It’s been a nail biting Blind Audition finale on The Voice. For a while it looked like will.i.am wasn't going to complete his ditty dozen. But he did, eventually, when he picked the very last contestant of the night as his final performer!
The order of the evening went like this…
Paloma finished first:
With only one more place on her team, Paloma Faith made up her mind swiftly choosing the show’s second performer. Seventeen-year-old student Faith Nelson sang ‘Earned It’ and although Ricky Wilson also turned for Faith she made up her mind when Paloma said: “I’ve only one place left on my team, which shows you how brilliant I thought you were… I’d love to get creative with you and see what we can make together!”
Footloose:
Ricky may have missed out on Faith, but when the next contestant, self-confessed hippy, Rachel Ann sang ‘In For The Kill’ he was won over. Ricky was up against Will, but managed to win the 16-year-old vegan around when he told her: “I wish I had the words to express what you did… it was brilliant.”
Despite her age, the youngster from Bournemouth seems pretty grounded – which may or may not have something to do with the fact she rarely wears shoes and performed barefooted.
Welsh wonder:
Five more acts performed before any of the jumpy judges turned around for the ninth performer of the night, 41-year-old Leighton Jones from Cardiff. After hearing Leighton sing ‘Heaven Help Us All’ Boy George snapped him up saying: “I’m looking for a voice that melts snow. It would have been an insult if I hadn’t turned ‘round.”
In the army. Ricky's army, that is!
Now the boys were neck-in-neck. Both Ricky and George had one place left to fill on their teams, while Will was lagging behind with 2 places still vacant. Ricky completed his twelve pretty smartly when Army musician Dave Barnes, 37, from Middlesex impressed with his take on classic ‘When A Man Loves A Woman.’ Ricky gave him his orders, saying: “You’re the final member of Team Ricky and you’ll keep everyone in check!”
These charming men:
Meanwhile, Boy George was getting more and more stressed, while Will remained laid back. George was relieved when he finally completed his dozen. The second self-confessed hippy of the night, Morrissey fan, Laura Begley, 22, who performed The Smiths: ‘Ask’ had him spinning in his chair. Although Will wanted her too, Laura wasn’t remotely put off when charmed George admitted: “Morrissey hated me when he met me in 1983!”
Though we’ll never know how she managed to turn down Will after he took out a megaphone and declared “If you were on my team I would clear traffic for you – literally!”
Will wonders:
So now with only four acts to go, the question on everyone’s lips was, who will Will pick? While he pondered: “What happens if I don’t turn? If I don’t turn to we have to stay here another day?”
But turn he did. First for Aaron Hill a 25-year-old hair stylist from London who belted out Luther Vandross’s ‘Never Too Much’. Will said: “That’s my mom’s favourite song… you put your own licks [on it] and that was fresh.”
Will’s final choice was the very final contestant of the night – Colleen Gormley, 28, from Ireland who sang ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ in a country style. Will declared: “I was holding out for something angelic, and here you are dressed in all-white.”
There were laughs all round as George quipped: “It’s more cream, darling.”
So that’s the blind auditions wrapped. Next week the contest steps up a gear when The Battles commence. And this year there’s a twist… The spinning chairs make their Battles’ debut!
