The Four 2018 Finale Recap and Live Blog (VIDEOS)

WARNING: The finale was taped last Friday. Yes the results are known. NO YOU MAY NOT SPOIL IN THIS POST. Post spoilers? You’re banned. Want to talk spoilers? Click this link.

Diddy, DJ Khaled and Meghan Trainor will serve as judges tonight. As previously reported, Republic Records executive Charlie Walk resigned from the panel in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.

And oh yeah. The Four has been renewed for season 2 to premiere this summer.

Tonight, The Four contestants will go head to head in a series of EPIC BATTLES until only ONE remains.  The winner gets a prize package that includes a record contract with Republic. The winning artist also becomes an  iHeartRadio On The Verge Artist. Additionally, the panel will stay involved with the winner’s career as mentors.  

Fergie glances very VERY quickly over Charlie’s absence. She doesn’t explain why he’s gone. Just that he’s no longer here. And that’s that.

The opening number tonight: The Four cover Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory.” It’s short, but ends with a POINTY POSE!!! And that’s all that matters. 

Diddy warns the competitors to bring their A game or LEAVE. DRAMATIC PAUSE. You better eat he says, mimicking with a fake fork. GROAN.  Each of The Four will perform solos, after which the audience votes. The winner of the vote gets to choose the first challenge.  

Candice Boyd – Don’t Speak by No Doubt – She says Evvie is her biggest competition. She performs “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt.  She’s got a nice tone and delivery. This is super adult contemporary though. Very old fashioned.  Meghan says she nailed every single note and loved her creative choices. Diddy calls her vocal range “seasoned.”  DJ lights a candle to “protect the vibe.” As usual, he makes no sense. 

Evvie McKinney – Proud Mary by Tina Turner – There’s brother Gedeon in the audience! She sings “Proud Mary.” REALLY GIRLFRIEND? THAT’S HOW YOU’RE BRINGING IT. Ugh. Singing show cliche x 1 MILLION. She growls her way through the song. She’s a good singer, no doubt about it.  But this performance is cheesy as hell, from the vocals, to the glittery dance moves. Helloooo Las Vegas.  The crowd is going nuts. Diddy quotes Nina Simone and calls Evvie “fearless.” Meghan calls it her favorite performance on The Four stage so far. DJ blows his mini air horn. “You were performing like you were a mini icon,” he says.

Vincint Cannady – Creep by Radiohead – Finally some originality on the stage tonight. While Candice and Evvie’s performances verged on Karaoke, Vincint is putting his own spin on this classic. I’m not wild about his oversinging, though. I mean. Dial it back dude! But he’s bringing his A game. Vincint doesn’t sound like anyone else. For that reason, this is the best performance so far. “THANK YOU! SO GOOD VINCINT!,” Meghan gushes. “I saw you as an artist.” Diddy felt he had been a sleeper so far, but stepped up tonight. It’s the first time he got goosebumps. 

Zhavia – One Dance by Drake – She rehearsed five different songs this week to make sure she picked the perfect tunes. Her mother looks super nervous in the audience. Oh no…she’s pitchy as hell and mumbling her words. The camera cuts to the panel. They all look horrified. Oh boy. Zhavia came on strong in the beginning, but she sure has fizzled. Meghan says it wasn’t her favorite performance, but she knows what she’s capable of. She wonders if her funky boots are the problem (Ouch). Diddy gave it to her straight “That performance was not your best…you’re ranked number four. You are way way better than that.” He says he wasn’t feeling her spirit since she walked on the stage. DJ believes in her! Then he goes off onto a completely unhinged tangent. I have no idea what’s happening. THIS SHOW IS SO WEIRD. 

All four contestants are on stage. The audience votes. And the winner gets to pick a challenger. And Evvie wins! Who will she challenge? Evvie challenged Zhavia. “I challenged Zhavia because I want to win!” insists Evvie. Later, Candice will face off against Vincint. The PANEL will determine who moves on. 

Evvie McKinney challenges Zhavia

Zhavia – Man Down by Rihanna – Her best performance “Say Something” plays during her video package. Perhaps reminding the audience of the singer at her best? Another bad song choice. She nasally warbles her way through the song. When she sings “Pull the trigger…pull the trigger” it’s downright annoying.  Taking off her shoes didn’t help. The panel has tried so hard to make this chick happen. She’s got fans though. At the six week mark, her socials are off the charts.

