By: Courtney Vaudreuil
Teams Adam and Blake kicked off the final phase of the competition – the live round – on Monday night’s THE VOICE. Though Michaela Paige, Bryan Keith, and Joselyn Rivera garnered kind words from the judges, their performances did not stand up next to those of their teammates. In the battle for rock and roll supremacy, it was a close call between Terry McDermott’s take on Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and Amanda Brown’s pitch perfect rendition of Aerosmith’s 1973 hit, “Dream On.” In another surprisingly strong performance, Loren Allred definitively kicked her wedding singer past to the curb, and seduced the audience with a sultry version of Lisa Stansfield’s “All Around the World.”
Tonight, Team Christina and Team CeeLo take the stage. In an interview with theTVaddict.com, the competitors shared their feelings about their time on the show, what they’ve learned from Christina and CeeLo, and what advice they’re taking with them into the live round.
Team Christina’s Dez Duron the best part of the competition has been interacting with the judges. “[I’m] getting to sing for people that I’ve looked up to my whole life and for people that I have such amazing respect for as vocalists and as artists.” Understandably star struck, Duron admitted, “[W]hen they do say something good or they compliment you, it’s amazing to hear, because it’s people that you respect, people that you never thought you’d be in the same room with are talking to you about – you know?”
The experience has been equally personal for Team Christina’s De’Borah. After a sheltered upbringing, THE VOICE has given De’Borah a new perspective on music. “When I came here,” she explained, “my repertoire book was empty [. . . ] I’ve gained so many – so much knowledge from the different contestants here and gone, so this has been a musical camp for me.”
As for Team CeeLo, Blake Shelton once described team member Nicholas David as looking like Jesus, which makes David the odd man out amongst his slick looking competitors. But, that doesn’t seem to have had any impact on what he’s taking away from the experience or what his strategy is going forward.
“I feel blessed and privileged to be in this cast of characters, because everybody’s awesome,” said David. “Everybody’s got something different to bring, but again, like I’m not worried about that. I’m just trying to be me, and hopefully by me being me inspires other people to be themselves, because that’s what I believe we need in this world is way more individuals.”
Both teams have found their judges to be nothing but nurturing and encouraging. “I don’t know a lot of people realize[] that Christina’s an incredible coach and she’s so invested in all of us,” Devyn Deloera explained. “[A] lot of the advice that she’s given me is to channel my nerves into my performance to make it strong, because I get very nervous going out on that stage.”
Diego Val has had a similar experience with CeeLo. “[F]rom day one [he] has just given us love, and he’s real. You know, he’s a funny guy, and he’s normal just like you and I.”
“[W]ith this show,” Val explained, “it could be very easy to just go a different route and completely get lost, because from one moment to another, you got automatic fame, and I think it’s about staying grounded and conscious of who you are and where you want to go, and especially when you have an opportunity like what THE VOICE has given us.” 
Tune in to THE VOICE tonight at 8/7c (NBC, CTV Two in Canada) as the live round continues, and vote for your favorite via text, phone or on THE VOICE website. Stay tuned to theTVaddict.com for more interviews with the competitors and judges in the coming weeks.
