“The Voice” GRAND FINALE Review
Time to go all in.
by S4B0T4G3FIRE | December 13, 2021, 10:00 PM EST
Disclaimer: There are a lot of factors that can affect a singer’s performance. None of the objective statements made in this article are meant to be hateful or dismissive of the challenges performers face in a live setting. Every contestant has the potential to be great.
The Season 21 Grand Finale is finally here! All five competitors earned their right to be here, but only one of them will win. Who fought the hardest tonight?
Hailey Mia
Song 1: John Legend said it best. Hailey Mia is “so in control” right now. For her first song of the night, she did not disappoint. The song she chose covers a wide spectrum of notes, and she executed both the lows and the highs to perfection. Even when you thought she should be running out of breath, she still had plenty more to give. She is 50% of the way to a potential “The Voice Winner” title. If she delivers on the second song, viewers will have no choice but to vote for her.
Song 2: Hailey Mia seems to know her audience well because she chose another song by a mainstream artist for her second performance of the night. Sometimes, she does seem to be attempting to mimic these singers, but she never fails to transition back to herself and make the song her own. After the first chorus, the performance was already worthy of a “whoa,” and it only got better after that. Kelly Clarkson said it best: “Out of everyone in this competition, you are the one who has grown the most every single week.” That is an unbiased fact. She is now 95% of the way to winning this whole thing. All she needs now are the votes (that she most certainly earned). The momentum she has going into tomorrow night is huge!
Special Attributes: Range, Consistency, Momentum, Youth, Crowd Favorite*
Projected Placement: 3rd
Paris Winningham
Song 1: Paris Winningham chose such a perfect first song for himself. It fit his voice so well, and he delivered a smooth yet powerful performance. He likely only just snuck into the Top 5 after last week, but he is showing right now that he can just as easily win the whole thing if his second song of the night goes as well as the first.
Song 2: The second song choice was not as good as the first, but his delivery of it was out of this world. He has the most fun on that stage pretty much every week, and tonight was no exception. He is WILD (in a good way)! He really let loose tonight, and he gave voters no choice but to remember him when they go to vote. This was an unforgettable night for him. He played his part. Now he just needs his fans to play theirs.
Special Attributes: Tone, Power, Consistency, Emotion/Passion
Projected Placement: 4th
Girl Named Tom
Song 1: Girl Named Tom CAME ALIVE tonight. They had been missing a tiny something for the past couple of weeks, but it is BACK. The song choice was absolutely perfect, and the three of them, especially Joshua and Caleb, have never sounded better on this show. Bekah needed a strong harmonic backbone from them tonight so her vocals could shine even brighter, and they delivered that and more (and so did Bekah). Their confidence was through the roof, and they are easily in the lead after the first round of songs. They are averaging at 11 out of 10 with one song to go.
Song 2: Just when you thought Hailey Mia had done enough to win this thing, Girl Named Tom deliver perfection for a second time tonight. Even though there was no way they would be able to one-up tonight’s first performance, their second performance was just as flawless. They were singing to each other, and it was heartwarming. Their harmonies were beautiful and captivating. Team Kelly is here to win!
Special Attributes: Harmony, Power, Uniqueness, Momentum, No Limit, Crowd Favorite*
Projected Placement: *WINNER* or *RUNNER-UP*
Jershika Maple
Song 1: For whatever reason, Jershika Maple had to earn Instant Save after Instant Save just to reach the Grand Finale. She has never been less than incredible for the entirety of this show, and she has never given less than her best. With the exception of a couple of tiny flaws with her vocal stamina at times when it came to runs (especially the final run of the performance) she absolutely delivered tonight. Her great moments were more than enough to help voters ignore the one or two tiny flaws. If she wants to win over voters, however, she will need an even better performance in the second round of songs.
Song 2: Whatever was lacking from her first performance was not lacking from the second. She almost ran out of stamina again, but she held on until the very end. More than that, she was comfortable enough to add some clever note changes to the melody and earn some additional respect. What more can you ask for from the most consistent act of the entire competition? After the first round of songs, she was the slightest bit behind, but everything is just about level now going into tomorrow night. The only downside is that America has not been treating her kindly after forcing her win the Instant Save two weeks in a row. She might not have the fans to win this thing, so she will need neutral fans to step up for her in a big way.
Special Attributes: Range, Consistency, Superstar Potential*
Projected Placement: 5th
Wendy Moten
Song 1: Wendy Moten gave her best performance yet last week, and she needed to top it tonight. Her rehearsal sounded at times like it was carrying over from belting to screaming, but that was not the case during the actual performance. With the exception of one noticeable flat note and the fact that she almost lost control during her high note two-thirds of the way through the song, her experience was enough to reel this performance back in. After that, she found her groove. The final third of the performance was absolutely remarkable. Classic Wendy Moten. It had everything. If she outdoes herself with her second song, she will be guaranteed Top 2 tomorrow night.
Song 2: Chills. Just chills. Her story as a singer is so captivating, and there is very little left to say. Just when you thought Girl Named Tom did enough to secure the win, Wendy Moten goes and does this. Wow. Wow!
Special Attributes: Range, Consistency, Power, Experience, Superstar Potential*, Crowd Favorite*
Projected Placement: *WINNER* or *RUNNER-UP*
Recap
All 5 acts were here to win tonight. They were all rightful Top-5 competitors and did not hold anything back. Some fought harder than others, but none of them will have any regrets whatsoever after tomorrow night. All it comes down to now is which acts earned the most fans during their time on this show. At the moment, Hailey Mia, Girl Named Tom, and Wendy Moten seem like the obvious crowd favorites, but the neutral fans of the show could swing this whole competition in a totally different direction. If you are not voting for Girl Named Tom, vote for Wendy Moten. If you are not voting for Wendy Moten, vote for Girl Named Tom. The battle is between these two acts. It was always between these two acts, ever since the Blind Auditions. Best of luck to all the competitors! The margins could not be tighter.
Tune in to “The Voice” tomorrow night at 8:00 PM EST (7:00 PM CST) to see who wins the whole thing!
