The Voice Battles, Loses Diddy, And Settles For Complacency

Usually, by this is the point in the season, there are a few breakouts: one or two frontrunners, some "moments," and a couple of questionable wardrobe choices -- just some general stuff to obsess/distress over. But since Queen Curly Sue's come to town, everything seems (intentionally edited to be) dull in comparison. Even Diddy! And you know that's just some BS. This dude was the crazy part of a couple that included J. Lo. He probably knows who killed Biggie and Tupac! And on top of all that, he actually seems like he's been providing some solid advice, too; it's not his fault the artists don't listen. It's almost, almost enough to make me wish for a reboot of Making The Band, but not quite. So for now, here's to you, Diddy. You came, you listened, and you tried. And that's definitely more than what Patti LaBelle did.

Here's how the final Battles Rankle:

1. Caity Peters vs. Joe Vivona
   Song: "Honesty"
   Team: Pharrell

   Joe's severe hair part and pinstripe suit make him look like Ken Marino in Agent Carter, which isn't exactly something I'm upset about. He fails to follow up on his semi-good looks, though, delivering only a severe case of nerves instead of a solid vocal. Caity doesn't fare that well with the song either, but she's at least able to control her natural growl, only using it for emphasis on certain lyrics. It's a shame Diddy has to waste a hug on Joe, but at least he'll always have that memory to look back on.

   Winner: Caity Peters

2. Brittany Kennell vs. Trey O'Dell
   Song: "The Chain"
   Team: Blake

   Covering Fleetwood Mac is hard to do (properly, at least), so it's not surprising that both Brittany and Trey struggle with "The Chain." Brittany overcompensates for her nerves by contorting her body into weird positions on stage, while Trey remains extremely stiff and highly focused on hitting the right notes at the right time. Neither really shows much personality, so Christina feels the need to make the Battle all about herself. She compares Brittany to Gwen (Stefani, not Stacy), even going so far as to say that Brittany's vibrato makes her sound like a Gwen-Christina "vocal baby." And then she goes and steals Trey, just because this episode is only an hour and there's still a sneak peek of next week that Carson has to intro.

   Winner: Brittany Kennell
   Steal: Trey O'Dell to Team Christina

3. Laith Al-Saadi vs. Matt Tedder
   Song: "Honky Tonk Woman"
   Team: Adam

   Laith surprised everyone by making it onto Team Adam in the first place, but there's no denying the guy is extremely talented. His experience alone is enough to cause concern for Matt, but the latter is good enough that the influence goes both ways, and Laith admits to having to step up in order to meet (and beat) Matt's vocals. They fall somewhere in between Battling and dueting, but though their work has a nice, relaxed, mellow vibe, it doesn't quite land. The end result still manages to surprise, though. While Matt has room for improvement, Laith is already fully developed, yet Adam chooses to keep him on anyway.

   Winner: Laith Al-Saadi

While honorable mentions always go to the montaged, I just have to ask: who is the producer who decided cutting Gina Costanzo and Peyton Parker's Battle of "Borderline" was okay? It easily seems like it could have been the most fun, ridiculous thing this season. Always choose Madonna, kids.

Here's how the teams stand, ahead of the Knockouts:

Team Blake: Paxton Ingram, Mary Sarah, Angie Keilhauer, Adam Wakefield, Peyton Parker, Brittany Kennell, Katie Basden, Lacy Mandigo

Team Christina : Bryan Bautista, Alisan Porter, Joe Maye, Daniel Passino, Tamar Davis, Maya Smith, Trey O'Dell, Kata Hay

Team Pharrell: Abby Celso, Nick Hagelin, Caity Peters, Emily Keener, Hannah Huston, Malik Heard, Moushumi, Shalyah Fearing

Team Adam: Caroline Burns, Laith Al-Saadi, Katherine Ho, Nate Butler, Ryan Quinn, Owen Danoff, Jessica Crosbie, Brian Nhira

Are you excited for Coach Miley Cyrus next week? And Adam's pink hair? I know I am.