Second Round of ‘The Voice’ Live Playoffs Puts Pressure on Contestants

It’s time to cut things down to the Top 12 on The Voice, which put pressure on the contestants with their destinies on the chopping block.

Both Team Blake and Team Alicia took the stage during the second round of the live playoffs, in which their squads sang their hearts out in order to win over America’s vote. While Kyla Jade moved on under Shelton’s wing, the rest of her teammates battled it out on the stage for the viewers’ support.

Gary Edwards went a little off the beaten path by getting patriotic on “America the Beautiful” for his performance. Leading in with a strong drum beat, Edwards turned the nation’s song into a soulful moment to shine. He even provided a little bit of a gospel moment during the first verse, and proved his power in the final “sea to shining sea” note.

Austin Giorgio also showed a different side to his singing personality by opting to croon on Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” While the pop song challenged Giorgio to try to step away from his Rat Pack sound for a bit, he still incorporated ‘50s-style riffs into the modern-day hit. Nevertheless, he still got all of the girls in the audience to swoon over his classic tone and set himself apart from his fellow competitors.

Although it’s up to America to decide who moves on, WILKES tried to win the favor of Shelton by performing an alternative version of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak.” In the original, Gwen Stefani bends her voice in so many different tones, but WILKES doesn’t shy away from the emotion throughout his rendition. Leaving the last line out on display with no music to counter him, the singer pulled in everything he had to woo the at-home crowd.

New episodes of The Voice air every week on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.