That's a wrap on Coach Miley for now, folks, as we leave the Knockouts behind and get ready for the Lives with the newly minted Top 20 next week. Miley's rainbow hot pants will be missed, and it's going to be on Kata Hay to bring the crazy for the rest of the season. But if the final Knockouts are any indication, we might be headed towards a snoozefest. Here's the worst-to-first Rankling:
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Brittany Kennell / "You're Still The One" vs. Mary Sarah / "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)"
For some reason, both Brittany and Mary mistake this Knockout round for karaoke night at the local honky tonk and neither truly brings her A game. While Brittany's intonation is nice, her tone is hollow, and her arrangement lacks any sort of standout moment. Mary's lackluster too, but her performance has just a bit more bite, which earns her the right to move on to the Top 20 next week.
Winner: Mary Sarah
Team: Blake -
Bryan Bautista / "Sorry" vs. Trey O'Dell / "I Lived"
Bryan has good cadence, but his intonation is lacking and his ending line seems a bit self-indulgent; this guy is a peacock and he's not afraid to lean into how pretty he is to get the win. He has more experience -- and therefore more confidence -- than Trey, so this pairing doesn't seem completely fair. Still, Trey's case of the nerves is his own, so technically, he sabotages himself, making a lackluster arrangement sound downright dour when it should have been a banger instead.
Winner: Bryan Bautista
Team: Christina -
Abby Celso / "Rich Girl" vs. Caity Peters / "Leave Your Lover"
Abby brings a ton of passion to her performance of her oddball song choice, but it proves to be too much; she ends up blindly disregarding any strategy behind her arrangement, and her spoken opening is far too harsh as a result. By the time she transitions to the softer chorus, it's too little too late. Caity manages to attack her performance with a clearer strategy, choosing to highlight her vocal abilities by performing in the extreme high and low ends of her range. It's a gamble, but it works out for her in the end, mumbles and all.
Winner: Caity Peters
Team: Pharrell -
Brian Nhira / "Grenade" vs. Nate Butler / "Let's Stay Together"
Team Pharrell transplant Brian impresses with his intensity and intonation; even as he stands in the same spot on stage, he conveys the feelings of passion and movement. Nate's fine vocally, but lacks much of the same honestly that makes Brian's performance special, so he comes off sleazy as a result. Best of luck to him finding work on a cruise ship.
Winner: Brian Nhira
Team: Adam -
Jessica Crosbie / "Wake Me Up" vs. Laith Al-Saadi / "In Your Eyes"
Jessica lost this battle as soon as she said that the Avicii song was "parallel to [her] story," not because she was relating to an Avicii song, per se, but because she was expressing a subconscious desire to skip the part of her career building that requires the hard work (also, her arrangement is terrible, wavering between wanting to be acoustic and a banger, but never fully settling). Laith, on the other hand, pours all of himself into his performance, letting his experience and drive carry over into his lyrical expression. He's not the typical Voice, but he could be the exception the show needs.
Winner: Laith Al-Saadi
Team: Adam -
Joe Maye / "Earned It" vs. Kata Hay / "Why Haven't I Heard From You"
Joe has a great tone and falsetto, but he's trying a little too hard to be sexy; ending on the floor in a power lunge seems like a desperate move. Such antics are usually Kata's MO, but she impresses with her performance of "Why Haven't I Heard From You," sounding the best she has all competition. Her arrangement helps hide her vocal flaws, and the aggressive lyrics help by allowing her to act like a good singer even though her voice isn't necessarily the strongest. It's not her usual hot mess, but it is kind of hot.
Winner: Kata Hay
Steal: Joe Maye to Team Blake
Team: Christina
And, of course, an honorable mention to the montaged Katherine Ho vs. Caroline Burns Knockout. Katherine probably deserved better, but we all have to make sacrifices to meet Carson's minimal contractual screentime.
Here are the current team standings:
Team Blake: Paxton Ingram, Mary Sarah, Adam Wakefield, Katie Basden, Joe Maye
Team Christina: Bryan Bautista, Alisan Porter, Tamar Davis, Kata Hay, Ryan Quinn
Team Pharrell: Caity Peters, Emily Keener, Hannah Huston, Moushumi, Lacy Mandigo
Team Adam: Caroline Burns, Laith Al-Saadi, Owen Danoff, Brian Nhira, Shalyah Fearing
What did you think of the night's matchups? Who's your ultimate frontrunner so far? Still Curly Sue? Or maybe Moushumi? Comment away!