'The Voice' recap: Nine worthy "Battle Round" winners and three grateful stolen artists advance

The Voice Battles continued with 12 artists surviving the cut during Monday night's Season 13 broadcast on NBC starring coaches Adam Levine, Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, and Blake Shelton.


In "The Battle Round," a coach pairs two of his or her team members up at a time and chooses a song for them to sing as a duet. While the team members must blend their different sounds, the goal is to out-perform each other for only one spot on the team moving forward.

The artists who won their respective Battles last night were Jon Mero, a 31-year-old from Des Moines, IA who currently resides in Atlanta, GA; Red Marlow, a 40-year-old from Rogersville, AL who currently resides in Dickson, TN; Karli Webster, a 20-year-old from Santa Clarita, CA; Anna Catherine DeHart, a 23-year-old from Sikeston, MO who currently resides in Nashville, TN; Jeremiah Miller, an 18-year-old from Fort Worth, TX; Emily Luther, a 24-year-old from Woonsocket, RI; Shi'Ann, a 15-year-old from Paducah, KY who currently resides in Bowling Green, KY; Anthony Alexander, a 17-year-old from Fontana, CA; and Janice Freeman, a 32-year-old from Covina, CA who currently resides in Compton, CA.

However, Adam, Miley, Jennifer, and Blake are each allowed two "Steals" during this round, which means he or she may select two losing artists from opposing coaches' Battles to join his or her own team for the upcoming "The Knockout Round" and potentially beyond.

The artists who were stolen on Monday night's show were Addison Agen, a 16-year-old from Fort Wayne, IN; Stephan Marcellus, a 26-year-old from Englewood, NJ; and Katrina Rose, a 34-year-old from Durham, NC who currently resides in Astoria Queens, NY.


For "The Battle Round," Joe Jonas is serving as Adam's team adviser, Kelly Rowland is serving as Jennifer's team adviser, Billy Ray Cyrus is working with his daughter Miley, and the Rascal Flatts are helping out Blake's team.

The contestants who were sadly eliminated last night were Brandon Brown, a 19-year-old from Bronx, NY; Ryan Scripps, a 24-year-old from San Jose, CA; Kristi Hoopes, a 19-year-old from Parker, CO; Alexandra Joyce, a 16-year-old from Wesley Chapel, FL; Gary Carpentier, a 26-year-old from Oswego, NY who currently resides in Liverpool, NY; and Michael Kight, a 25-year-old from Dublin, GA who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

"Team Adam" kicked off the night with a Battle between Brandon and Jon. The coach paired these two guys together because they're both very soulful singers and could learn a lot from each other. Adam was hoping Jon could push Brandon to project, while Brandon could show his opponent how to embrace a softer side when singing.

The guys performed "I Wish It Would Rain" by The Temptations, and Blake called Jon a "once-in-a-lifetime vocalist."

Adam felt that Brandon captured the spirit of the song and transformed from a good to an incredible singer, while Jon's experience onstage showed. Both artists deserved to be rewarded, but Adam named Jon the winner because he's special and they can do so much together on the show going forward.


Blake then matched Red with Ryan. Blake explained that Red is traditional country and Ryan represents the new generation, so the coach wanted to be able to focus on one or the other. Red and Ryan sang "Fishin' in the Dark" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Blake gushed how Red's voice reminds him of what Nashville represents, but Ryan is cool and current. The Battle ultimately came down to the vocals, and while they're both great singers and were equal in a lot of ways, Blake declared Red the champion because he's "a seasoned performer and entertainer" who also happens to be very likable.

For "Team Miley," Addison sang a slow rendition of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper against Karli.

Miley matched the girls because they have similar voices, and the coach just wants "one of everything" on her team. Miley admitted during rehearsals that she was going to lose sleep over having to choose between these talented young girls.

After the Battle, Miley confessed that pairing them together crushed her heart into "1,000 pieces" but the performance was worth her pain. Miley said it was the hardest decision she's ever made as a coach on the show.


With that being said, Miley went with her heart and opted to advance Karli to the next round because her airy voice floats. Miley considered herself a genuine fan of Karli's sound and artistry, so it only made sense that the coach kept her on the team.

Both Adam and Jennifer, however, wanted to steal Addison. Jennifer insisted she wanted to keep "the girl power going" and that Addison is a star. But Adam pointed out that Jennifer never turned around for her in "The Blind Auditions," proving he's been passionate about her from the start. The Maroon 5 frontman said the journey to find her voice isn't over yet, and he wants to help her with that.

Addison ultimately picked Adam as her new coach, and Adam said if he can unlock that something special he sees in her, it's going to be crazy. 

A montage of Battles were then shown, so six artists' performances were glossed over in the episode.

Blake paired Anna Catherine against Kristi to sing "Independence Day" by Martina McBride, and Anna was named the winner.


Jennifer matched Alexandra with Jeremiah to perform "One Call Away" by Charlie Puth, and Jeremiah won the Battle.

Adam then had Emily and Gary sing a duet of "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" by Adele. Adam chose to advance Emily to the next round.

Next up for "Team Jennifer" was Shi'Ann vs. Stephan with a performance of "Oh! Darling" by The Beatles. Jennifer paired these artists because they're both soulful singers, and she wanted to determine which person would deliver a stronger vocal and better stage presence.

This was a tough decision for Jennifer. She said Stephan followed all of her notes and really shined, reaching her expectations of him. But Shi'Ann, on the other hand, has so much potential given her age and natural talent.

Jennifer decided Shi'Ann had won the Battle, but then Miley stole Stephan for her team because he did "a 180" from his Blind Audition and is a real entertainer, which filled a spot she was looking for on her team. As of now, Stephan is the only male artist on Miley's team.


For "Team Adam," Anthony and Michael -- whom Adam felt were very different singers but fairly matched -- took the stage with "I Feel it Coming" by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk.

Adam explained that when Anthony opens his mouth, his voice automatically draws people in. Adam thought he could do more work with Anthony, while Michael was ready to go. Adam decided to advance Anthony because of that special quality in his voice, despite the artist being young and raw.

And for the last Battle of the night, Miley paired Janice with Katrina to sing "W.O.M.A.N." by Etta James because they're both warriors and two of the biggest voices on her team. Miley felt the women could sell any song or genre of music.

After the duet, Miley pointed out that Katrina's over-the-top performance was actually only 70 percent of what she usually brings to the table in rehearsal. However, Miley seemed to view Katrina's energy as a negative because she named Janice the winner of the Battle due to the control in her voice. Miley also thought Janice's voice "blew the roof off the place."

But it wasn't the end of the road for Katrina, who was ultimately stolen by Jennifer. Jennifer loved Katrina's speech about having no limits and refusing to put herself in a box. The coach also wanted Katrina on her team because her "voice is limitless."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski