'The Voice' coaches complete teams as "Knockout Round" wraps up

The Voice coaches completed their ninth-season teams with the conclusion of the "Knockout Round" during Monday night's broadcast of the NBC show's ninth season.


The "Knockout Round" concluded Monday night as Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams kept pairing off members of their teams to duke it out over one spot in each matchup. The contestants were each allowed to sing a solo -- a song of their own choosing -- in the hope of outperforming their opponent.

During the "Knockout Round," each coach is allowed only one steal for his or her own team. An artist can only be stolen by another coach after losing his or her respective faceoff. All the contestants were guided and assisted by The Voice's newest key advisor Rihanna.

Adam matched up James Dupre, who sang "Sure Be Cool If You Did" with Shelby Brown, who performed "Jesus Take The Wheel." Adam said Shelby "crushed it" and gave him goosebumps, while James sang a tough song with ease. Because Shelby had "a dramatic flare" to her vocal, Adam picked her as the Knockout's winner.

Pharrell had Mark Hood face off against Siahna Im. Mark sang "Stand By Me," and Siahna took the stage with "Back To Black."  Pharrell told Mark that he really fought for his life with that song but Siahna managed to "charm the room." In the end, Pharrell declared Mark the winner because he's such a great "storyteller" when he performs.


Gwen paired Jeffery Austin with Kota Wade. Jeffery performed "Turning Tables," while Kota sang "Barracuda." Gwen explained Kota's song choice shocked her but it represented her style and what kind of album she'd like to make. Jeffery, on the other hand, let people into his heart. Because of that, Gwen dubbed Jeffery the Knockout's champion.

For "Team Blake," Emily Ann Roberts sang "Cowboy Take Me Away" against Nadjah Nicole, who performed "A Woman's Worth."

Blake said Nadjah's song was "amazing and beautiful" but Emily Ann fit into a "bluegrass, mountain sound" that he thinks could be mainstream. Due to the fact Blake could envision Emily Ann on the radio as an artist who could stick around for 20 years in country music, the coach picked her as the winner.

Blake also matched Zach Seabaugh, who sang "Somebody's Heartbreak," with Chris Crump. The Knockout was briefly shown in a short clip so viewers didn't see much reasoning behind Blake's decision other than the fact he's a young guy with a great voice.

Pharrell required Evan McKeel to sing off against Tim Atlas. Evan sang "Dare You To Move" in comparison to Tim's version of "Torn." Pharrell told the artists that Evan gave his all and has great intuition, and Tim has a different, special voice. However, Tim needs to learn how to use his unique voice the right way because it can also hurt him.


Pharrell picked Evan as the winner of the Knockout because he "came out swinging."

Gwen matched Regina Love, who sang "Midnight Train To Georgia" against Riley Biederer, who performed "XO." Regina received a standing ovation from all the coaches. Gwen said Riley is incredible and has so much potential, but Regina has a great spirit and determination about her. Gwen declared Regina champion of the Knockout because she brought her to tears.

But Riley's run in the competition did not come to an end. Pharrell decided to steal Riley back for his own team, admitting that he hated losing her the first time in the "Battle Round."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski