Last night, "The Voice" did
what "American Idol" could not do... take home an Emmy.
Now they're going to try and translate that into a
superstar... and they're going to have the original four
coaches on board to do it... Three-time defending
champion Blake Shelton, one time champion Adam Levine,
and pop proteges Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green.
But the rules stay the
same. If you want to get in the game, you've got to
have... "The Voice".
Speaking of getting the
band back together, let's sing a little "I Love
Rock'n'Roll".
First up, Kat Robichaud
(24; Raleigh), a fan of 70s glam-rock. She was raised on
musicals, but she ended up joining a band during college
(where she met her husband). Ultimately, she's doing
this for her father, a "Voice" fan who has passed away
since the beginning of season 4. She kicks off season 5
with "I've Got The Music In Me". ... and we kick it off
with a three-turn. Adam, the lone holdout. And he's not
above giving Blake what-for. She picks... CEE-LO.
... did Adam just say the
coaches were BETTER than the Beatles?
Next up, Caroline Pennell
(17; Saddle River, NJ) says that singing was always
private to her. The first time she ever performed with a
live band was at camp. Gee, this sounds familiar. She's
never performed in front of these stars, but this could
be the push she needs. Hey... like Ellie Goulding says,
"Anything Could Happen". Like Blake and Cee-Lo hitting.
Blake calls her bad-ass, while Cee-Lo gives her the
opportunity to be herself. She picks... CEE-LO. The
season is not 30 minutes old, and Cee-Lo Green already
has TWO.
Donna Allen (54;
Hollywood, FL) is the oldest artist in the competition.
She was part of the Miami Sound Machine with Gloria
Estefan, but now, having already raised a capable son,
she's ready to strike out on her own. She's hoping to be
the first ever person over 40 to win "The Voice". Her
opening salvo is "You Are So Beautiful". Christina's in.
Adam's in.... Christina thought her voice was like "the
heavens opened up." Blake... wants so very badly for
Donna to hit up Christina. Adam thinks he can take her
to the end. She picks... ADAM! And Adam is dead. And
Donna jumps on Adam. Adam's just loving this...
From the Lone Star State,
we have Jake Worthington (17; La Porte, TX), who likes
to go muddin' some holes, chillin' out, and singing on
stage. Of his friends, he's the one who manned up. He's
never performed in front of a crowd this big. Let's see
if the big guy can make something happen with the
Georgia Satellites' "Keep Your Hands to Yourself". And
that's... exactly what the coaches do. No huggy, no
kissy, no buzzer.
Next up, we go to Matthew
Schuler (20; Yardley, PA), a collegiate rugby player who
also works at a bagel shop. His parents are both pastors
who lost their church, but relocated to their basement.
He wants to be "The Voice" because he's got so many
songs in his heart, and he wants to share them with the
world. His first, "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant. And
before I can type "Cough Syrup", ALL FOUR COACHES TURN
THEIR CHAIRS! So who's going to be the lucky one to get
this one? It's going to be... ... CHRISTINA!
On the road, Carson meets
a Tara Strong lookalike/soundalike, a personal trainer,
and a couple of musicians. We'll meet them all later.
Nic Hawk (26; Dallas)
sees himself as a male Jessie J or Amy Winehouse. His
stepdad left without warning, so it was up to a
traveling performer to come home and make a living as a
bartender and a dance teacher. Could this be his second
chapter? He gives up "Hit'em Up Style" by Blu
Cantrell... and Adam forgets how scary it sounds and
hits him up style. Cee-Lo says "Not so fast, my tattooed
bearded brother." Nic says... ADAM!
It's been nothing but
blanks for some of the youngest artists invited to
audition. Hopefully that will change for Matthew Brea
(15; Atlanta), whose parents emigrated from Haiti for a
better life. He's singing for his brother Jonathan, who
passed away from an unexpected disease. He's feeling a
bit anxious. That doesn't show itself with "I Want You
Back". It also doesn't show itself in the coaches
turning their chairs around. At least he gets a hug from
Christina. That's... well, that's always a win. Come
on...
Jasper, AL is home of
Shelbie Z (21; Jasper, AL), a hairdresser and part-time
pageant coach who looks (and sounds) a lot like Rebel
Wilson affecting a Southern accent. She was a pageant
girl when she was a 3-year-old. Now music is more her
thing. She says it's "a fire that she's got to let out".
She'll leave it out on stage with Gretchen Wilson's
"Here for the Party". So is Cee-Lo... and Blake, of
course. AND Christina. She's got her eyes on Blake, it
seems. And now... she's got the REST of her set on BLAKE
as well.
Josh Logan (33;
Manchester, NH) comes from a family of karaoke DJs. When
he was 16, he got his girlfriend at the time pregnant.
That was an exercise in getting old fast. He ended up
doing construction full time and music part time. He
would like to leave construction behind and support his
family with his music. He gets "Too Close" with Alex
Clare. Blake and Christina both want to get closer to
him. Adam's getting in on this Josh action. Josh ends up
giving CHRISTINA two.
Delvin Choice (24;
Greenville, SC) ... is a tall... sexy... chocolate glass
of water. He also works at a place that serves
tall...sexy... chocolate glasses of water. Which just so
happens to have their money behind this show. Of course,
we're not going to say where he works, but he's got the
makings of a star, Buck. He's going to get "Closer" to
his inner Ne-Yo. He says he just can't stop, but he's
going to have to, because no coach hits their button.
Sorry, Delvin, but this order of tall sexy chocolate
glass of water is to go. And I want a chicken sausage
wrap with it, too, damn it.
One more... and it's
James Wolpert (22; Lancaster, PA), who is a giant
computer geek. He wanted to pursue art at Carnegie
Mellon. He thinks that singing is the ultimate art,
transcendent and fluid. He puts college on hold to
pursue his dream of tinkering with music the way he
tinkers at the Apple Store where he works. He's going to
close us out with Jack White's "Love Interruption". Adam
and Cee-Lo... are joined by Blake... And Christina gets
in the action at the end.... and it gets animated when
she learns that James is from Pittsburgh (C-Note: so is
Christina). Adam tries to convince James by comparing
this to the NBA. But ultimately, it's James' game. And
he just passes it to ADAM!
And here is where we
stand after night 1.
#TEAMADAM
Donna Allen
Nic Hawk
James Wolpert |
#TEAMCEELO
Kat Robichaud
Caroline Pennell |
#TEAMXTINA
Matthew Schuler
Josh Logan |
#TEAMBLAKE
Shelbie Z |
And we're just getting
started. The blind auditions continue tomorrow.
To see this episode in its entirety or to find
out how to become a contestant, go to
nbcthevoice.com
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