Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for Night 3 of the Battle Rounds on The Voice Season 21.
The Voice is getting closer to the live shows, as team members continued to fight it out on the penultimate night of the Battle Rounds on Monday night. The frontrunners are beginning to emerge, as viewers get their second look at the Season 21 contestants during the battles. And we may be seeing deja vu all over again, as Blake Shelton could be well on his way to a ninth win with R&B singer Wendy Moten.
Blake Shelton’s team had the final Battle performance of Monday’s episode of The Voice – a spot usually reserved for a standout performance – and Team Blake didn’t disappoint. Wendy Moten and Manny Keith faced off with Sting’s “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” in a performance that had all four coaches on their feet. Before Shelton announced that Moten had won the Battle, the coaches all seemed to question how the heck Moten ended up on Team Blake.
During the Blind Auditions the cowboy actually used his Block for Wendy Moten, keeping her from working with John Legend, and Moten said she was flattered that Blake Shelton went to such lengths to get her on his team. Country music may be Shelton’s bread and butter, but the man knows how to bring out the best in his R&B artists. Viewers took to Twitter after the performance, if only to say they were left speechless.
@blakeshelton #VoiceBattles holy SMOKES Wendy. #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/jp8Z7xTxppOctober 19, 2021
If this scenario sounds a little familiar, let’s take a look back at Season 20. R&B singer Cam Anthony was crowned the winner of The Voice as a member of Blake Shelton’s team. Anthony was the only R&B singer on the cowboy’s team, as Shelton promised Anthony he’d “clear the lane” for him to shine in the genre after Nick Jonas used his Block to keep Anthony from working with John Legend. The unique strategy worked for Shelton, as Anthony’s victory secured Shelton’s eighth victory in the competition’s 21 seasons. Some fans thought Wendy Moten distinguished herself from her competitors Monday, just like Anthony did before her.
Watching #thevoice and thinking there is not a clear stand out (to me) like Cam last year.... until Wendy! Manny was really good as well!October 19, 2021
And don’t worry, Manny Keith didn’t get the short end of the stick. It certainly couldn’t have been easy going up against a powerhouse like Wendy Moten, and the coaches all recognized that Keith went toe-to-toe with the Four-Chair Turn. Rookie coach Ariana Grande used her steal to claim Keith for her team, advancing Keith him to the Knockouts. Fans breathed a big sigh of relief when the rookie coach hit her Save button.
@mannykeith I'm so happy! That @ArianaGrande save you like OMG I love her so much for that because your voice is so amazing and I know that you will get better because you are on #TeamAriana Oh Yeah! My heart was racing so fast when Ariana hits that button I was like OMG! YES!October 19, 2021
Check out Wendy Moten and Manny Keith’s performance of “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” for yourself. Who do you think won the Battle? Did Ariana Grande make a good choice in stealing Keith?
There’s only one more night of Battles before Season 21 moves onto the Knockout Round with Mega Mentor Ed Sheeran. All four coaches have used their Saves for this round, but Blake Shelton has held onto his Steal, so he’ll have another chance to tilt the odds in his favor before Tuesday's episode is over. The Voice continues Tuesday, October 19 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. And be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV Schedule for all of the upcoming premieres!
