On March 11, The Voice judges, Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton, completed choosing members for their teams through the blind auditions of the show.
The Voice, shown on NBC and now in its sixth season, has a unique audition format that sets it apart from other singing competitions and ensures that each judge chooses contestants solely on their voice rather than on their looks. While the contestants audition, the judges sit in rotating chairs. They press a button to turn their respective chairs around if they like what they hear. If no one presses his or her button, the contestant is sent home. If multiple judges turn around, however, the contestant can choose the judge he or she wants as a mentor.
The judges will then mentor their contestants and hold singing battles between members of their teams in the battle rounds. If they make it past the battle rounds, they perform in the live performances, in which the public audience votes for contestants to move on to the next week.
This season’s blind auditions brought a variety of promising contestants to the show. The contestants included band members, high school students, contestants from previous seasons, YouTube singers and even professional backup singers.
The first contestant, Christina Grimmie, who has over two million subscribers on YouTube, caught all four of the judges’ attention with her unique rendition of “Wrecking Ball,” ultimately choosing to join Adam Levine’s team.
Later, the first duo on this season’s show was introduced: Dawn and Hawkes, a couple from Texas, who sang the Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” Their harmonies caught both Shakira and Levine’s attention, but eventually the duet picked Levine’s team.
Jake Worthington, who did not make it past the blind auditions in the last season, made a comeback this season and landed on Blake Shelton’s team.
17-year-old Bria Kelly proved she would be a frontrunner on the show when her first powerful note prompted Shelton and Levine to push their buttons. Eventually all four judges turned around, and Kelly picked Usher, who told the audience that “they had heard The Voice.”
Another frontrunner, Kaleigh Glanton, impressed all four judges with her soulful rendition of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” landing a spot on Blake’s team.
Eventually, the blind auditions ended with each judge having 11 members on his or her team.
The Voice  on NBC
Mondays at 8/7c
BY KRUTHI RENDUCHINTALA
Staff Writer