‘The Voice’ Season 27 Episode 5 Recap: The Teams Are Locked In—Who Has the Strongest Lineup?

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Voice Season 27, Episode 5.This is it! Baby, we’ve made it! It’s the last day of Blinds on The Voice Season 27! Finally. Am I right? The coaches only have a few spots left on their rosters, so there will most certainly be some heartbreak tonight. How would you feel if you were auditioning for the chance of a lifetime only to learn that your opportunity shrinks because the producers placed you on that last day? Good thing the coaches are notorious for saying, “Come back and audition.” If only putting oneself through public humiliation and trauma again was that easy. But, alas, here we are. As John Legend says, “Sometimes I find my best people on the last day of Blinds.” Will the prophecy come true?

At one point in the night, the coaches’ chairs get stuck returning to first position. Call it karma for letting some singers pass by due to the roster limit. No matter what, this is the game. Games aren’t always meant to be fair. It just means it gives fodder to the fans, and me, to complain about! The Voice Season 27 closes out the Blind Auditions in fascinating fashion. Time to see who completes the Top 48.

John Legend Finds the Ammo To Win ‘The Voice’

We begin our final night with a performance from Jay Ammo. He has had an assortment of jobs following his stint in the military. Originally hailing from Guyana, Jay lives in Tennessee. We learn that his last name is not actually Ammo, but a riff of his original last name as no one could ever pronounce it. Ready to go even before the audition! And it just so fits his background in the military. For his performance, Jay sings the purest form of “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran you could ever imagine. It’s sweet. The tone is pristine. Move over ginger, this is the rendition we deserve! After some hesitation, Michael Bublé finalizes the four-chair turn. So, perhaps saving the best for the last night isn’t always so bad. With four viable options, each coach provides a pitch that seemingly would work for Jay and his voice. John Legend says his voice floats. Adam Levine calls it ethereal and singular. They get him. But after teasing us that the best people come on the last day, of course, he is joining Team Legend.

Pablo Herrera hails from San Diego, California, where he reminds us that the weather is always perfect. Pablo learned music from his sister, growing up in a church setting. She’s the one who taught him to harmonize. And he taught his two boys that skill as well. Pablo’s goal is to care for his boys and teach them it’s not always about having all the money in the world. For his audition, Pablo sings “Jealous” by Labrinth. The song reminds him of when he separated from his wife, with whom he co-parents his children. It’s a soft and sentimental performance that has purity and richness within. It’s a very strong performance that brings out all the notes of his range. He earns three chair turns from everyone but Adam Levine. Each coach is eager to add him to their team, pitching perfectly to what Pablo wants to hear, but it’s the EGOT winner who takes the win. With Pablo Herrera selecting John Legend, his team is full!

Another Bublé-Ballerini Battle

Brook Wood may sound like a quintessential country diva, yet her journey out of Indianapolis brought her to Queens. She does have country coursing through her veins as her father was a lead guitarist for a country band in her hometown. Having toured the country herself with a rock and roll show, she shares that the only time she ever saw her dad cry was when he saw her perform. The story takes a sad turn as she lost him in 2021. She takes on “Save Me” by Jelly Roll as a tribute to her father. With a bit of doo-wop and blues inherent in the track, there is a transcendent tone in her. Her voice is good, but it’s not necessarily radio-worthy. It’s a bit too flashy for country radio. That being said, Kelsea Ballerini, noticing the rock and rasp, says that the subgenres make her interesting. But she also pitches that, unlike the EGOT winner to her right, she has lost Grammys and would like to win something. Reverse psychology for not having a massive trophy case, I suppose. It works! The girlies stick together.

Simone Marijic is 20 years old from Los Angeles, but is celebrating the best years of her life at the University of Virginia, studying music and history. While her Croatian immigrant parents joke that they hoped she would have gone into medicine, it was just another realization that within every joke is a hint of truth. Mamma, there’s still time! Just hope your daughter doesn’t get a chair turn. For her performance, Simone sings “Favorite Crime” by Olivia Rodrigo. She is an exact vocal replica. To be fair, Kelsea might have slammed her button immediately, hoping it was actually the pop star trolling them. Simone does have some technical training that she pulls out at the end. With artists like Olivia Rodrigo at the forefront of popular music today, it makes sense to want to be part of the team that develops an impressionable voice. As Kelsea thinks she’s hers, Michael Bublé turns at the last second, just to reignite that Ballerini-Bublé battle. In the end, the young singer takes a chance on Kelsea, joining Team Ballerini.

Holy Toledo, it’s the pride of Toledo, Ohio, Alanna Lynise. She is the sixth of nine children. Sounds like a party! She says that life was a fairy tale, until her family lost her house at the age of seven. She didn’t realize she was homeless, believing it to be an endless sleepover. Having a life of hardship, she shares that music has kept the family together. With a story of hope, this opportunity could be monumental for her family. Singing “Jealous” by Julia Michaels, she completely reinvents it, placing her unique tone to the track. This easily would have been a four-chair turn had John Legend not already filled up his slots. The coaches are on their feet for this performance. They all go quite hard for Alanna knowing that she is a true contender for the crown. Shots are certainly fired. For Alanna to get to the top, she takes a chance and joins Team Kelsea. It’s an utterly fascinating choice, but it’s one that could work to her advantage. With her roster having a bunch of similar singers, Alanna could jump out ahead of the Ballerini Bunch.

