The Voice blind auditions often lead to the judging panel of music superstars fighting for singers to join their teams, and Tanner Gomes was the latest contestant to pick between multiple judges.
The banter and playful arguing between the judges has been a hallmark of the hit competition series since season 1, and season 19's auditions were no different. This time, aspiring country singer Tanner Gomes' performance inspired three of the four to turn their chairs around, and resulted in a spirited discussion. Tanner chose Dustin Lynch's "Cowboys and Angels" for his audition song. He ended up blowing all the judges away with his incredible baritone voice. What's more, Tanner's look and personality made an impression as well. To start, his classic cowboy outfit earned compliments from the judges, especially his hat. Kelly Clarkson exclaimed how much she loved it, shouting "you're like a real cowboy!" while John Legend called it "super cool". And the story of his mother overcoming an opioid addiction touched people's hearts.
Kelly turned her chair around first, very early in the performance. John and Gwen Stefani later followed by turning theirs around at the end of his song. Considering his role as the country expert, it was surprising that Gwen's fiancee Blake Shelton didn't throw his hat in the ring. The Arizona native's family were even shown rooting for the country music superstar to turn his chair around. Kelly egged on Gwen to question why he didn't.
Blake may not have turned his chair, but he still got involved in the fight over which judge would win. John even playfully accused him of sabotage. But the Grand Ole Opry member reasoned that there were already enough country singers on his team, which would not be the right environment. Instead, he suggested a team without another country singer, meaning not his team or Kelly's, so that the Nashville resident could really shine. Kelly pushed back on that argument, because the country singer who was already on her team was a woman and a different type of artist. The argument over Tanner Gomes lead into a fight over who, besides Blake, was most qualified to coach a country singer. Gwen's main argument was her relationship with Blake, claiming she learned so much about the genre in the past five years. But Kelly didn't back down, even pointing out that she turned around first. She also gushed that he reminded her of her favorite types of country singers. And, perhaps most importantly, she insisted to Tanner that her coaching would get him to the finals. The crowd certainly seemed to agree, cheering her name the loudest. Ultimately, that argument worked, and Kelly ended up winning him over. On Team Kelly, the sought after Arizona native is joining other contestants like Ryan Gallagher.
Five country singers have already won The Voice so far. Viewers will have to wait and see if one of the country singers competing in season 19 join their ranks. Tanner Gomes' star demeanor, emotional backstory, and, of course, his talent makes him a strong contender, and there's no doubt Gwen and John will keep an eye on him in case they want to steal him during the battles.
Source: The Voice