‘The Voice’ season 20 episode 8 recap: Battles continue on April 5 [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]
Kelsea Ballerini returned to “The Voice” stage this week as Kelly Clarkson was still out sick (thankfully not with Covid-19). The Grammy-nominated country/pop star joined regular panelists John Legend, Nick Jonas and Blake Shelton as the show continued its trademark battle rounds. This is the stage of the competition where the coaches pair up their artists for showstopping duets and then determine who stays and who goes. They can also hit their “save” or “steal” buttons if they want to keep a losing artist in the competition. So how did the second night of battles play out on Monday night?
Below, read our minute-by-minute “The Voice” recap of Season 20, Episode 8 to find out what happened Monday, April 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite artists on NBC’s long-running reality TV show, which coach you’re rooting for and who you think will ultimately join “The Voice” winners list for this 10th anniversary season. Here is a closer look at each coach’s team:
Team Blake Shelton: Avery Roberson, Cam Anthony, Connor Christian, Emma Caroline, Ethan Lively, Jordan Matthew Young, Keegan Ferrell, Pete Mroz, Savanna Chestnut
Team Nick Jonas: Andrew Marshall, Bradley Sinclair, Dana Monique, Devan Blake Jones, Jose Figueroa Jr., Lindsay Joan, Rachel Mac, Raine Stern, Zae Romeo,
Team John Legend: Carolina Rial, Ciana Pelekai, Deion Warren, Denisha Dalton, Durell Anthony, Pia Renee, Rio Doyle, Victor Solomon, Zania Alake
Team Kelly Clarkson: Ainae, Anna Grace Felten, Corey Ward, Gean Garcia, Ghianna Zoe, Halley Greg, JD Casper, Kenzie Wheeler, Ryleigh Modig, Savanna Woods
Keep refreshing/reloading this “The Voice” live blog for the most recent updates.
8:00 p.m. – “Previously on ‘The Voice’!” In last week’s seventh episode, Team Blake’s Aaron Konzelman, Team Legend’s Christine Cain and Team Nick’s Awari were all eliminated after their battles. Nick was the only coach to use his “save,” keeping Devan Blake Jones in the competition. And both Kelsea and John used their “steals” — Kelsea stole Avery Roberson from Team Blake and John stole Gean Garcia from Team Kelly. Will any of the remaining saves or steals be played tonight? Let’s go!
8:01 p.m. – The night kicked off with Team Blake’s Cam Anthony vs. Emma Caroline, a pairing of two different genres that lent itself perfectly to the Dan + Shay featuring Justin Bieber song “10,000 Hours.” In the rehearsal session of their own song, Dan + Shay were blown away with goosebumps over what Cam and Emma had achieved. They liked that they made it their own and their ability to harmonize so well with each other. Like Blake warned Emma, she was outperformed by Cam by her more reserved approach to the song–though she sounded great, she was simply singing rather than performing. Cam was able to claim ownership over the song in the performance, drawing all attention to his half of the stage. The other coaches loved Emma’s tone, but were drawn to the choices Cam made and the passion he expressed. Blake told Emma that her body language still reads like she lacks the confidence and that it’s frustrating because her voice is so impressive. With that said, Blake had to stick with Cam going forward. But, Blake wasn’t done with Emma and so, determined to help her turn things around, he hit his button to save her from elimination!
8:17 p.m. – Kelly met up with Luis Fonsi and two of her artists, Halley Greg and Gihanna Zoë, to practice their battle of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. Luis liked the old school emotional resonance to Halley’s voice and the control that Gihanna had over hers. When it came to Gihanna, Kelly felt like she was missing the intimacy of the song and would be looking for that in the battle if she were to win.