‘The Voice’: Gwen Stefani Performs “Misery”

Caila Ball-Dionne | April 20, 2016 8:02 am

So, so many things were wrong with The Voice elimination show on Tuesday night. Let’s start with the obvious first: The elimination of one contestant took an entire excruciating hour. How many times can Carson Daly really ask Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine such compelling questions as, “So, how are you doing tonight, coach?” Such is the programming block, but instead of breaking said hour up with a guest performance, they led with one, leaving 57 minutes to drag out the elimination.

Then we’ve got Christina Aguilera dressed like Dolly Parton in 9 To 5…and it’s not even the Halloween show. Then it’s revealed that Season 7 finalist Matt McAndrew’s career has taken him to hosting “Inside The Voice,” an audio show…only available on Amazon Echo. Yikes. He and Christina Grimmie should start a support group.

Last but certainly not least, a completely unexpected contestant got the undeserved boot. In a single elimination show. Where she was consistently better than the majority of the contestants. But, hey: at least Gwen Stefani performed!

Below is how all that nonsense went down, and – of course – the results.

As if predicting the upcoming hour, Gwen sings “Misery” during her return to The Voice stage. It’s super catchy, and she delivers as always. Plus, it’s almost endearing to see Blake look on with admiration from his red chair (Note: This should not be taken as my implied approval of this mismatched relationship).

Not to be outdone (kidding), Blake then performs Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night” with team members Adam Wakefield, Mary Sarah and Paxton Ingram. Bless Adam Wakefield not just for his guitar playing, but also for his complete refusal to smile or sway along with the rest of his team.

Adam performs Sly And The Family Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay” with team members Laith Al-Saadi, Shalyah Fearning and Owen Danoff. Laith hits some insanely low notes that make the room rumble, and that stand out against Adam’s incredibly high notes. What a pairing!

And that’s all the entertainment that is afforded this evening. On to the results!

VOTED THROUGH TO THE TOP 11

Team Christina: Alisan Porter, Bryan Bautista, Nick Hagelin. (No surprises here, really. Team Flawless lives on.)

Team Pharrell: Hannah Huston, Daniel Passino. (Emily Keener doesn’t get voted through but Daniel Passino does? What a crazy world we live in!)

Team Adam: Laith Al-Saadi, Shalyah Fearing. (Owen Danoff may not deserve to be in the bottom two, but he’s also not really giving out Top 5 vibes, so this is not all that shocking.)

Team Blake: Adam Wakefield, Paxton Ingram, Mary Sarah. (Adam Wakefield: you killed it last night. Mary Sarah and Paxton Ingram: you skated this time, but you’re going to need to step it up next week.)

SINGING FOR AN INSTANT SAVE

Emily Keener and Owen Danoff are put on the spot to sing for their lives — or, less dramatically, to advance to the Top 11. Emily tackles Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.” It’s a really mellow choice for this important moment, but everyone’s going to come to their senses and vote her through based on her “Lilac Wine” performance last night, right?

“You know what you just heard. You know what you heard last night,” says Pharrell.

“Her life doesn’t end on this show, but she knows this show is a diving board for where she wants to go in the real world.”

Owen sings Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House.” It’s mellow but strong, as is the way with Owen Danoff. Notably, he nails the sections with fast, tongue-twisting lyrics.

“I’ve really taken a leap of faith with this guy, and it really seems to me like he keeps growing,” says Adam. “I’m asking you guys to do me a favor and give this guy the chance that I think he deserves.”

And the results are…

In a shocking twist, Owen Danoff wins the Instant Save, meaning uber-talented Emily Keener takes the walk of shame out of this single elimination. Explosive, right? Of the eleven other contestants, only Alisan Porter would have been a more shocking elimination (and, ya know, one that likely would have caused Christina Aguilera to physically destroy her red chair).

Buckle up, because anything could happen the rest of the season!