The Monday, November 2, episode of The Voice featured the first-ever Cut Week in the show’s history. It was the biggest elimination the show has ever seen, with more than half of the remaining 28 artists getting sent home ahead of next week’s Live Shows.
For Cut Week, coaches Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Riley Green, and Queen Latifah each picked two singers from their teams of seven to automatically move on. The remaining five artists from each team then performed for the third and final spot. One coach will also have a fourth artist in the Top 13 based on who of the 16 contestants left gets the most viewer votes before the November 9 Live Show.
Scroll down for a full recap of the night’s performances and to see where the teams stand heading into the first of six Live Shows.
Team Queen Latifah
The first artist that Latifah chose for the Live Shows was Mia Knight, who was also her First-In pick in the Blind Auditions. “There’s never been a choice from the very beginning,” Latifah admitted. “Mia is 16, but she sounds like she’s been here before. I just had to give it to her.”
Her second artist going to the Live Shows is BigCountry. “He doesn’t want to be put in a box,” Latifah explained. “I can see that he has a lot under the cap, and we have to see what he has to give.”
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Bryan Jaymes
Bryan Jaymes sang “Use Me” by Bill Withers for Cut Week. “What I loved is just how you performed, how you had fun with it, and how much fun you just made everyone in here have,” Green said.
Latifah told her artist, “It’s so fun to just watch you perform. Your command on the stage is fantastic. I think everybody enjoyed that, so that’s important to me.”
Destinee Monroe
Latifah stole Destinee Monroe from Levine’s team in the Battle Rounds. The pop-rocker sang “Space Oddity” by David Bowie for Cut Week. “You’re so great,” Levine told his former artist. “I love that song, I love that you chose it. We need more female rock n’ rollers in this competition, and you’re badass.”
Meanwhile, Destinee’s new coach praised the range she had in her performance. “The way your voice broke in certain places was gorgeous,” she admitted. “I felt like you went into a country thing at certain places. Tonight, you showed me something special.”
Alt Bloom
Next up was Alt Bloom, who sang “For the First Time” by The Script. Levine said Alt’s “range is stupid,” joking that he’s “angry” about it because it’s even higher than his own.
Latifah added, “Every time I see you, you surprise me. You come out different, and you just hit some crazy notes up in the rafters. You got the crowd going, and I love that about you. I love watching you.”
Lillie Kolich
For her Cut Week performance, Lillie Kolich sang “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure. “You take these special little parts and make them so unique,” Clarkson told the hopeful artist. “Beyond this competition, I can’t wait to follow you and see what you do.”
Latifah told Lillie how “proud” she was, adding, “You bend one note, and it is so special to me. I need that record. That’s how I feel as a fan, as an artist.
Chari
Finally, Chari took the stage with a rendition of “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack. “That was one of my favorite performances of the day,” Green admitted. “To come on a show like this, you gotta have two or three songs you can crush, and that was one of the best ways I’ve heard that song sung.
Latifah told Chari her voice is “gorgeous” and praised her lower register. “What you just did down there was disrespectful in the best way. You’re just exquisite,” she gushed.
Who made the Live Shows?
Lillie Kolich joins Mia and Big Country in the Live Shows for Team Queen. “The person I’m choosing has something so very unique that they would really add to my team,” Latifah explained. “And I’m hoping you continue to keep doing super special and unique things.”
Team Adam Levine
Levine’s first artist to head to the Live Shows is Lexi Stephens. “Lexi is the strongest singer in this competition, flat out. I think Lexi can win this,” the Maroon 5 singer explained.
Second, he chose Connor Closs. “Connor is a competitor,” Levine noted. “He has a really good tone to his voice, and he can sing anything. So he is ready.”
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Evan James
Leaning into his country roots, Evan James sang “Midnight Train to Memphis” by Chris Stapleton for Cut Week. “I loved your vibe. I love your vocal. I loved the ending. It really means you’re willing to fight for it,” Clarkson said.
Levine admitted he discovered Evan’s rasp for the first time in that performance. “Evan really exploded in this one. It’s nice to have a great country artist on my team,” he admitted.
