"The Voice": Knockout rounds begin
Now that the battles are over, it's time for the knockouts.
The knockout rounds kicked off on Monday's episode of "The Voice." Unlike the battle rounds, where two members of each team were paired together to sing a duet, the hopefuls now choose their own song and don't know who their opponent will be until just before they sing.
The coaches -- last night, it was Adam Levine and Shakira -- announce the match-ups just before the singers have to perform. And, this time, there are no steals or saves. One contestant moves on to the live shows, the other goes home.
So, who came out victorious? Read on to find out:
Team Adam:
Amber Carrington sang Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You," and came out victorious over bluegrass duo Midas Whale's take on Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground."
His team's next match-up was Amy Whitcomb versus Caroline Glaser. Whitcomb sang The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun," while her opponent chose Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks." Neither performance was perfect - "I think you both did better in rehearsals," Levine told both singers - but it was Glaser that was picked to move on.
Judith Hill, who sang Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind" for her grandmother who recently passed away, was matched up with Orlando Dixon, who sang K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life." Usher told him the song wasn't aggressive enough for this round, and Levine agreed, choosing to keep Hill.
Fireman Warren Stone took on Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight," against music student Sarah Simmons and her version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." The judges said both gave their best performances yet. Levine decided to keep Simmons.
Team Shakira:
Returning contestant Garrett Gardner was matched up with country singer Tawnya Reynolds. He sang Alex Clare's "Too Close," while she chose Pistol Annies' "Hell on Heels." The coach chose to take Gardner to the live shows.
Kris Thomas decided to perform Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," while Latin singer Mary Miranda opted for The Police's "Every Breath You Take," her first English-language performance on the show. Shakira chose to keep Thomas.
Karina Iglesias went back to her rocker roots for her knockout round, choosing to sing Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way." She was matched up against Monique Abbadie, who sang Celine Dion's "Power of Love." The other judges called Iglesias' performance one-dimensional, but noted that she had potential and will stay in the competition.
The night's final match-up pitted Sasha Allen against Shawna P. Allen wowed with her performance of Etta James' "At Last," and her opponent also impressed with a rendition of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed." "This is best knockout round that I've seen so far," Shelton declared. All four judges praised Allen's performance, and the coach selected her to sing in the live shows.
Tonight, Team Blake and Team Usher will take the stage for their knockout rounds.
Tell us: Who do you think will win "The Voice"?