Spoiler alert! The following story discusses The Voice Season 22 performance finale from December 12, so be sure you’re caught up before continuing!
The competition portion of The Voice’s 22nd season is in the books, and Blake Shelton, Camila Cabello, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend have done all they can do for their teams. While Stefani didn’t have an artist competing in the December 12 finale, she undoubtedly enjoyed the night, as it seemed all of the remaining artists left it all on the stage. The two-hour performance finale featured the Top 5 finalists performing twice — one up-tempo cover and a thank you song, as all of The Voice coaches offered some final praise (with no critiques) and well-wishes for their singers.
So who will be crowned the winner of Season 22? We’ll have to tune in to the results episode on December 13 to find out, but let’s take a look at what went down Monday night, and which singer deserves the win based on their finale performances. (The artists are listed below in the order they appeared on the episode.)
Bodie (Team Blake)
Bodie has been a frontrunner from the beginning. He was a Four-Chair Turn in the Blind Auditions, won his Battle and Knockout rounds, and was voted through by America on every live episode, never having to perform for an Instant Save. The unique twists he puts on each song are only highlighted with how easy he makes it look, and it’s been said more than once by the coaches that they don’t understand how he’s not already a star. For the finale, he took on “Late Night Talking” by Harry Styles and then showed his spiritual side with Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude.” Take a look at his inspirational final performance:
The crowd’s chants of “Bodie! Bodie!” have become commonplace, and for good reason. John Legend said the word “power” came to mind when thinking of the artist, and his coach Blake Shelton said that rendition of “Gratitude” was one of the most moving performances he’s seen in a long time.
Morgan Myles (Team Camila)
It takes a special kind of bravery to jump around and spin in heels on stage while singing on live TV. Morgan Myles went all out for her finale choice of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” nearly falling during her first song but expertly saving herself and continuing without a hitch. She absolutely killed her second song, “Girl Crush,” which led John Legend to say she’s the best country singer he’s seen since he’s been on The Voice. See what all the hype is about below:
Camila Cabello had no chill over the lone contestant she coached into the finale on her rookie season, who like Bodie, was a Four-Chair Turn and never faced elimination. Cabello even screamed over Gwen Stefani as she tried to give her own feedback. She said she just wants this win so bad for Morgan Myles, declaring: “You deserve to win The Voice.”
Brayden Lape (Team Blake)
“Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw was an appropriate song choice for Brayden Lape in the finale. The voters certainly have had a sweet spot for Blake Shelton’s 16-year-old singer, who seemingly embodies the titular words of the country hit. As he did for most of the season, Lape went country for his second performance as well, singing “Wild as Her,” and while I don’t think he’s quite as vocally strong as the other competitors around him, he’s shown a lot of growth, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his voice on country radio. Check out his final competition piece for The Voice:
Brayden Lape — who was a One-Chair Turn in the audition round — said he just wanted to have fun on the final night and soak in the whole experience. John Legend said this is just the start of his career, praising him for his poise and grace. Blake Shelton said Lape has been following his heart and has so much in front of him.
Omar Jose Cardona (Team Legend)
John Legend’s representative in the Season 22 finale, Omar Jose Cardona, certainly didn’t take his foot off the gas after his lights-out semifinal performance of “My Heart Will Go On.” Over the course of the season, Cardona has tackled Bon Jovi, Imagine Dragons, Journey, and more, bringing a really unique flair to the show. On the last night of the competition, he only upped the ante, performing choreography for a fun rendition of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” before a show-stopping cover of “Somebody to Love” by Queen. Take a look:
John Legend repeated Gwen Stefani’s joke from last week about Omar Jose Cardona lip-syncing, because through all the dancing and then getting lifted into the air by his backup dancers for his Queen performance, his vocal never stumbled, and he never sounded winded.
Bryce Leatherwood (Team Blake)
I don’t think anyone on The Voice has ever countried as hard as Bryce Leatherwood countried this season. This member of Blake Shelton’s team is so country he’s got me using that word as a verb. This season he covered songs by Conway Twitty, George Strait, Travis Tritt and more, before taking on Keith Whitley in the finale with “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and another Tritt hit, “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.” Take a look at his finale performance:
Gwen Stefani assured Bryce Leatherwood that even if he doesn’t win The Voice, he’s won a career. Blake Shelton congratulated him on his journey and for introducing country legends like Keith Whitley to a whole new generation of fans.
Why Omar Jose Cardona Should Win
Omar can do it! Omar can do it! I’ll admit that my money has been on Bodie for most of the season, but based on Omar Jose Cardona’s finale performances — and hell, his semifinal songs as well — John Legend’s singer just simply could not have made bigger moments for himself. He danced, he acted, and most importantly he SANG. His coach addressed America, saying he doesn’t know what else Cardona could do to prove that he is The Voice, and I agree.
Can Omar Jose Cardona do it for Team Legend? Will Camila Cabello capture the win in her first season as a coach? Or will Blake Shelton notch his ninth victory with one of his three finalists? We don’t have to wait long to find out, as the winner will be named on Tuesday, December 13. The Voice Season 22 finale starts with a one-hour special at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, ahead of the two-hour live results show at 9 p.m. ET.
