This week was “Challenge Week” on “The Voice” where artists had to sing in a different genre.  Jeremy Rosado and Wendy Moten sang Country, Holly Forbes challenged herself with disco, Girl Named Tom’s performance really stood-out with a Coldplay Pop song.  Lana Scott also performed Pop with a popular Katy Perry song.  Special guest performance on Monday’s who was by U.K. band Maneskin who performed their “Beggin” hit.

On Tuesday’s Results show, the Top 10 turned into the Top 8 who are moving onto “The Voice” Semi-Finals.  Team Blake was once again untouched for the third week in a row. There are only two more weeks left until the season 21 Finale.  The Results show also had special performances by former season 19 winner Carter Rubin who was introduced by his coach Gwen Stefani, and U.K. artist Mae Muller.

 

HOLLY FORBES (Team Ariana)

Holly was voted through by America last week for the Top 10.  She sang disco this week and it was her first time singing disco.  Ariana said sometimes you have to sing another genre when collaborating with another artist.  Holly sang “Last Dance” by Donna Summer.  Holly said the song is “going to be a lot of work.”  Ariana said “this song pushes Holly in the best waay.  She can absolutely handle it.”  He added that Holly has such an “infectious energy that we haven’t seen on stage yet.”

John reacted stating, “what a great way to kick off the show and challenge week “even doing this goal, you’re in your element,” and he called her “a powerhouse vocalist.”  Kelly said it’s not lost on her that she keeps singing songs about dancing.  She likes to dance.  Kelly noted that she loved the removal of Holly’s skirt.  Ariana said “we have fallen in love with you that we could possibly have fallen in love,”  and called it “absolutely insane!”

 

WENDY MOTEN (Team Blake)

Blake gave Wendy the “Jolene” song by Dolly Parton.  Blake said Wendy has sung every genre out there but as a backup singer.  Blake said it’s going to be a challenge for Wendy to make the song her own.   Wendy said she’s so close to becoming a solo artist again and isn’t giving up.  Wendy performed while wearing a cast on her arm this week, an injury due to her fall on stage in last week’s Results show during her performance with Team Blake.

John said every week Wendy is so perfect.  He was “transfixed. It was religious to me.”  She’s still showing what an amazing vocalist she is, “still telling a story and putting us under your spell.”  He called it “beautiful.” Kelly told Wendy (because of a week Wendy had with her injury) “kudos to you for getting it done.”  She said to tell a story like that , it was so beautifully sad.  Well done.  Blake said “that’s such a classic Country song.’  The fact that she just laid it down and let it be.  He’s never seen an example of such “strength and fearlessness” than from Wendy.  He added “let’s win this thing!”

 

JEREMY ROSADO (Team Kelly)

Jeremy said “this show is changing my life.”  His song from last week made it to Top 20 on iTunes.   Kelly told Jeremy that he’s a singer that’s comfortable with a lot of genres, and wanted him to sing Country.  She gave him an uptempo song.  Kelly said Jeremy has an “R&B smoothness” to him.  She advised him to make it more Poppy.  Jeremy said it’s challenging to him that he’ll be moving around on stage.  Kelly advised Jeremy to “never feel comfortable in a competition.”

Ariana said she’s not familiar with the song, and said Jeremy could sing the phonebook, and she’d be into it because he’s a phenomenal singer.  Kelly said it’s so powerful and so cool to see him so free.  She adde,  “your voice was magical,” and every week, Jeremy gets so much better, it’s incredible.

 

JERSHIKA MAPLE (Team Legend)

John pointed out that it’s important to change up genres because it’s useful for collabs.  He won a CMT award for his collaboration with Country artist Carrie Underwood.  He also collaborated with another Country artist Kane Brown.  Jershia said this song will challenge her with breath control.  She said she’s tying the song back to her family because this is the first time she’s been away from her family for this long.  John advised her to be “more sassy” He said think of it as being a comedic actress who can sing.  He said it’s important for viewers to see artists “stretch themselves.”  John added that Jershika has been flawless and he believes that she’s up for this challenge.

Kelly reacted that Jershika is “so powerful,” and it was “really rad” to see her do that.  She liked that she kept “those cool runs.”  John said this is the point of challenge week.  We see you do something that we wouldn’t expect and she “knocked it out of the park.  That was tremendous Jershika.”

LANA SCOTT (Team Blake)

Lana was Saved by Blake in the Battles.  He told her what a great time to have a break out moment – referring to her performance last week.  Blake said up until “the Voice,” it was all Country for him, then he sang with Christina Aguliera, Adam Levine, etc..  Lana sang a Katy Perry song this week.  Lana said she would do cool covers when she was in college and “Countyfied” them. Lana said “I really want the meaning of the song to shine above all else.”  Blake told her that she makes it feel like a Taylor Swift song. He told her the challenge is to take moments in the song to soar.  Blake is sure that Lana will be in the Top 8.  “You’re meant to be there” he told her.

