The Voice season 15 Finale performances air on Monday (Dec 18). The Final 4 contestants will sing three times for your votes: A new cover, a duet with the singer’s coach, and an original song. On Tuesday (Dec 19) a new winner of The Voice will be crowned.
The Voice Season 15 Finale: All the Details Including Special Guest Stars
Ahead of the episode, let’s rate the remaining contestants from Team Jennifer Hudson, Team Adam Levine, Team Kelly Clarkson and Team Blake Shelton.
Originally, I predicted MaKenzie Thomas would make the final four alongside Kennedy Holmes, Chevel Shepherd and Kirk Jay, but also warned that Chris Kroeze might sneak into the final. While southern rock singers are usually manna to The Voice fans. I have to wonder how much Chris winning the iTunes streaming bonus contributed to his success? Are there enough viewers not only signed on to Apple’s streaming service, but willing to play the contestant’s song during the voting window to make a difference? It’s so much easier to surf to the NBC site and vote. The iTunes vote change is important, because now only ONE singer can earn a bonus each week. In the past, when downloads counted as votes, any singer that entered the Top 10 earned the extra votes.
I think it’s possible the that the iTunes voting change hurt MaKenzie more than the dumb (and typical) conspiracy theory going around about fans misspelling her name during the Instant Vote. Because of his success on iTunes, I’m tempted to move Chris into second place, but for now, since it’s hard to know the impact of iTunes votes, I’ll leave him in third.
Here’s how I rank the Final 4 this week. How about you?
4. Kennedy Holmes – Team Jennifer – Maybe Kennedy was the 4th place vote getter last week, or maybe she wasn’t. In any case, needing to sing for the Instant Vote last week leaves her in a weak spot ahead of the final. She came into the live shows a front runner. But at this point, I think Kennedy is destined for second or third place at best.
3. Chris Kroeze – Team Blake – Chris has done his thing week in and week out, without much fanfare or buzz. And yet, here he is in The Voice final. He is for sure the season 15 dark horse. He has won the streaming bonus twice. And with the cumulative streaming totals in play, Chris could be a surprise spoiler in this final.
2. Chevel Shepherd – Team Kelly – Kelly’s “country tinkerbell” is only a teen, but she has the uncanny ability to channel country greats like Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton. And she does it effortlessly. Chevel is also really likable and relatable. And she’s the only remaining member of the mighty Team Kelly Clarkson. I feel a solid second place finish for her.
1. Kirk Jay – Team Blake – I think Kirk will take it all. The singer knows how to pull at the heartstrings with his emotional country ballads. Together, Blake and Kirk have done a good job choosing songs. A singer that can move the audience at an emotional gut level will move those viewers to vote. No doubt, Kirk has a plan to wring the most tears yet out of folks who watch The Voice.