Dakota Cohen
For her Cut Week performance, rocker Dakota Cohen sang “Hemorrhage (in My Hands)” by Fuel. “It was so much fun to hear you sing that song. Thank you for sharing that with us,” Latifah gushed.
Levine called Dakota “baby Miley Cyrus” and applauded her song choices throughout the competition so far. “There’s nobody on my team like Dakota,” he added. “She’s just holding the rock torch for me and has such a cool, interesting voice.”
Owen Uffens
Teenage singer Owen Uffens took the stage next to sing “Electric Feel” by MGMT. Green noted how much “fun” it looked like Owen was having. “You’ve been consistent. You got something really unique: You don’t sound like anybody else in this competition,” he also added.
Owen’s coach was glad to see him “get out of [his] way” and have fun on stage. “You’re still discovering your voice,” Levine pointed out. “I can feel that happening. You put yourself in as good of a position as possible, so great job today.”
Amanda Mikkel
Amanda Mikkel, who earned Levine’s First-In button at the Blind Auditions, performed “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. “You have such a gift,” Clarkson gushed. “How you go from your chest voice and the lows are very beautiful, and then you backed off and are real soft, real quick. That takes such technique. This was an awesome performance, but I feel like your voice is even better than this song.”
Levine admitted he could feel how nervous Amanda gets. “We have to unlock more about what is great about you because it is so special,” he told her.
Brandon Diaz
Levine stole Brandon Diaz from Team Queen in the Battles. For his Cut Week performance, Brandon sang “Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot. His former coach said, “I’m so proud of you. Your performance was flawless. You do what you do.”
For his part, Levine praised Brandon’s song choice. “It showed me a lot about you that I need to see in a hurry,” he explained. “You did fantastic tonight. Great, great job.”
Who made the Live Shows?
In the end, Levine could only pick one artist to join Lexi and Connor in the Live Shows, and he went with Dakota. “I think I have to go with who I feel, moving forward, I can work with the best,” he explained. “There aren’t enough female rock singers kicking ass on the show this season. She deserves it.”
Team Riley Green
The first artist Green chose to automatically advance to the Live Shows was Cade Mower. “It’s somebody who has a really unique voice and somebody similar to me, musically, in a way where I feel like I can really help them,” Green pointed out.
Second, he picked Ferryn & Brinkley, noting that the duo “really brought their A-game every chance they’ve gotten.”
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Allie Rae
Green’s First-In pick Allie Rae sang “4x4xU” by Lainey Wilson for Cut Week. “You are 15 years old? That is crazy!” Clarkson noted. “Regardless of what happens right now, you are so far ahead of the game.”
Her coach “loved” the performance and called Allie Rae a “mini Reba,” adding, “Allie Rae’s definitely grown from the Blinds and in a short period of time, too. … She definitely set the bar high. It’s going to be hard to beat that performance.”
Everett Bounds
Everett Bounds sang “Killin’ Time” by Clint Black, showing off his classic country voice. “Every time I listen to Everett sing, I feel like a huge bar fight is going to break out,” Levine joked. “It speaks to your authenticity and your charm. You’re a great entertainer.”
Green added, “There’s something so cool to me about how traditional country is making a comeback. You’re right there in it, man. You’re doing it, and you’re really that. That’s the authenticity people are going to be able to see at home.”
Keiyana Osmond
Up next was Keiyana Osmond with a rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles.
“There’s something so cool about your voice and what you do,” Green raved. “I want to just send you a list of my favorite songs and hear you sing them. You’re such a unique and special person.”
Kayleigh Mathews
Kayleigh Mathews landed on Green’s team after he stole her from Queen Latifah in the Battles. This time, she performed “Walkin’ After Midnight” by Patsy Cline.
“I love the song. That was such a great song. You have this beautiful yodel that goes on, and your resonance is so beautiful. You have such a gift,” Clarkson said, while Green noted, “That was so country, and that’s the best compliment I can give. I love that your voice is so unique and you got a bluesy thing you can do at the end of some notes. I loved everything about it.”