Ariana said the one week that Lana didn’t sing Country she chose one of the biggest Pop songs ever,  and she brought Lana to it.  Kelly said Katy is such a good song-writer. It was cool that Lana took that song and made it a Faith Hill kind of vibe.  Blake said the way Lana performed the song, it was so conversational and it really came through. She really delivered the message.  He added he could see her singing it on the radio, and it fit it.

JOSHUA VACANTI (Team Legend)

Joshua said “The Show Must Go On” performance from last week was his favorite so far.  John said he’ll do things that are different from what you’re known for.  So, John gave Joshua a soul classic song “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys.   Joshua said he was “terrified” when John gave him that song.  John said that song is about a deep kind of love.  Joshua and his wife’s anniversary is coming up.  Joshua said he feels like it’s a full circle destiny kind of moment.

Blake reacted that Joshua is “such an important artist for this show.” Blake added that he’s a red-neck and even he can’t wait to see what Joshua does every week.  He blows them away.  John likes the creative risks that Joshua takes.  “You did some really cool alterations to the melody.  You pull it off every single time.  When the pressure is on, you show-up and give us a knockout performance,” John told Joshua.

Next, UK band Maneskin performed their “Beggin” hit on “The Voice” stage, followed by “Mammamia” new single.

 

JIM & SASHA ALLEN (Team Ariana) 

Jim and Sasha Allen were Instantly Saved last week.  Ariana thanked viewers and told them not to scare them again!  Ariana told Sasha that his speech at the end was her favorite.  She’s thankful that Sasha took advantage of the moment and giving transgender kids hope.  They got a contemporary song.  Ariana said something in this industry is that we’re challenged to new things. “As a professional it’s important to make things your own.”  Sasha said “it’s a very intimidating song…it’s a ballad so you have to sing from the heart.”  Ariana was on the verge of tears.  She said they are so “brilliant and this very well may be their best performance.”

John reacted “I’m so happy that America Saved you and gave us a chance to hear that beautiful rendition.”  He loved hearing the heartache.  “Well delivered.  It was “unique and really gorgeous.”  Kelly agreed.  The fact that Sasha has this really cool rasp and Jim has this beautiful painful thing.  “It was so good.  It was just so well executed.”   She added that a great song is a great song that they just proved that .  It can be worked in any genre.  Ariana said they proved that they deserve to be there and they hold their own with vocals alone.

 

PARIS WINNINGHAM (Team Blake)

Blake said challenge week is about giving these artists that are a little bit out of their comfort zone.  He gave Paris the song “Lone Star.”  Blake said it’s one of the biggest hits of the last 20 years.  Paris had a personal attachment to the song.  He said he was dealing with his feelings when he found out he was adopted and this song gave him an escape.  Everyone knows this song and viewers will recognize every little tweak that Paris has done with the song.  Paris said the challenge for him is to put his own spin on the song.

John said Paris got him in trouble at Thanksgiving.  His family wasn’t happy with John for letting Paris go from his Team.   He said Paris has been proving himself each week.   He’s fantastic each week. Blake said  the story and the connection that Paris has with this song, “man it come through.”  He added that Paris finally released the beast towards the end of the song and he has no doubt that Paris is going to the Finals.

HAILEY MIA (Team Kelly)

Kelly chose an age appropriate Country song for 15-year-old Hailey MIa to sing.  It was a Kelsea Ballerini song.  Kelly said Hailey is one of the best story-tellers in the competition and thought that the song would be a really cool fit for her.  It’s like a Country version of  “Happily Ever After” by Billie Eilish.  Hailey said it’s like she’s living two different lives because earlier that morning she had a math test, and now she’s singing with Kelly Clarkson and had to learn the song.  Kelly predicted that not only will Hailey surprise America, she will also surprise herself with this song.

Ariana said what’s  phenomenal is Hailey’s growth and her trust in herself.   She doesn’t see a trace of Hailey questioning herself.  She came into her own.  Kelly said Hailey has so much on her plate. She’s incredible in the sense of challenge week, she wasn’t worried about Hailey because she’s unafraid to conquer  anything.  Kelly stated that Hailey did the song flawlessly.

GIRL NAMED TOM (Team Kelly)

Girl Named Tom’s performance last week went to number two on the Country iTunes chart.  Kelly gave them the “Viva La Vida” Coldplay song.  Kelly said “it’s a different vibe for sure.”  They started off folky and this song is very different from their sound.  They dropped the bomb that they were going to be doctors.  Then their mom suggested that they form a band.  Kelly advised that she wanted it to be a spiritual experience when they’re singing it.  They sang “Rule the World” and knocked it out of the park!

Blake said he loves that they switch it up because they have so much to offer. When they come together they make it that more powerful.  John said he was imagining what their concerts are going to be like, playing different instruments. “It’s so much fun for us to watch.  I LOVE ‘Girl Named Tom,'” John exclaimed.  Kelly said it was the biggest challenge for any artist tonight.  “It was cool to see them fly around the stage. They are such a great group with such a great bond.”

