You” during the Blind Auditions, he didn’t immediately stand out as a future finalist. May the skeptics (guilty) stand corrected, as the winner of The Voice‘s Most Improved Award gives a finals-worthy performance of “Not Over You,” for his encore audition.

“There isn’t anybody that works harder than Will,” says Adam. “And then there’s your incredible natural ability as a musician and a singer.”

“What an amazing journey you’ve been on,” says Christina, rocking a blue barely-there dress for the occasion. “To overcome a lot of your struggles and second guessing yourself: good job.”

Adam and Will Champlin join together for a duet of Elton John‘s “Tiny Dancer.” Adam tones down his own performance a bit to allow Will’s ad libs stand out. It’s fun, if not hugely unique from the original.

Will Champlin closes his competitive performances with Bryan Adams‘ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.” The “clouds during sunset” stage design really would have matched Adams’ “Heaven,” a little better, but vocally the ballad is strong. Will ends his performance with a sweet kiss for his wife and his baby daughter. If ever there was a time to pander for votes.

“I kind of consider this a victory for you,” says Adam, having already declared Tessanne the winner. “Regardless of the outcome, I couldn’t care less about it, this is a massive victory.”

“You’re really good luck. Everybody’s team you’ve been on has made it to the finale,” says Blake, calling Will’s performance “solid all the way through.”

Team Christina: Jacquie Lee

When Jacquie Lee first performed Amy Winehouse‘s “Back To Black” during the Blind Auditions, it was borderline shocking coming from the sweet faced 16 year-old. Now, even with the highest expectations for the soulful mini-Xtina, Jacquie still manages to dazzle.

The range! The emotion! The soul!

“I really just get so much joy out of watching you do what you do,” says Christina. “You make me smile, and you make me enjoy everything about what I do here in this chair.”

Then she goes on about her eternal love for Jacquie for so long that none of the other coaches have time to talk. Again.

For their duet, Christina picks her own song, “We Remain” from Hunger Games, because Jacquie’s journey is quite similar to Katniss’. You can’t make this gold up. In any case, the two BFFs dazzle in red dresses, and their powerhouse vocals are further emphasized by thematically-appropriate pyrotechnics. Catch that fire, girls!

“I love you, Jacquie!” Christina exclaims after the performance, just in case that was not completely clear up through this point.

Closing out the night, Jacquie sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls. It is certainly an impactful way to end her season on The Voice. The song is meant for a powerhouse moment, which Jacquie delivers in spades.

“The amount of talent you have in that little body for being 16 years-old is unbelievable,” says

Christina. “You have what it takes, and I want to see you get to that next level.”

“To see your evolution on this show, sister, that was amazing,” says Blake. “This was one of the best coach-artist pairings I’ve ever seen.”

The results are in Tuesday, on the eve of Christina Aguilera’s 33rd birthday. Does Coach Xtina have an early birthday present coming her way on Tuesday? Or will Team Adam Levine get in the way of her first Voice victory? The live results air Tuesday at 9:00 PM ET on NBC!

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