Evvie McKinney – Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers – Last week Evvie praised her late father. This week it’s her momma. This is a better, less corny song choice. More growls. Inexplicably, DJ has a bowl of popcorn in front of him. We should do a poll on when he’ll be dragging out that prop kid of his. Back to Evvie. She performs a super bluesy version of the classic. She’s got a ton of confidence up there. She overdid it a bit, but her voice cannot be denied.

DJ says he’s proud of both. He’s glad she took her shoes off. Meghan is proud of Zhavia. And she’s still obsessed with Evvie. Oh. They’re being nice to Zhavia, despite a performance that wasn’t really an improvement. Diddy is not thrilled. He doesn’t think either brought their A game.  The panel argues amongst themselves for a bit. DJ refuses to choose. He’s behaving like a petulant kid. The panel picks Evvie. Surprised they didn’t pick Zhavia! Diddy promises Zhavia that she’ll be big anyway because of her heart and commitment.  Zhavia is eliminated. She leaves the stage for the last time. 

Vincint Cannady vs Candice Boyd

Vincint Cannady – Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars – He talks about how his family accepts him for who he is–a weird black gay artist. Meghan is up on her feet SCREAMING as Vincint shows off his dance move alongside backing dancers and hits some high falsetto notes. I’m of two minds about Vincint. I don’t love his style. But he knows who he is as an artist and makes the covers he chooses his own. That’s more than I can say for the rest of The Four.

Candice Boyd – I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston – UUUGGHHHH. This song choice is so lame. The prize package is an opportunity to be played on iHeartRadio stations. You gotta come with your contemporary game! But then, I guess, those big Whitney songs are crowd pleasers. But it’s not as if she’s singing for audience votes. Also, while she’s a skilled singer, her interpretation is very karaoke. I’d pick Vincint.

DJ calls Candice an artist. Meghan calls them both amazing artists, but she had more fun watching Vincint. Diddy thinks there’s a need for a male singer with his poise, grace and voice. The panel engages in more “discussion” about who to choose. And then the verdict is in. DJ picks Candice. Meghan picks Vincint. And Diddy picks Candice. WHAT? Wrong choice. The panel picks Candice. Vincint is eliminated.

Interlude! French Montana performs. THIS IS SO WEIRD. The judges are on stage dancing along. DJ annoyingly blows his airhorn throughout. Diddy brought him to the show, because he’s an example of an artist who made his dreams come true.  

Now, it’s time for a video recap of the whole season. ALL SIX WEEKS. It went by soooo fast. Good times. 

Evvie McKinney vs Candice Boyd 

Evvie McKinney – Glory by John Legend and Common – Evvie sings her head off. What a range. The camera cuts to the panelists looking super intense. It’s a pitch perfect performance, if a bit overblown.

Candice Boyd – Stay by Rihanna – This song choice is so much better. It’s a skilled performance. Beautiful phrasing. Candice has been there and back. It’s obvious. She’s the experienced singer out of this duo for sure. 

Meghan calls them both “queens.” DJ loves them both. “Flawless” he calls them. Diddy says they both deserve to win. Boy. Without Charlie, this panel has turned into The Voice. Time to choose a winner!  The panel decides. Diddy is looking for somebody he can mold and shape. Welp. 

Diddy takes the stage to announce the winner. He gives a little speech first. “There can only be one winner.” Thank you Captain Obvious. He says they chose the person who went the extra mile and has something special. And that person is…Evvie McKinney Wins The Four!  I think Candice won that round. But let’s get real. Diddy said it. He wants someone he can mold. Twenty year old Evvie fits that bill much better than thirty something Candice. That’s life. 

I’m not surprised The Four was renewed for a second season. The ratings were modest, but decent for FOX. And more importantly, the numbers stayed even throughout the run of the show. I’m a little confused that it’s coming back in the summer, though. I’m a little disappointed. The show gave me something to blog in the post holiday interlude before the big shows (The Voice, American Idol) started up.

Next season, FOX should really consider live shows and opening up the voting process to home viewers. It’s hard enough as it is to become invested in contestants that come and go. The winner, Evvie McKinney, did not show up until week five! Are there fans out there who even care about her? Also, for all the talk about The Four being different than those other shows. When the confetti finally flew, it was a big voiced diva singing “Proud Mary” that won it all. Basically, your typical singing show winner! Sure, they gave rap and hip hop artists a shot, but they didn’t last long. There really is nothing new under the sun.

Eliminated:

Zhavia
Vincint Cannady
Candice Boyd

WINNER

Evvie McKinney