The Voice Recap: Season 18 Blind Auditions Wrap with Four-Chair Turn for Mandi Castillo
Who are you rooting for?
Rolling into the final night of Blind Auditions for season 18 of NBC’s The Voice seemed a little ominous as coach John Legend still needed three singers to complete his team and coaches Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas and Blake Shelton needed two each.
Fortunately, there was a plethora of great talent that had not yet auditioned and by the end of the night, every slot was filled and every team was looking forward to the next step with host Carson Daly leading the parade.
Before the competition began though, Blake, John, Kelly and Nick took the stage together to perform the Nick Jonas hit, “Jealous.”
MICAH IVERSON (25) – Tokyo, Japan
- Auditioned with “All I Want” by Kodaline
Chairs turned: 1 – Kelly, 2 – Nick, 3 – Blake
KELLY: “You’re my favorite kind of male voice. It’s all heart, it’s all passion, you’ve got range for days.”
JOHN: “Micah, your voice has this lovely ethereal presence and I think you should have been a four-chair turn and I regret not turning.”
- TEAM KELLY
BRITTNEY ALLEN (28) – Columbus, Georgia
- Auditioned with “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn
Chairs turned: 1 – John
NICK: “If only you had a coach that had more awards and success to help you along the way.”
JOHN: “Brittney, I loved the song you chose and I loved your rendition of it. It really allowed us to hear so much of the contours of your voice.”
- TEAM JOHN
TRACEY PRESTON – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Auditioned with “Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin
NO CHAIRS
NICK: “There were moments where it was really impressive, and then others that just weren’t quite there for me today. But keep it up because I think there’s a lot of potential there and I hope you come back.”
CAM SPINKS (29) – Alabaster, Alabama
- Auditioned with “Wave on Wave” by Pat Green
Chairs turned: 1 – Blake, 2 – Kelly
KELLY: “The kind of country music I love and grew up on is the vibe you just gave me. It’s a little bit rock ’n’ roll, it’s a little bit country, but it’s like storytelling…I feel like it’s missing in country music.”
BLAKE: “I hear a lot of elements in your voice that I love. You’re in a different area, maybe more of what Luke Combs is doing. There’s just different lanes of country music and I think you need a coach that can identify what those lanes are….I’d be proud to be your coach through this thing.”
- TEAM BLAKE
ANDERS DRERUP (36) – Ottawa, Canada
- Auditioned with “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
Chairs turned: 1 – Nick
NICK: “I can hear in the higher register of your voice that we’re gonna have a lot of fun with the song selection and actually flipping things around.”
- TEAM NICK
MANDI CASTILLO (23) – San Antonio, Texas
- Auditioned with “Asi Fue” by Isabel Pantoja
FOUR CHAIR TURN: 1 – Nick, 2 – Kelly, 3 – John, 4 – Blake
NICK: “When I heard you sing, I started thinking about how important it is for us to represent. Some of my favorite music in the world is sung in different languages. You are in a lane all your own and I would love to have a chance to help you grow as an artist and become all you can be.”
KELLY: “They know on this show I love having bilingual artists on my team. There’s a huge community behind what you’re doing. It was everything it should be for a blind audition. You have a beautiful gift.”
BLAKE: “The only advantage for me not understanding one single word you said is, I was able to concentrate on your vocal ability and, sis, it’s unbelievable.”
JOHN: “What you did at the beginning was subtle and emotional, and then at the end you gave us fireworks with those long, beautiful high notes. It was just a magical performance. And it’s not just because you sing in Spanish, it’s you do it so well.”
- TEAM JOHN
KAILEY ABEL (19) – Verdigris, Oklahoma
- Auditioned with “Forever Young” by Alphaville
Chairs turned: 1 – Blake
KELLY: “You ended up with your homeboy! A lot of us have only one seat left, but you have a very, very cool texture. I hope you don’t smoke, but if you do, that’s the sound of it.”
BLAKE: “You have an incredible gift. I will say this right now. I would bet the farm on you winning this competition. You have that Bonnie Tyler, Kim Caries sounding voice that people cannot get enough of.”
- TEAM BLAKE
TYRONE PERKINS (68)
- Auditioned with “Stormy Monday” by T-Bone Walker
NO CHAIRS
JOHN: “It’s interesting because you do a song like that, it felt kind of kitschy and fun, but I wasn’t clear how I would translate that into ‘I can mentor this singer and make you into a winner on The Voice.’”
GIGI HESS (22) – Lovington, New Mexico
- Auditioned with “Lovesong” by The Cure
Chairs turned: 1 – Kelly
NICK: “I thought it was a great performance. Kelly is the perfect fit for you, honestly.”
KELLY: “I’m so glad I didn’t have to fight John for you.”
- TEAM KELLY
KEVIN FARRIS (33) – Arlington Heights, Illinois
- Auditioned with “Home” by Johnnyswim
Chairs turned: 1 – John, 2 – Nick
JOHN: “I felt all that purity, all of that love for music that you have, you conveyed that to all of us in this room, and it was such a magical thing to hear. It was a powerful way to make yourself known that you’re gonna be a force to be reckoned with on The Voice.”
NICK: “Your voice has this power and the story you tell within the first couple of lines just blew me away.
Before he chose his team, Nick got on stage and sang “Lovebug” with him.
- TEAM NICK
ALLISON GRACE – Fort Smith, Arkansas
- Auditioned with “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones
NO CHAIRS
BLAKE: “I thought that was a great performance. I thought it started off a little shaky, but I do think you got it together and I thought it was beautiful.”
JOHN: “You have such a lovely tone of voice. It feels like the kind of voice that should be singing this lovely Norah Jones classic. But I didn’t hear enough power. It just felt a little bit restrained. I think you should maybe try again with a different song that isn’t as delicate and subtle the whole time.”
CEDRICE (29) – San Diego, California
- Auditioned with “Fever” by Peggy Lee
Chairs turned: 1 – John
With this being the last spot to fill, the rest of the coaches stood up in their unturned chairs to see who was singing.
KELLY: “You are so sexy! My gosh girl! I am so mad. I would have pressed my button.”
NICK: “That was amazing. Your voice is electrifying. It’s smooth and powerful when it needs to be. All the right things to, I think, make it very far in this competition. And you are a light and a joy to watch.”
JOHN: “You are beautiful, you have so much style. No one else looks like you, no one else sounds like you. You approached this song with so much artistry, grace and seductiveness. Everything that you needed. I’ve been waiting to fill my team with someone special and, Cedrice, you are so special. I’m so glad I waited for you.”
- TEAM JOHN
And, that’s it! The Blind Auditions are a wrap and starting next week, the Battles begin with each team getting the help of a celebrity mentor. Dua Lipa will be working with Team Kelly, Joe and Kevin Jonas will consult with Team Nick, Team Legend welcomes Ella Mai and Team Blake brings Bebe Rexha to the rehearsal space.
This is also the time that coaches can save one losing artist from their team and steal one losing artist from another team.