As the final eight singers on “The Voice” took the stage on Monday, the stakes were high for the two new coaches. While Adam Levine and Blake Shelton each had three singers remaining, Usher and Shakira were down to one apiece. If Michelle Chamuel gets voted off this week, it knocks Usher out of the competition, and the same holds for Sasha Allen and Shakira.
How far would the coaches go to keep their singers alive? In Usher’s case, it was worth undergoing a wardrobe change.
“Our of appreciation for all of my Usher Instagram followers and Twitter (followers}, I decided to go ahead and join the army of Michelle Chamuel supporters,” her coach said, as he put on glasses that looked identical to the ones his lone remaining singer wears.
As her coach, Usher has presumably always been a Michelle supporter – if not, he certainly hides it well. But the glasses became the talking point that everyone returned to throughout the night, and with Michelle doing her part with a strong vocal performance, Usher looks safe for another week. Singing Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” didn’t hurt, as it got Usher to bat his eyes and say he’d catch a grenade for her, and his fans likely swooned for their phones.
“He’s even hot in those glasses,” Blake said. “He is so sexy."
Carson apparently disagreed. After Holly Tucker’s early performance, the host said "Let's start with Urkel, I mean Usher."
Shots fired! You knew Usher wasn’t going to let that go, and indeed he responded with ..."I know you're not talking, Jimmy Neutron."
For those without small children with big TV habits, that’s the title character of a movie and TV series that ran on Nickelodeon in the 2000s. Apparently Carson does not rate the stature of Timmy Turner of the newer “Fairy Oddparents”
“Jimmy Neutron ... I still can't get over that. You got served, Carson!” Adam said. Between Urkel and Jimmy Neutron, it was random-character reference night on the show for sure.
Shakira did not dress like Sasha, and her singer wasn’t as much of a showstopper, but she’ll probably be back as well if for no other reason than nobody really wants to see Shakira bounced out of the competition before the calendar even flips to June.
"I started to compare myself as a singer to Sasha, and it wasn't good. I think you bought Shakira another week on the show for sure." Blake said.
Like Usher, Shakira picked a song with meaning –- and this one actually involved Usher, since it was David Guetta’s “Without You,” in which the coach is featured. Coach and pupil noted the appropriateness of the lyrics, and that one couldn’t win without the other. That might have a small impact. Adam probably is rooting for her as well, since it allows him to remind us every week that she was once on his team and he was dumb to let her go, even if the singer that he picked over her, Amber Carrington, had a showstopping performance of Adele’s “Skyfall” to close the show.
Another of Adam’s singers, Judith Hill, had the best hair of the season, piled up in a huge straight line from the top of her head to her back. It definitely was one of the most memorable visuals of the competition. The downside was that everyone talked about her hair instead of her vocals, but it’s still hard to see her going home. If she stays, maybe she could add a pair of Michelle’s glasses for an even more daring look next week.