Let’s face it! As much as The Voice provides endless hours of musical entertainment, and fun witty banter among the judges, including mainstays Adam Levine and Blake Shelton along with a rotating list of musical greats like Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, and John Legend; the show isn’t known for cranking out musical superstars.
Unlike rival singing competition series American Idol, many of the former The Voice winners have disappeared into oblivion, releasing a track or album, or touring with someone far more famous, but never really breaking out in a way like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Daughtry.
Nonetheless, we can’t say that any of the winners weren’t good. They were all amazing singers with vocal talents that earned them a rightful spot on the show. However, should they all have won? It really is debatable, depending on how you look at it. In some cases, yes. In others, not so much.
Here’s a list of 5 of the most and 5 of the least deserving winners from the show.
Jordan Smith: Most Deserving
Winning season 9 in 2015 with the help of his coach Adam Levine, Jordan wowed viewers with his renditions of songs like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Climb Ev’ry Mountain" and The Beach Boys’ "God Only Knows." He had us at his audition with Sia’s “Chandelier.” As the highest-selling artist to ever compete on the show, actually knocking Adele’s “Hello” off the top spot on iTunes during the week of his performance, it’s clear he deserved to win.
His album, released in 2016, reached number-two on iTunes and sold well. Proving just how deserving he was, Jordan penned the tune “Ashes” that Celine Dion performed for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack.
Alisan Porter: Least Deserving
Seemingly winning season 10 for her popularity rather than voice (she’s known for playing Curly Sue as a child, opposite Jim Belushi), Alisan was a great singer, don’t get us wrong. That being said, her season 10 win with coach Christina Aguilera seemed more predicted by voters loving her comeback story after battling addiction, and the “girl power” between her and Aguilera than it was about her being the absolute best that season.
This assessment seems to be fair, given that she has yet to actually release an album since winning.
Chloe Kohanski: Most Deserving
One of many pretty young female winners Blake has cranked out during his long tenure on the reality competition series, Chloe won season 13 (2017). She was a stand-out for her ‘80s-esque raspy voice. So, it’s no surprise that she chose to sing tunes like "Bette Davis Eyes."
After releasing her first single, “Come This Far,” last year, she’s set to debut her first studio album later in 2019. Hopefully, Chloe will go against the grain and crossover into the mainstream scene.
Sawyer Fredericks: Least Deserving
This blonde, long-haired country boy was an odd pairing with Pharrell Williams, but the music mogul seems to thrive on a challenge and daring to be different. And he amazingly pulled out a win in season 8 with the old soul who sang tunes like Neil Young’s "Old Man" and "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Crofts.
There were high hopes for him, given his popularity among viewers, breaking many iTunes records. Alas, Sawyer ended up parting ways with the label and branching out on his own. We wonder if maybe viewers were simply mesmerized by his age and the partnership with Pharrell, and that’s why he pulled in so many votes.
Cassadee Pope: Most Deserving
Perhaps one of the most commercially successful of the winners thus far, Cassadee won season 3 with Blake Shelton. A country artist, she stuck to her roots singing songs like "Over You" (Miranda Lambert), "Steve McQueen" (Sheryl Crow), and Faith Hill’s "Cry."
She had a slew of number-one songs on iTunes as the season aired, then debuted a number-one album on the US Country charts after her win. She also sang with Chris Young on his hit single “Think Of You.” She released her second album, Stages, in February 2019.
Javier Colon: Least Deserving
The first The Voice winner, Javier is a great singer and got great advice from his coach Adam Levine. But he didn’t have much success after the show, where he covered songs by iconic artists like Michael Jackson’s "Man in the Mirror."
Considering he had already released two albums prior to going on the show, we expected more from Javier. He has performed with various acts and recorded an album through his own label. Despite being the original champion, Javier has largely become one of the forgotten winners.
Tessanne Chin: Most Deserving
With a powerhouse voice, Tessanne wowed the audience every time she came on stage and tackled massive hit songs from iconic artists, including Celine Dion’s "Love Can Move Mountains." Partnered up with coach Adam Levine, she not only won season 5 back in 2013 but also reportedly received the highest number of votes ever in the history of the show at the time.
She already had some pull in the entertainment biz but had been unable to break out on her own. Despite releasing an album to lackluster success and even performing at the White House for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014, she needs more support to help make her the star she deserves to be.
Sundance Head: Least Deserving
We love us a good country singer; however, Sundance, who won season 11 with - you guessed it - Blake Shelton, didn’t really wow us when he was on stage. He covered true country hits like "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head and the Traits. He definitely had a stand-out look, which might have helped him get some votes.
Following the competition's conclusion, he has only released a couple of singles, with no album in sight just yet. Admittedly, the modern country scene is a completely different beast to Roy Head and the Traits' heyday.
Danielle Bradbery: Most Deserving
If a contestant is young, blonde, and country; it’s almost a guarantee that Blake Shelton can help them win the competition, as he did with Danielle back in season 4. Just 16-years-old at the time, Danielle was the youngest winner of the series up until Brynn Cartelli took the crown.
She got a record deal and went on tour with various country artists, including Brad Paisley and Thomas Rhett. Her self-titled debut album, released in 2013, reached number five on the US Country charts. With 139,000 copies sold, she’s one of the most successful winners to date.
Craig Wayne Boyd: Least Deserving
Like many other past winners, viewers were slightly peeved that Craig won season 7 with his coach Blake Shelton, given that he had already had some success as a commercial music artist prior to being on the show, touring with the likes of Randy Houser and Brantley Gilbert, and even having been signed to a label. What’s more, he beat out a fan favorite, Matt McAndrew, for the win when many felt that Matt truly deserved to get his big break.
After trying to crowdfund an album, Craig did eventually release one in 2017. Matt got the last laugh, however, as he’s currently the lead singer for the band Slaves, which released its third studio album last year.