The Voice Season 12 March 2 Blind Auditions Night 3 Recap: Country Showdown

Is there any strategy that can compete with Blake’s country charm and geographic pull? Not tonight. In the third night of The Voice 2017’s Blind Auditions, the other judges challenge the reigning favorite coach among country singers… to questionable success. Some highlights of this episode: Julien’s satanic scream, the 13-year-old wonderkid, and the country showdown that had Adam leaving his chair in preemptive defeat.

Here’s the rundown of tonight’s blind auditions:

The Voice Season 12 Blind Auditions Night 3:

Ashley Levin – 23 years old – Miami, Florida

Song: Let Him Fly, Patty Griffin

Team: Blake

This 23-year-old singer from Miami drew inspiration from her aging father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. Her almost bluesy take on Patty Griffin’s Let Him Fly turned three chairs, with Adam as the lone holdout. Gwen name-dropped Blake to tempt Ashley to join her team and Alicia, who called her performance soulful, urged her to choose hers and stand out. But it was Blake, the King of Country, who gained Ashley’s vote. “Country music is a sacred thing,” Blake said. So apparently is the bond between two country singers.

Brandon Royal – 31 years old – Virgin Islands

Song: Master Blaster (Jammin), Stevie Wonder

Team: Gwen

Brandon Royal, a firefighter MT originally from the Virgin Islands, turned two chairs with an ambitious performance using a Stevie Wonder song. “Running into a fire is nothing compared to this stage,” Brandon confessed, overwhelmed by the positive reaction. His style – a blend of reggae, hip-hop, and R&B – had Gwen and Blake dueling for his favor. While Blake admitted they probably didn’t have that much in common, he argued that they were connected by a love for music. But for Brandon, Gwen’s argument proved more convincing: “We could pick the songs that show your personality.” Add another one to Team Gwen.

Adam Pearce – 30 years old – New Orleans, Louisiana

Song: A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harum

A 30-year-old rocker from New Orleans, Adam Pearce with his glorious mane and screaming vibratos tempted Adam Levine more than once to turn his chair. Unfortunately, ginger Adam’s performance was riddled with pitch problems. Non-ginger Adam advised him to learn more control and cultivate the chaos in his voice. Try again next year.

Julien Martinez – 21 years old – Oxnard, California

Song: Pride and Joy, Stevie Ray Vaughn

Team: Adam

Too bad they couldn’t turn and see his dance moves. Another singer with a rocker feel, Julien Martinez had a more controlled audition than Adam Pearce. Perhaps too controlled. It wasn’t until he really let loose and released a feral scream towards the end of his performance that two chairs turned at the last second. “That last note sounded like the birth of Satan!” Adam said with delight. He urged Julien to choose his team: California boys have to stick together, after all. Blake, who currently only has girls on his team, also turned his chair, wanting some manly man power. But the geography effect remained strong, this time working against Blake. Julien chose fellow California boy Adam.

Quizz Swanigan – 13 years old – North Little Rock, Arkansas

Song: Who’s Lovin’ You, The Jackson 5

Team: Alicia

What are they feeding these kids?! Introducing Quizz Swanigan, the youngest contestant in the history of The Voice! The Michael Jackson influence is strong in this one. Quizz’s vocal charisma turned two chairs, leading to the first-ever showdown, or “cotton candy fight” (Adam’s words), between Gwen and Alicia. Unlike Adam-Blake showdowns which are riddled with good-natured jabs and jokes, Gwen versus Alicia was a real-life affirmation fest sweet enough to give anyone diabetes. Seriously, the support these two women show each other is inspiring.

“I see all this energy inside of you, and all this light and that voice has a really, really powerful, innocent, fluid thing,” Alicia told Quizz, who looked absolutely overwhelmed (in the best way). Gwen wasn’t done though. When Quizz admitted she had taught him how to spell “bananas” (adorable!), she gave one of the best sales pitches of the night. “You can be on Team Gwen and I can teach you how to spell everything!” she said. Alas, Alicia’s argument proved stronger. She’s really racking in the powerhouses this season.

Casi Joy – 26 years old – Nashville, Tennessee

Song: Blue, LeAnn Rimes

Team: Blake

The only four-chair turn of the episode led to an incredible showdown where Gwen and Alicia challenged the resident King of Country. Casi Joy’s yodeling take on the LeAnn Rimes hit was an instant chair-turner. Gwen turned after only two seconds, quickly followed by the others. With four coaches vying for this incredible country singer’s attention, it quickly became Blake Versus The World.

After giving a sad but hilarious sales pitch, Adam left his chair in preemptive defeat, already resigned to the inevitable. Gwen and Alicia gave a better effort. Gwen called Casi’s performance magical, while Alicia encouraged her to shock the world and choose her team. “And if for some reason you don’t want to shock the world and choose me, then shock the world and choose Gwen,” Alicia urged. But Blake came out on top. “This is meant to freakin’ be,” he said. And he was right. Casi landed herself a spot on Team Blake.

The Voice 2017: Quizz Swanigan And Other Talented Teens

Thanks to a recent rule change, the auditioning age has lowered to 13 years old. Cue an influx of talented teenagers all vying for a spot on one of the four teams. Anatalia Villaranda, Aliyah Moulden, Savannah Leighton, and Quizz Swanigan passed their blind auditions with flying colors. Alicia won the votes of 16-year-old Filipina sunshine Anatalia and 13-year-old Quizz, the youngest contestant in The Voice‘s history. While initially leaning towards Team Alicia, 15-year-old Aliyah shocked the coaches by choosing Team Blake. After a Blake-Gwen showdown, Savannah placed her faith in Team Gwen.

The Voice Season 12: Teams So Far

Time for a roster check. With four more nights of blind auditions to go, our coaches have already gathered roughly one-third of their teams. It’s too soon to say but Team Alicia is looking to be the one to beat with a well-rounded group of crowd-pleasers including Felicia Temple and Quizz Swanigan. Blake has amassed for himself a team all about girl power. All five members of his team except for Hound Dog singer Aliyah Moulden have strong country influences. Gwen’s four member team hail from a medley of genres. Watch out for crooner JChosen. Finally, Adam has amassed for his team an ecletic band of dreamers, including aspiring teen idol Mark Isaiah and rocker Jesse Larson.

• Alicia: Felicia Temple, Anatalia Villaranda, Autumn Turner, Lilli Passero, Quizz Swanigan
• Blake: Lauren Duski, Brennley Brown, Aliyah Moulden, Ashley Levin, Casi Joy
• Gwen: JChosen, Stephanie Rice, Savannah Leighton, Brandon Royal
  
• Adam: Johnny Hayes, Mark Isaiah, Jesse Larson, Julien Martinez