The fight for artists intensified tonight on The Voice as coaches Keith Urban, Rita Ora and Jessica Mauboy strategised to stop Guy Sebastian from winning the crown a second year in a row.
With Blocks and four-chair turns flying, Keith Urban pulled a Battle Pass to send 40-year-old carpenter from NSW Shaun Wessel straight to the coveted Battle Rounds.
The laid-back performer took the stage in his thongs to perform Whipping Post by the Allman Brothers, turning all four coaches’ chairs and prompting Rita to admit, “I have never heard a voice like yours on a show like this.”
Self-confessed mamma’s boy, 23-year-old Jordan Tavita, melted every heart in the house with his performance of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror, earning four-chair turns and a standing ovation from the coaches before choosing Team Guy.
Twenty-seven-year-old former Cirque du Soleil artist Jay Sierra chose Ariana Grande’s God is a Woman, leading Keith to blindside Guy with a Block. “You won last year, and the girls and I had a chat and we just can’t let you win this year!” Keith told Guy before welcoming Jay to his team.
Ballet dancer and long-time fan of The Voice, 16-year-old Sunrise Michelle, sang Birdy’s People Help the People; a song Sunrise chose as it describes how her grandparents helped her after her mother’s mental health issues. Sunrise was welcomed as the newest member of Team Jess.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic gymnast Dominic Clarke performed This City by Sam Fisher, receiving four-chair turns and a standing ovation from the coaches before making Rita’s wish come true. “That was a spectacular, perfect performance. I would die to have you on Team Rita,” said the coach of the 25-year-old’s stage debut. Dominic happily obliged.
Twenty-year-old Nicola de Sensi won praise from the coaches for her performance of Billie Eilish’s When the Party’s Over. After turning all four chairs, Nicola chose Team Guy in a shout out to her beloved nonna: a diehard Guy Sebastian fan.
