The Voice Recap: Battle Round 3

The third battle round of The Voice showcased the second set of artists battling in elimination duets. Coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams rehearse with their artists and advisors: Selena Gomez on Team Gwen, Brad Paisley on Team Blake, Missy Elliott on Team Pharrell and John Fogerty with Team Adam. But the battle wasn’t just on the stage. Blake took every opportunity he had to take a shot at Adam’s new haircut, or lack thereof, calling him every name from Cold Stone Steve Austin to Powder.

Kicking off the third night of the battle rounds, Blake paired the inspiring country singer Blind Joe against rocker Blaine Mitchell. Blake combined they’re genres by giving them “Old Time Rock and Roll,” and asked them to give it all they’ve got, which is exactly what they did. Adam called it brawly, unruly, and just plain awesome. As far as singing goes, Blake called it a dead tie, but in the end went with Blind Joe as the winner of this battle. That gave Adam the perfect opportunity to steal Blaine.

Adam’s first battle pairing of the night was Cassandra Robertson, who captivated him during her blind audition, versus Viktor Kiraly from Hungary who got a quick four-chair turn during his audition. They took the stage singing “Nobody Knows” and left Adam feeling beyond proud. All coaches agreed it was an even match. Blake said he would go with Viktor, while Pharrell said he would choose Cassandra, making it an even tougher decision for Adam. In the end Adam chose Viktor as the battle winner.

Gwen paired candy shop owner Chase Kirby and pre-med student Korin Bukowski. She gave these indie artists the emotion-packed song “Samson” by Regina Spektor. Gwen got mama-bear protective over her artists and was not particularly fond of the criticism shared by the other coaches. Adam said he would’ve gone with Korin because of the way she sailed through the vocal, and Gwen agreed.

Pharrell teamed up Evan McKeel who turned all four chairs during his audition versus YouTube sensation Riley Biederer. Together they sang “Higher Ground” and wowed all four coaches. Adam said they both did unbelievably well, but would go with Evan if he were in Pharrell’s shoes, which is exactly what Pharrell did. But Riley swiftly got a second chance on team Gwen.

Gwen’s second pairing of the night was pop artist Lyndsey Elm and fifteen-year-old Braiden Sunshine. Gwen’s artists rose to the challenge signing “No One Is To Blame.“ Adam and Pharrell agreed both artists had a special moment that showcased they had more to give. Gwen said it was the hardest decision she’s had to make thus far, but ultimately went with her heart and chose Braiden.

The last pairing of the night was soulful singer Chance Peña versus twin sisters Andi and Alex from Team Adam, singing “Wherever You Will Go.” Their unbelievable performance had all four coaches in awe and ready to steal. Pharrell said the harmony between Andi and Alex is nothing short of magical. However, Chance took the challenge of holding his own against a powerful duo and had no problem standing out. Adam had the toughest decision of the night, but went with Andi and Alex, giving Blake the opportunity to use his last steal and take Chance to the Knock Outs.