 

TUESDAY’S TOP 10 RESULTS SHOW:

Gwen Stefani returned to “The Voice” since she wedded ‘Voice coach and Country artist Blake Shelton, to introduce her past ‘Voice season 19 winner Carter Rubin.  Carter performed his new single “Horoscope.”  Another guest performance of the night was by U.K. Pop artist Mae Muller.  The Top 10 results show gave way to a Top 8 who moved on to “The Voice” Semi Finals next week.

“The Voice” season 21 Top 10 artists came out onto the stage.  Host Carson Daly had a question for Paris Winningham (Team Blake).  Paris was asked why Monday’s performance was the perfect song for him?  Paris said he started working with his vocal coach back at home, he worked with Luther Vandross and to be on “The Voice” and work with Blake Shelton is an honor.  He opened for The Temptations and The Four Tops when he was 6 or 7 years old.   Paris added that he’s “in the best time of his life…God is good.”

Josh from Girl Named Tom was asked by Daly how their trust in each other has grown since being on “The Voice.”  Josh answered that their parents instilled team work in them.  So, they’re used to that. “We do have differences and difficulties at times. We do work through them…we love each other so much.”

The first two artists revealed as Saved were: Team Blake’s Paris Winningham and Jim & Sasha Allen (Team Ariana).

Gwen Stefani made an appearance to introduce her previous ‘Voice winner Carter Rubin who sang his single “Horoscope.”

Wendy Moten was asked about performing “Jolene” on Monday’s show.  She answered, “Dolly Parton is such an amazing artist.  I wanted to pay tribute to how it was written.  I did my best.”  The next artists Saved by America’s votes was Girl Named Tom (Team Kelly).

Daly reminded viewers that NBC would be airing a Live “Annie” movie event next week.  Ariana Grande said she played Annie when she was eight years old.  Her mom was in the show with her in order to be with Ariana and watch her because she was so young.

The seven remaining artists came out onto the stage.  Lana sang a Katy Perry song on Monday’s show and was asked what she learned about that performance.  She said as a singer/songwriter, she’s always had the luxury of time. But, with the challenge song, she only had three days.  She learned under pressure, to turn it into passion.  The next artist Saved was Wendy Moten (Team Blake).  America also Saved Joshua Vacanti (Team Legend).

Speical guest performer from the U.K. was Mae  Muller who performed on “The Voice” stage after that.

Jershika Maple said she had a lot of fun in her Monday’s performance.   She also added that she was so grateful to still be there and was hoping to make it to the Semi-Finals.  Hailey said she wanted to continue to sing and have fun.  She said she wants to inspire young people her age and beyond.  Two artists out of the remaining five left would be Saved.  The last three had to perform for the Instant Save vote.

America Saved Lana Scott (Team Blake).  That meant it was a clean sweep for Team Blake.  All of his artists made it into the Top 10.  The next artist announced as Saved was Hailey Mia (Team Kelly).   That left Holly Forbes (Team Ariana), Jershika Maple (Team Legend), and Jeremy Rosado (Team Kelly) to perform for the Instant Save vote.

INSTANT SAVE PERFORMANCES:

Jeremy Rosado performed a Country song first.  Blake noted that Jeremy sung two Country songs in a row,.  “it’s hard to put together anything that makes sense why people are in the bottom three.”  He said they are all so talented and “it is what it is.”  He told Jeremy that this network (NBC) is “Nothing But Clarkson.”  Kelly said that song was “such a brilliant Save song” and it proves to America how dynamic he can be.

Holly Forbes performed next.  Blake had to wait for the crowd to die down from all the cheering for Holly before he could speak.  He said he was “extra surprised” to see Holly in the bottom at this point.  It just shows you from week to week how things can change, Blake noted.   Holly’s coach, Ariana said  “this to me does not make any sense.”  She said Holly has been a “vocal Titan” each week.  She hoped that America would Save Holly.

Jershika Maple performed her Instant Save song last.   Her coach John Legend reacted “I am so stunned that you are in this position.”   He added, “you have been one of the best people this season.  You are so amazing.”  John also  pointed out that she’s done different styles.  He told Jershika that she’s given her best performance so far.  “It feels so meaningful in this moment when you know everything’s on the line.”

Jeremy thanked Kelly Clarkson, and “The Voice” vocal coach.  Holly told Kelly “thank you.  You gave me another shot in the Knockouts.”  She thanked her for everything that she’s brought to the show and her life.  Jershika told John Legend that “this show really saved me.  I have never been so free.  I fell in love with music even more” and said “it’s in God’s hands.”  Kelly told Jeremy that she believed in him from the beginning.  She also noted that all three of these artists have been on Team Kelly.  She told Jeremy that “Christians are going to wrap their arms around” that God-given voice and gift he has. She told them all that this is just the beginning.

Ariana was crying and told Holly that working with her has been such an honor and she’s learned so much from her.  She also said that Holly is such a brilliant human being and told her that they will work together, and make a record.  John told Jershika that he couldn’t believe that she was working in security before she came onto the show. He said anytime she wants to sing, the world could hear her sing.  “You’ve got pipes, you’ve got soul and power”  She has a big beautiful heart and the future holds nothing but bright things for her.

INSTANT SAVE WINNER:  Jershika Maple (Team Legend) won the Instant Save vote.