Team Legend has Brandy in tears but Team Nick gets the only standing ovation on ‘The Voice’

The Battle Rounds came to a nail-biter of a close on Monday’s episode of The Voice (Monday’s at 8 p.m. ET on CTV) and delivered the best performances of the past three weeks.

The coaches, along with their mentors, including Nick Jonas and Darren Criss, Kelly Clarkson and Luis Fonsi, Blake Shelton and Dan + Shay and John Legend and Brandy helped to coax the best performances possible out of their singers, which made for a much more entertaining episode for viewers and several impossible decisions for the coaches.

Kelsea Ballerini had her final appearance as Kelly’s stand-in for the Battle Rounds and made sure to get in a few last-minute digs at Blake. Kelly will be proud. 

RACHEL MAC V. BRADLEY SINCLAIR – TEAM NICK

Winner: Rachel Mac

Admittedly, we weren’t too thrilled when Nick announced Elton John’s “Your Song” as his pick for Rachel and Bradley. It’s such an iconic and perfectly performed track that it seemed like an impossible song to own, but that’s exactly what Rachel and Bradley did in a performance that earned them the only standing ovation of the Battle Round.

“You two were beautiful right now,” said John. “When we have these moments, it reminds us why we love music. This is what music is supposed to feel like.” Offering no help to Nick but plenty of praise for his artists, John added “I don’t know how you decide right now because they were both perfect.”

Kelsea was amazed at Rachel’s vocal control at 16 and agreed with John that it was a tough choice between the pair, but added that she wanted to see more from Bradley in future rounds.

Blake loved Bradley’s vocal shred and applauded him for not overusing the move. Still, Blake picked Rachel, noting that as a teenager, she’s about to experience a huge amount of success at a young age, which is something her coach has also experienced and can help guide her through. Plus, she did a presentation on Blake. That has to play into his decision a little bit.

“You both just gave the best performance we’ve had in the Battle Round,” said Nick. He agreed that he could help Rachel navigate fame at a young age, but also noted that he was impressed with Bradley’s confidence and his willingness to inspire confidence in Rachel for their duet.

Nick picked Rachel as the winner, but the big surprise came when Bradley walked off stage without being saved or stolen. 

CAROLINA RIAL V. RIO DOYLE – TEAM LEGEND

Winner: Rio Doyle

Saved: Carolina Rial by Team Legend

John decided to pair teens Carolina Rial and Rio Doyle together because of their age, but also because they are two of the strongest vocalists on Team Legend. Correction: strongest vocalists in the whole competition.

Brandy called Rio’s voice one of the most unique she’s ever heard, which is about as good as it gets. Again – Brandy! Declaring both singers to be "stars," Brandy was in tears following the teens’ performance of Gotye and Kimbra’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.”

“You guys have it. I want you to continue, never stop,” said Brandy.

The pair delivered a stunning performance that had range, emotion, personality, and some choreographed dance moves, which we can never get enough of.

Blake thinks Rio has a bigger voice and bigger range, but because of what he calls a "vowel thing," Blake struggled to understand the lyrics Rio performed and picked Carolina as the winner. BRB, looking up the technical term of "vowel thing."

Nick said he was blown away by the power in Rio’s voice and compared Carolina to Christina Aguilera, which rightfully caused the teenager to clutch her chest.

“Strictly because I think it’s a voice that’s going to keep getting better and better, I think Rio would be my pick,” said Nick, adding that Carolina/Christina is exceptional.

Coach John was proud of both singers and praised the pair for their incredible cover.

“Carolina, your range is just stupid. It’s incredible,” said John. “Rio, you have power in your voice,” John continued, adding that he couldn’t think of anyone to compare her to. “You were doing a lot of things with your voice that were masterful.”

John made the difficult decision to pick Rio as the winner, but smartly kept his Save for this moment and picked Carolina to fight it out in the Four-Way Knockout. 

DEION WARREN V. VICTOR SOLOMON – TEAM LEGEND

Winner: Victor Solomon

John paired two three-chair turn artists together, which seemed like a terrible idea. But it also meant we got to not only watch Deion and Victor react to Brandy at the same time, but we also got to hear them sing Usher’s “You Got It Bad.” That was the opposite of bad. Brandy thinks Usher would be proud of their pair’s take on his song. We love our late-90s R&B.

Deion and Victor not only nailed their vocal performances but also gave viewers another choreographed dance routine. Blake thought Deion had a few pitch issues but felt like he was a stronger performer. Still, he picked Victor.

“Each time one of you rose up and did something spectacular, the other one found a way to do something special as well,” said Nick, who turned for both Deion and Victor.

Both Nick and Kelsea refused to pick a winner. “It’s crazy to have two individual powerhouses that blend so well and then I look at you and you’re just doing your thing,” said Kelsea.

Coach John called both singers gifted, adding that they belong on stage, but chose Victor as the victor (we had to). “You went beyond exceeding my expectations,” said John. “It made me feel proud.”

ANDREW MARSHALL V. RAINE STERN – TEAM NICK

Winner: Raine Stern

Stolen: Andrew Marshall by Team Blake

Even though Andrew was only a one-chair turn compared to Raine, who found fans in Nick, John and Blake, John said he felt like the underdog status helped Andrew fight his way to the top of the pair’s performance of Harry Styles’ “Adore You.”

Kelsea felt like the song was better suited to Andrew but loved how much fun Raine was to watch. “That’s the true heart of an artist,” said Kelsea. “Just wanting to connect and make people happy.”

Blake agreed with John that even though Raine started out in high demand on The Voice, it was Andrew who came out on top for the Battle pairing.

“This one is really tough,” admitted Nick. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t agree with the coaches,” continued Nick, who said there was a magic in Andrew’s Battle performance that Raine had during her Blind Audition. “There’s a magic that surrounds you in general like a magnet,” added Nick while speaking to Raine. “It draws us all in.”

Calling this the "strangest" and "most difficult" decision he’s had to make so far this season, Nick made a controversial decision to give Raine a second chance and picked her as the winner. Thankfully, Andrew’s performance was recognized by Blake, who stole him for his team. 

Watch new episodes of The Voice every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on CTV and catch up here. 

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