The Voice Season 5 Knockout Round Power Rankings

I will not go into the stupid decision Blake made this week dumping Holly Henry for one of the worst singers to ever make the Live Shows because I ranted about that at length yesterday, so let’s just go straight into the Power Rankings before I rant some more (okay, I do bring it up multiple times in the rankings because it was the worst decision ever in the history of the show).

1. Cole Vosbury (Team Cee-Lo Blake): Cole got really lucky this season, most obvious he signed up for the season the added a Steal to the Knockout Rounds so the person who actually should have won that round (Cole was significantly better than Jonny) got to advance. And even though Let Her Go was still obscure back in August when this round was filmed, it has been sitting in the iTunes top 25 for the past and a few stints in the top 10 which probably helped his version into the top 20.

2. Caroline Pennell (Team Cee-Lo): After turning As Long as You Love Me into a hauntingly beautiful song, choosing The Way I Am was too safe and obvious. Still a very good performance. But hopefully her and Cee-Lo are more creative I the Live Show.

3. Matthew Schuler (Team Christina): Young the Giant, Fall Out Boy, Florence + the Machine, can’t wait to see what he has in store for the Live Shows.

4. Austin Jenckes (Team Blake): After the disastrous Knockout Rounds last season where the majority of the people who went home based on bad song choices alone, it is not surprising many singers played it safe this season (oh, if only Holly played it safe), but I’ll Be was Austin’s most boring performance of his three. Yeah he deserved to win this round, but I thought Brandon’s pick of Even if it Breaks Your Heart much more interesting.

5. Jacquie Lee (Team Christina): Well that was fun. Still I think I am watching a high school talent show whenever she performs. She needs a breakout moment soon because the second spot on Christina’s team is wide open because everyone else on her team has not been inspiring as of late except for Matthew. (Hopefully the bored housewives do not ruin things by flooding the telephone line for Josh or country fans for Olivia because Jacquie and Stephanie are much better.)

6. Ray Boudreaux (Team Blake): Not much to say, just another solid performance. I am still waiting for a great one, solid performances will get him a few rounds, but still needs a great one to be a contender.

7. Jonny Gray (Team Cee-Lo): Jonny really needs to let Cee-Lo pick his songs because the ones he picks for himself just do not fit him very well. Refugee, Cee-Lo’s pick, remains his best performance this season.

8. Preston Pohl (Team Adam): Oh goodness no; bad song choice. Compare that to Lina, who I did not care for through the first two rounds, picked a much more inspiring song and did a better job. In the past, Adam usually goes with who was best in the moment, but with all his picks this season, he has gone with potential over best in the moment (compared with Blake who always went with potential but screwed things up big time this season going with Nic over Holly).

9. Grey (Team Adam): Last Power Rankings I hoped Grey would start doing more interesting songs. Instead she picked the most boring song in the Kelly Clarkson catalogue. Should I assume My Life Would Suck without You is next?

10. Amber Nicole (Team Christina Cee-Lo) : Amber definitely should have won her round, but I am not sure if the performance was worth a Steal considering there were much better people who lost that came after her that did not get stolen (Holly, Juhi, I may have even taken James Irwin or Destinee Quinn just because they would have better chances of advancing than Amber).

11. Shelbie Z. (Team Blake): Another decent performance but it is hard to image Shelbie even making it to the Knockout Rounds let alone the Live Shows had she been on Blake’s country only team last season. She is much more Liz Davis, who was eliminated as soon as America got to vote, than any of his country acts last season.

12. Stephanie Anne Johnson (Team Christina Cee-Lo Christina): She did way too much to this song. Again, Christina would have been much better suited saving Holly or Juhi.

13. Will Champlin (Team Adam Christina Adam): I thought Will should have won his Battle and Christina stealing him was much deserved. This performance was boring and a bit off and not really Save worthy. Adam should have passed him, went to the end of the round with his Save intact and went back and retroactively saved Holly instead.

14. Tamara Chauniece (Team Cee-Lo): Didn’t Whitney Myers do a reggae infused version on No One on the show already? And did it much better. Yet Whitney did not make the Live Show and Tamara did. Go figure.

15. Tessanne Chin (Team Adam): Another boring performance of a boring pop song. I hate when this show rewards the lack of creativity. I was not a fan of Ashley’s Blind Audition, but I would have definitely taken her here, at least she was trying.

16. Olivia Henken (Team Christina): I suggested last week Olivia should stick with up-tempo songs as Done. was significantly better than Two Black Cadillacs and after this performance, I stick by this assessment. Olivia only won because Destinee was just worse. Maybe since Done was each of their best performances of the season, Christina should turn Olivia and Stephanie into a duo and fill her open spot with Holly.

17. Josh Logan (Team Christina): Another boring karaoke version of a song where he tried to sound too much like the original artist.

18. James Wolpert (Team Adam): When Amanda Brown sang Dream On on season three, I was thinking this is good, but if she does not hit that high note at the end it would be a failure. I thought the same thing when James said he was singing More than a Feeling, a song where you have to hit those notes a couple times. James did not hit those notes, not once. Not even close. James over Juhi was the second worse decision this season. And Juhi was just great, thoroughly engaging, picking a great song that took a pot shot at her former coach (Cee-Lo actually seemed to enjoy it). The Live Show will be a lot less interesting with James instead of Juhi. Making things worse, Adam said he did not steal Holly because she did not live up to the potential of her Blind Audition, then the next day picks James who been on a bigger slide than Holly, I did not think James even deserved to win his Battle Round.

