KJ WILLIS, 35 | John Legend was the first coach to turn his chair for Willis’ joyful delivery of Bobby Brown’s “Toni.” (Oh, you question the joy? Take it up with Legend, who’s probably still giving Willis praise hands from his swivel chair.) As Willis proceeded to effortlessly cruise through the song, Kelly Clarkson could no longer deny the power of “the singing barber from Memphis, Tennessee.” Willis choosing Legend as his coach was a foregone conclusion, but we give Clarkson kudos for trying.
TVLine’s grade: “A-“
ASHLEY MARINA, 18 | Another young contestant, 18-year-old Marina (and those silver boots!) brought a heartbreaking rendition of Keith Urban’s “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” with which she became the first Triple Turn of the night. The range on this kid is absolutely insane. She belted out those high notes like it was nothing, capping off the beautiful performance with an equally impressive falsetto. Clarkson pointed out that Marina battled a touch of flatness after the coaches turned around, which we’ll attribute to nerves, because we know this girl can sing. And Marina continued to be full of surprises by choosing Legend as her coach; we were certain she was bound for Team Kelly.
TVLine’s grade: “A”
GRACE HUMPHRIES, 18 | With her late brother watching from the highest seat in the house, Humphries’ blessed us all with a touching performance of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” an excellent showcase for her strong falsetto. That said, it was the rare moments of belting that had us wanting to hear more from Humphries, whose true potential has yet to be fully realized on that stage. We also heard a few shaky moments, but we’re chalking those up to nerves. For Humphries’ sake, we were disappointed that Adam Levine didn’t also turn his chair around, but considering the powerful falsetto, Legend is probably the best fit.
TVLine’s grade: “B+”
NATASHA BLAINE, 27 | This sauna worker had Legend sweating from the first few moments of Sade’s “Kiss of Life,” but as is the case with multiple singers this week, things got a little shaky once he turned around. We’ll be honest, we wouldn’t have spun our chair as quickly as he did — if at all — but we trust that he knows what he’s doing. At least we hope he does, for his sake.
TVLine’s grade: “B-“
SYD MILLEVOI, 23 | If Clarkson hadn’t already completed her team, she would have joined Levine and Legend in immediately turning for this vocal powerhouse. A wedding singer with big dreams, Millevoi blew the roof off of the studio with an explosive performance of Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best.” And unlike some of her fellow contestants, who became more nervous after the coaches turned around, their support only further empowered her to bring the house down. Levine spoke for us all: “Did you just win ‘The Voice’? Is ‘The Voice’ over?” And with that, Team Legend is complete!
TVLine’s grade: “A+”