Joe Henley
Joe Henley closed things out for Team Riley by singing “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Keith Whitley. All four coaches stood up to give Joe a standing ovation.
“From the first notes out of your mouth, your natural tone is just incredible. If you’re not in the finale, I would be mind blown,” Clarkson promised. Green applauded Joe’s ability to do what Whitley does with his voice and called it an “awesome performance.”
Who made the Live Shows?
The third artist to join the Live Shows for Team Riley was Joe Henley. “Every performance today was great,” Green assured his team. “I remember when I saw the song that was being done by this person, I said to myself, ‘If this is right, this is who I’m going to have to go with,’ and Joe, you crushed it, man.”
Team Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson picked Koumba Diallo as her first artist to head to the Live Shows. “I didn’t hear any pitch issues,” Clarkson noted. “[You] kept eye contact with everybody when you needed it and really did an outstanding job.”
Also heading to the Live Shows is Anna McElroy. “I feel like this artist didn’t really waver much,” Clarkson explained. “I feel like they took the song I gave them and did really well with it.”
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Marcus Ladden Jr.
Up first was Marcus Ladden Jr., who Clarkson stole from Latifah in the Battles. He performed “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls.
Marcus’ former coach said, “You are so dynamic. I was just dancing and partying with you. Thank you for entertaining me. I want to follow where you go.” Green applauded Marcus’ stage presence, while Clarkson added, “It’s so fun. I love watching people love what they’re doing. It’s such a treat.”
Brooklyn Marie
For her Cut Week performance, 14-year-old Brooklyn Marie sang Elton John‘s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Levine told the teenager, “I think you have so much time to continue to improve on something that’s already so great. When you hit the flurry of notes that are up so high with mastery, they were powerful. There’s something really special in there.”
Clarkson praised Brooklyn’s song choice. “Because you’re 14, you have this innocence to you that is so magical that it’s hard not to be drawn to. Congratulations, you did such a good job,” she assured the singer.
Brianna Cameron
Brianna Cameron performed “Inseparable” by Natalie Cole. The 13-year-old wowed her coach. “It’s like we’re watching young Whitney Houston,” Clarkson gushed. “You are insane.”
Latifah said it’s “unfathomable” that Brianna can sing with the “poise” she does at her age. “That was a beautiful performance with a beautiful song,” she added, while Green called Brianna “the most naturally talented person” on the show this year.
Nina Howland
Next up, Nina Howland sang “In the Kitchen” by Reneé Rapp. Latifah said Nina made her feel good with her performance. “You just delivered the hell out of that song, so thank you for that,” she told the contestant.
“You are an absolutely stunning vocalist, and emotionally, you get it, too. It’s not just about singing it correctly, but it’s about being the vessel for a message,” Clarkson added.
Kyle Davis
The last performance of the night was from Kyle Davis, the oldest in the competition, who sang “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith.
“We’re all fans of you. That’s why everybody turned for you in the Auditions,” Green pointed out. “Your voice is so unique. Part of it cuts through and part of it is so smooth and really easy to listen to.” Clarkson called Kyle a “special singer” and said he “cuts through unlike anybody else in this competition.”
Who made the Live Shows?
Clarkson struggled with making her choice about who would be joining Koumba and Anna in the Live Shows, but she ultimately went with Brianna Cameron.
“I picked Brianna because she showed me something I’d never seen. There was another layer to her,” Clarkson explained. “Like, OK, little miss onion! How many more layers do you have in there? I have to reward somebody being that incredible at such a young age.”
Here’s where the teams stand heading into the Live Shows (the final artist will be revealed on November 9):
Team Queen Latifah
Mia Knight
BigCountry
Lillie Kolich
Team Adam Levine
Lexi Stephens
Connor Closs
Dakota Cohen
Team Riley Green
Ferryn & Brinkley
Cade Mower
Joe Henley
Team Kelly Clarkson
Koumba Diallo
Anna McElroy
Brianna Cameron
The Voice, Season 30, Mondays, 9/8c, NBC