19. Kat Robichaud (Team Cee-Lo): Oh please make it stop, one of the worst performances of the week. I do not know why Cee-Lo, and the show’s producers who stick her in every promo, keep pushing her. It seems pretty clear to me Caroline and Jonny have the fan votes sewn up. Why is it every season Cee-Lo always has two really good contestants and the rest who have no right being part of the Live Shows?

20. Nic Hawk (Team Adam Blake): I will say this about Nic; he made history twice this season. First he was the worst Steal ever in the history of the show and then he was on the winning end of the worst decision ever in the history of the show when Blake inexplicably picked him over Holly. He is also the least talented singer to make the Live Shows that is not named Erin Martin. Thankfully the Vote for the Worst people closed up shop earlier this year so Nic has no chance of advances. Unless Blake bizarrely saves him for a third time.

Only nine Holly references in the Power Rankings, not bad, that is less than half. For the last time I will do this season, let’s see who has the strongest team (it is silly to argue strongest team once America starts voting). I assigned 20 points to number one on the power rankings and one to last and here is what comes out:

Blake – 36
Adam - 42
Christina – 52
Cee-Lo – 53

Despite dumping his best talent, Blake managed to make it to number one will all his singers in the top 11 (they all would have been in the top 12 had he taken Holly). It also helped he had the best Steal of the round. But who cares what I think, let’s look who the music buying public likes, here is how all the songs from the show peaked this past week (Audition and Battle rounds are italicized).

1. Cole Vosbury (18)
2. Caroline Pennell (27)
3. Matthew Schuler (50)
4. Will Champlin (85)
5. Caroline Pennell – As Long as You Love Me (97)
6. Preston Pohl (167)
7. Jacquie Lee (204)
8. Preston Pohl – Electric Feel (214)
9. Preston Pohl – I Wish it Would Rain (255)
10. Tessanne Chin (284)
11. Austin Jenckes (295)
12. Caroline Pennell – Anything Can Happen (298)
13. Grey (304)
14. Nic Hawk (306)
15. Jonny Grey (349)
16. Ray Boudreaux (330)
17. Stephanie Anne Johnson (388)
18. Holly Henry – The Scientist (399)
19. Jacquie Lee - House of the Rising Son (472)
20. Josh Logan (492)
21. James Wolpert (545)
22. Kat Robichaud (549)
23. James Wolpert – Love Interrupted (589)
24. Matthew Schuler – Cough Syrup (654)
25. Jonny Grey – Refugee (738)
26. Shelbie Z. (776)
27. Juhi – Best I Ever Had (786)
28. Torn – Holly Henry (1072)
29. Matthew Schuler – My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (1019)
30. Tessanne Chin – Try (1157)
31. Jonny Grey – All These Things I’ve Done (1197)
32. James Wolpert – Radioactive (1224)
33. Tamara Chauniece (1272)
34. Josh Logan – Harder to Breathe (1292)
35. Will Champlin – Radioactive (1324)
36. James Irwin – Counting Stars (1342)
37. Austin Jenckes – To Love Somebody (1357)
38. Olivia Henkin (1356)
39. Cole Vosbury – Africa (1460)
40. Tessanne Chin – Next to Me (1375)

Please note Amber Nicole was the only Knockout performance to not make the top 1500 yet four songs by eliminated contestants, half by Holly Henry herself, did; again Cee-Lo, not the wisest steal ever. Actually this week, Holly's six week old The Scientist charted higher than the Knockout Round songs by seven people moving on to the Live Shows, the montaged Torn and Juhi's Best I Ever Had also bested three who are advancing. No wonder ratings tanked on Tuesday after Holly was eliminated. You probably should not dump a fan favorite just before fans start voting.  But anyway. If you use the same methodology as I did to see who had the best team based on my Power Rankings, here is how the teams rank based iTunes this week.

Adam – 65
Blake – 57
Christina – 50
Cee-Lo - 38

Oh Cee-Lo, not only did you Steal the only singer in the top twenty, you let some steal the person with the highest charting song this week. Even with the second highest charting singer, he is still last by a long mile. Now if you take the average how high each of the final twenty charted during the three rounds, which probably gives you the best idea of who are the favorites, this is how they rank:

1. Caroline Pennell (84)
2. Preston Pohl (88.3)
3. Matthew Schuler (153)
4. Jacquie Lee (266)
5. Will Champlin (267)
6. Tessanne Chin (275.6)
7. Austin Jenckes (292)
8. Jonny Grey (301.3)
9. James Wolpert (357.6)
10. Ray Boudreaux (436)
11. Josh Logan (455)
12. Grey (462.6)
13. Shelbie Z. (702)
14. Nic Hawk (785)
15. Cole Vosbury (800)
16. Kat Robichaud (1046.3)*
17. Stephanie Anne Johnson (1084.3)*
18. Amber Nicole (1120)**
19. Olivia Henken (1124)
20. Tamara Chauniece (1333.6)*

* These singers missed the top 1500 once so for the times they missed, I gave those 1500 for the missing song so I could add them to this list so there is a very good chance their numbers are inflated. Amber Nicole actually missed the top 1500 twice including her Knockout Round performance. Let m,e say it one more time, Cee-Lo would have been served saving Holly or Juhi who were much more deserving (same goes to Christina). Even James Irwin and Destinee Quinn would have a better shot at advancing than Amber or Stephanie. I almost feel bad for Grey, she is fifth on her team on this list but would be third on Team Blake or Cee-Lo and close to third on Christina's team.

Prediction time: assuming that the first round of Live Shows are the same as the last two where America saves two singers from each team and each coach saves one more for a final 12, here are my predictions on how it shapes out.

America saves Preston and Tessanne, Adam saves James
America saves Austin and Cole, Blake saves Ray
America saves Matthew and Jacquie, Christina saves Josh
America saves Caroline and Jonny, Cee-Lo saves Kat