Despite years of experience coaching on The Voice, Adam Levine wasn’t prepared for this talented battle round.
During the Monday, March 24, episode of NBC’s singing competition series, viewers watched Conor James and Tinika Wyatt get paired up to perform a unique rendition of “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees.
“Tinika is sneaky amazing. She’s so good,” Adam, 46, shared in a confessional interview before his two contestants took to the stage. “Conor’s sheer ability — the range, the tone, there’s a million things I could say — I wish I could keep everybody, but unfortunately I can’t. I think this will be a tough one.”
The Maroon 5 frontman was quickly reminded that coaching contestants on The Voice isn’t for the weak.
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After Conor and Tinika sang their hearts out, fellow coach Kelsea Ballerini called it her “favorite battle” of the season. Michael Bublé said he couldn’t choose a winner because he loved them both so much.
And while John Legend gave a slight edge to Conor, he admitted, “It’s going to be hard to say” a favorite.
When host Carson Daly made the announcement that it was time for Adam to pick his winner, the “Moves Like Jagger” singer expressed just how difficult the decision was.
“Both of you guys, it’s just energy I want to be around,” he said. “Having to make this choice sucks particularly badly because I don’t want to be without either one of you guys.”
“Tinika came in here and made my life hell because it would be a loss not to have you,” he continued. “It would be a horrible spot. From the bottom of my heart, you guys are both incredible.”
After careful thought and consideration, Adam picked Conor as the winner of the battle and reiterated his belief that the contestant could win the whole show.
“I had to pick Conor just because Conor has a unicorn quality to him,” Adam explained in a confessional. “The dude can sing anything and make it feel like it means something special.”
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In an unexpected twist, Kelsea, 31, chose to steal Tinika in the final moments of the episode. As a result, Adam’s former contestant was not eliminated from the competition after all.
“With my steal, I just wanted to feel something,” the country singer said. “Hearing her voice, I just knew. Tinika adds a level of soul to Team Kelsea that I’m very excited about.”
The Voice airs on NBC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.