Michael Bublé Shows His Cards on ‘The Voice’

Now, to the man with two first names, Adam David. Hailing from Fort Lauderdale, he has been singing and playing guitar since he was eight. As a gigging musician, he plays all over the place. He reveals that he was an addict, but music played a role in his getting clean. He reveals that he goes back there every week to play there and help others find hope. Music is just as much a part of him as addiction and recovery. Hoping to inspire, Adam takes on “Baby, I Love Your Way” by Peter Frampton. It’s a solid and safe song. There is experience behind his performance, it just takes some time to take off, hence why Michael Bublé gets him on a single chair turn. Would he have received more turns at the start of the Blind Audition process? Likely. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

At only 18, Naomi Soleil is wise beyond her years. Mentioning her “unique tambor” in her video package prior to audition sets the tone of the artist she is. Originally from Maplewood, New Jersey, Naomi decides to sing “Stars” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. It’s a very ambitious performance, but at this point in the Blind Auditions, was it enough? There is a lot of room for her to grow, but in a game of fear and not knowing what will come next, Michael Bublé and Adam Levine opt to give Naomi a shot. While she does have options, she joins Michael Bublé and completes his roster. Why, especially as he admits he has no idea what genre the song was? I hate to say this, but Naomi is a toss out for the next round.

Adam Levine, at Long Last, Gets a Country Singer

Coming straight from Atlanta, Georgia is Tori Templet. She says that falling in love with music at a very young age, she grew up with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato. Methinks she had the Disney Channel on repeat! She says that music has always been a hobby, having a nine to five job, but hopes that The Voice could pull the hobby into a career. She is the epitome of Gen Z as she has built up her passion through a strong social media following. It helped her earn recognition to be added to coffee shop playlists globally. For her Blind Audition, she sings “Lover” by Taylor Swift. With her guitar, it’s very evident in which direction she wants to see her career go. Her tone has a bit of a ping that the original lacks. It’s poppier. In a time when Taylor Swift has dominated the globe, everyone wants to find the next iteration. Michael Bublé and Adam Levine battle it out, but Adam Levine and his guitar connection make the most sense for her future. This is a pairing that could lead to victory.

Throughout Adam Levine’s tenure on The Voice, sitting next to Blake Shelton, he was always “woe is me” in regard to not netting the perfect country singer. And wouldn’t you like to know that for the final Blind Audition of Season 27, not only will Adam Levine get his chance at a country singer, but he’ll get it without competition from anyone. Not even this season’s resident country star. 17-year-old Trevor Dawson grew up in a camper due to his father’s job. He shared a room with his sister. The senior in high school has never been to California, but there is a first time for everything! At first glance, one might think that his love for “red dirt outlaw country” might be a gimmick. Well, it sort of is. His performance of Bailey Zimmerman‘s “Religiously” is a tad hokey and amateur. Trevor may not have been selected earlier, but because Adam desperately needs his storyline to be fulfilled, Trevor rounds out his team.

‘The Voice’ Showcases the Flaws of the Blind Auditions

With a last name like Casanova, are we prepared for more of that “baby-making” music Michael Bublé has discussed all season long on the family show? William Casanova is based in Washington, D.C. where he hustles to take it in music in the Nation’s capital. He has experience as a street performer which has helped him hone his skills. He sings “Do 4 Love (What You Won’t Do For Love)” made famous by Bobby Caldwell. Yes, this rendition would likely appear on certain bedroom playlists. It’s a solid performance, but the struggle of having nearly-complete rosters ends up being a downfall for him. Even though the coaches try to claim it was “ambitious,” on top of their own critiques, their lack of turn was a result of how The Voice is set up. Two episodes earlier, William Casanova would be on a team, and he would be hearing the Canadian Crooner discuss baby-making music. It’s a shame how this plays out.

Cornelius Versa. Listen, what a character. He arrives to The Voice in a sharp-shooting orange suit and sits in the green room singing “I Wanna Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” by Patsy Montana. As someone who wrote a musical inspired by that generation of country music, it is a way directly to my heart. But everything that Cornelius was presenting, it was evident this was a novelty audition. Oh, and knowing that there was certainly enough time for another singer to audition, The Voice needed to build up the mystery of who would be Adam’s final singer. There is nothing not to love about Cornelius. His story of having muscular dystrophy is heart-wrenching. He’s madly in love with his husband. He’s bold. He’s vibrant. And he’s a risk taker. Singing “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley was maddening. Knowing he has the ability to yodel, and wasting it on a track like this is disappointing. There’s a bit of lounge-singer vibe to his performance. It’s not his fault. It’s the song.

Now, looking at the final rosters of the Top 48, the teams break down quite interestingly. There are some strong artists to each coach can utilize as their “all-in” tribute, but who is the singer that will take them to the end? Kelsea Ballerini has a very female-filled roster. Adam Levine has some dark horses on his team. John Legend has a team dominated by soul. Michael Bublé has the most diverse lineup. If history were to repeat itself, it would make sense. Michael Bublé will have some tough choices, but his singers won’t cannibalize one another to fill up the singular spots for each genre. It’s hard to say who will walk away with the crown this season, but nevertheless, the Battles will be exciting!

The Voice airs Mondays on NBC at 8:00pm. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock