The Voice's Knockout Round came to a close with Marybeth Byrd, Ricky Braddy, and Myracle Holloway advancing, plus an extremely difficult decision for Kelly Clarkson between two 16-year-old artists, Damali and Gracee Shriver, during Tuesday night's Season 17 episode on NBC.

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The Knockout Round featured two team members from a team singing individual songs of their own choosing one at a time in the hope of impressing their coach and advancing in the competition.

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The Voice coaches Kelly, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton were each allowed to "Steal" one losing artist in the Knockout Round, and Taylor Swift served as a "mega mentor" to all the contestants in rehearsals.

The first Knockout of the night was for "Team Legend."

Marybeth, an 18-year-old from Armorel, AR, sang "All I Ask" by Adele, and Preston C. Howell, a 15-year-old from Miami, FL, performed "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra.

Gwen called Preston a "phenomenon" and couldn't believe he's only 15. She thought this was his favorite performance so far, but she complimented Marybeth for how her style is coming out.

Kelly was shocked by Marybeth's power, saying bringing it out now was "smart and strategic." She also suggested Preston should try a song that would be unexpected like a Justin Bieber tune.

Blake thought Marybeth did a great job and stepped up to the plate.

John said this was his favorite performance of Preston's so far because he winked and flirted with the audience. But while Preston was "smooth," John noted Marybeth is "an exceptionally gifted vocalist." He thought her tone was "really lovely" to listen to.

John declared Marybeth the winner of the Knockout because of her great tone and control.

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Blake then paired up Zach Bridges, a 29-year-old from Pearl, MS, with Ricky, a 36-year-old from Nashville, TN.

Ricky took the stage with "So High" by John Legend, and Zach performed "The Dance" by Garth Brooks.

All four coaches stood up for Ricky and gave him a standing ovation.

John said Ricky sang his song really beautifully and it was thrilling to hear him hit the notes with such passion. John also said Zach's tone was nice to listen to, but he was leaning towards Ricky winning the Knockout.

Gwen was impressed Ricky's voice can sing any genre, but she pointed out Zach has a storytelling quality to it.

"Ricky, the last two thirds of that song, I felt like it was the finale. And Zach, you just didn't stray at all from the Garth Brooks version, and I think you could end up in the finale as well," Kelly revealed.

"I would just lean in to who Zach is. With your tone, you would win with me all day."

Blake based his decision on which person really swung for the fence. Although he thought both artists laid it all out there and he respected them both, Blake announced Ricky had won the Knockout.

"Oh my gosh!" Gwen could be heard saying.

Blake said Ricky continued to surprise him by trying harder and harder to see what he can achieve.

"I picked Ricky because I think he can win this thing," Blake noted.

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The last Knockout for Gwen's team was between Myracle, who sang "Can We Talk" by Tevin Campbell, and Calvin Lockett. Myracle won the faceoff because she thought Myracle was "sassy" and "entertaining."

The last Knockout of the season featured Gracee, a 16-year-old from Owasso, OK, and Damali, a 16-year-old from Norwalk, CA, on behalf of Kelly's team.

Damali sang "Sober" by Demi Lovato, while Gracee performed "Leave the Pieces" by The Wreckers.

Blake told Damali she was really starting to step into her own and she inspired him to really listen to the lyrics. Blake also said Gracee's voice is "so unique" and her tone is incredible.

John told Damali her ability to tell a story really came through but Gracee can yodel and when her voice sounds good, it simply sounds good. John would therefor advance Gracee if the decision was his.

"With Damali's performance, I was more impressed with you than I've ever been. There are certain moments when it sounds like a professional Grammy-winning singer," Gwen said.

"And Gracee, I think that vocally, it's just an original song. But I'm just so impressed with Damali -- she took it to another level for me."

But the decision belonged to Kelly. She compared Damali to Annie Lennox but agreed with Gwen that Gracee is "so original." Kelly thought they were both fantastic and it was like comparing "a young Mariah to a young Dixie Chicks."

Kelly admitted this was a really tough choice for her, but in the end, she advanced Damali.

Kelly said this Knockout will forever be the hardest decision she's ever had to make on The Voice.

Once Gracee said goodbye to Kelly and called her a mother figure, Kelly fell to her knees in tears.

However, Blake chose to steal Gracee for his own team because he had his eye on her since the Blind Auditions.

"Gracee is going to soar on Blake's team, obviously," Kelly noted.

The artists who survived the Knockout Round will now head to The Voice's Season 17 Live Playoffs.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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