One has reigned as a frontrunner since season four of “The Voice” commenced. The other is a week removed from one of the top five “Voice” performances of the season.
Both are now eliminated.
“The Voice” dealt a huge blow to Team Adam Levine Tuesday, sending his powerhouse vocalists Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons packing. Neither received rave marks for their work performances Tuesday–and Hill’s take on “#thatPOWER” was actually panned by Headline Planet–but given their body of work thus far, their sudden elimination still caught many viewers by surprise.
Whether the eliminations should have surprised viewers is another question. While the experienced and supremely talented Hill sure seemed like a favorite, her soulful style of singing likely cut her off to a sizable portion of “The Voice”‘s demographic. Combined with the failed effort on the will.i.am/Justin Bieber song, and it is easy to see how Hill struggled to attract votes this week.
Despite a unique, powerful, raspy voice, Simmons had previously shown vulnerability in Top 16 week, when the audience opted not to push her into guaranteed safety. Saved by coach Adam Levine over Internet darling Caroline Glaser, it was clear that Simmons was not a surefire fan favorite and thus needed great performances to attract weekly votes. Though it had its moments, her “Somebody That I Used to Know” was not universally praised, and without certainty surrounding its greatness, it was not enough to keep her in the competition.
The eliminations reduce Team Adam to just one contestant: Amber Carrington, who interestingly enough was likely considered the weak link of her team ahead of Monday’s show-stopping “Skyfall.” Teams Shakira and Usher remain at one courtesy Sasha Allen and Michelle Chamuel, respectively, while Blake Shelton’s three Top 12 finalists Danielle Bradbery, The Swon Brothers and Holly Tucker remain in the competition.
