‘The Voice’ Recap: Tamara Chauniece, Preston Pohl Among Eliminated Contestants

The Voice aired its first live eliminations last night following two nights of live playoffs on Monday and Tuesday.

Before any results were given, Blake Shelton’s team took to the stage to perform Edgar Winter Group’s “Free Ride.” Individually the contestants sounded great, but performance lacked cohesion.

Following their performance, Team Blake was the first team to find out their fates. Austin Jenckes and Cole Vosbury were the top two, safe from elimination. When it came time for Coach Blake to choose between Nic Hawk, Shelbie Z. and Ray Boudreaux to save, he closed his team with Boudreaux. Hawk and Shelbie were sent home.

Cee Lo Green’s team performed next, singing “Give A Little Bit” by Supertramp, clad in Green’s signature red and black. Green's team gave a fun performance that energized the audience.

Team Cee Lo’s eliminations followed. Caroline Pennell and Jonny Gray received the most fan votes and were guaranteed a spot in week two’s live shows. Of his three remaining contenders, Green decided to save Kat Robichaud, sending Amber Nicole and Tamara Chauniece home.

Christina Aguilera’s team was next to sing together. They performed “Love Somebody” by Coach Adam Levine’s band Maroon 5. The performance was strong, though nerves kicked in during some harmonizations.

Coach Aguilera’s top two came as no surprise. Young powerhouses Jacquie Lee and Matthew Schuler were saved by fan votes. When it came down to Josh Logan, Olivia Henken and Stephanie Anne Johnson, Aguilera took her time and decided to continue with Logan.

Coach Adam’s team was the last to take the stage, singing Capital Cities’ “Safe & Sound” in a performance that showcased the team’s powerful vocals.

In the last few minutes of the show, Levine’s team was put up for elimination. James Wolpert was safe after his cover of “A Case Of You” reached the top 10 on iTunes, multiplying his votes by five. Tessanne Chin was the second contestant on Team Adam to be saved. As time was running out Levine was forced to choose between Preston Pohl, Grey and Will Champlin. Levine rambled a bit and lost himself in thought before deciding to keep a stunned Champlin in the competition.

In addition to the performances and dramatic eliminations, The Voice aired two behind-the-scenes clips. In the first clip, “What’s In Blake’s Cup,” Levine answered fan questions.

The other clip was more of a blooper reel, showing silly moments from rehearsals.

Tune in to The Voice Monday at 8:00 p.m. for the second week of live performances.

-Ava Butler