“The Voice” Season 28 Knockouts continued on Monday with six performances, three eliminations and the show’s first-ever Mic Drop, courtesy of Michael Bublé.
But first, the show held space for a cringey “Wicked” tie-in, during which poor Bowen Yang was forced to screech out an unhinged performance of “For Good” to fulfill his life-long dream of auditioning for “The Voice.” It was intentionally bad, but also… possibly good? And hey, if that isn’t a central theme of “Wicked,” we don’t know what is.
Then came the evening’s three face-offs between Toni Lorene and Natalia Albertini from Team Snoop, Aiden Ross and Liam Von Elbe from Team Niall, and and Max Cooper III and Max Chambers from Team Bublé. Some were closer than others, but we agree with all of Monday’s winners — even though we really wish we got to see more from the eliminated member of Team Bublé.
And as we mentioned earlier, one of the Knockout winners became the first Mic Drop recipient in the history of “The Voice.”
Read on for a breakdown of the results from Monday’s Knockouts episode, then vote for your favorite singer of the night and drop a comment with your thoughts on the outcomes. Did any of the coaches make the wrong call?
Team Snoop: Toni Lorene (Lady Marmalade) vs. Natalia Albertini (I Wish)
Some Knockouts are simply too close to call… but this wasn’t one of them. Toni owned every inch of the stage with her electric performance of “Lady Marmalade,” as the angels of the Moulin Rouge smiled down upon her. Some of music’s most iconic divas have put their stamp on this song, and Toni did them all proud with piercing vocals, solid runs and enough energy to bring Satine back to life. (Oops! Spoiler alert.)
And then there was Natalia, who more or less fumbled her way through Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish,” never finding a true stand-out moment. And were we alone in barely understanding most of the words coming out of her mouth? Whether it was a breathing issue or a diction issue, it was an issue.
WINNER: Toni Lorene (A)
ELIMINATED: Natalia Albertini (B-)
Team Niall: Aiden Ross (When The Party’s Over) vs. Liam Von Elbe (Over My Head [Cable Car])
Right out the gate, Ross’ stunning falsetto on this Billie Eilish song earned a “Wow!” from Reba McEntire and a “Damn, boy!” from Snoop Dogg, and we echo both sentiments wholeheartedly. Arguably the best performance from the Knockouts thus far, Ross gave us everything — emotional low notes, soaring high notes and runs so clean they could earn him a Lysol sponsorship.
That was a tough act to follow, so the pressure was definitely on for Liam as he took to the stage with a Fray throwback. Unfortunately, save for one raspy high note towards the end, this performance didn’t give us much to chew on. It was fine, but after what Ross brought to the table, he needed to step up his game a little more.
WINNER: Aiden Ross (A+)
ELIMINATED: Liam Von Elbe (B)
Team Bublé: Max Cooper III (End Of Beginning) vs. Max Chambers (Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing)
In this battle of the Maxes, Cooper kicked things off with an utterly charming rendition of this Joe Keery jam, beginning with a more intimate vibe and steadily growing to full rockstar mode. He’s clearly most comfortable with his hands on the keyboard, but we loved the brief moment where he gave up control and let loose with his vocals. More of that please! And more of Cooper in general!
Next came Chambers with a performance that can be summed up in a single word: What?! We knew the 14-year-old phenom would eat this Stevie Wonder classic, but we weren’t expecting him to absolutely devour it. The song’s soulful opening gave us chills, and its raucous conclusion had us fully grooving. Chambers’ range is insane, and the control he has over his voice is beyond.
WINNER: Max Chambers (A+)
ELIMINATED: Max Cooper III (A)
As a bonus, Bublé also gave Chambers his one-and-only Mic Drop, nominating him to perform at the Rose Bowl’s annual Rose Parade.