Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani in tears over early 'The Voice' favorite's shock elimination
No one expected Dylan Carter to leave so soon, but he seemed to get what he needed out of this experience, which was closure after his mom's death.
The Voice Season 24’s Battle Rounds continued Tuesday, and as the episode opened with Reba McEntire’s country contestants Dylan Carter and Tom Nitti, the odds seemed stacked in Dylan’s favor — and not just because Dylan turned four chairs with his standout audition, compared to Tom’s one. Dylan and Reba had seemed to share a special connection since the Blinds.
Reba and Dylan first bonded when the 20-year-old tried out with an ambitious Whitney Houston ballad, “I Look to You,” that would have been difficult to sing even under normal circumstances. In this case, it was the song that Dylan had attempted to perform at his mom’s funeral last year until he became too overwhelmed and broke down. When Dylan successfully made it through the entire song on The Voice, and Reba, who lost her mother in 2020, learned of his backstory, she started to sob. After that powerful moment, there was no way Dylan could choose any coach other than Reba.
This week, for their Battles duet, Reba assigned Dylan and Tom “‘Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson. The song, about appreciating loved ones before it’s too late, seemed selected especially for Dylan, whose beloved mother died suddenly from a heart blockage at age 47 before he had a chance to tell her goodbye. This week during rehearsals, Dylan admitted that he’d taken his mom for granted, never expecting to lose her so young; it was clear that Johnson’s message resonated with him deeply.
Onstage, even though Tom possessed the technically superior voice, with a pleasing amount of gravel and grit, John Legend noted that Tom had a tendency to hide behind his guitar, while Dylan cut right through to the tender heart of the ballad and was “spiritually in tune” with Johnson’s lyrics. Niall Horan observed this as well, telling Dylan, “I could tell that song meant a lot to you. I could see it all over your face. But you persevered.”
That was why it was so surprising when Reba chose Tom, explaining that the one-chair underdog had “continued to impress” her. Gwen Stefani seemed especially shocked by Reba’s decision, gasping, “Wow!” and wishing out loud that she still had a Steal left in play so she could bring Dylan over to Team Gwen. I suspect that if Saves were in play at all this season, Reba would have kept both singers, since she actually said Dylan and Tom could be the “next Brooks & Dunn” and told Dylan, “We’re gonna do something. It’s not over.”
But Dylan, who once confessed that going on The Voice was his mother’s dream “before it was mine,” seemed to get what he wanted out of his brief Voice experience, which was closure. “When you all four turned around for me, I gained so much confidence that I needed, and I felt my mom for the first time in a long time,” he proclaimed through fresh tears Tuesday. “I’m going to keep chasing my dreams — keep chasing her dreams. Thank you so much.”
Dylan’s exit was Tuesday’s most bittersweet and emotional goodbye, but two other singers also went home by the hour’s end. Here how the night’s other Battles went:
TEAM NIALL: Olivia Minogue vs. Laura Williams, “The Ghost of You (It Keeps Me Awake)”
This was a shrill mess, with the ladies’ vocals clashing as they vainly shouted over each other to be heard. They didn’t vibe as duet partners at all. So, I was relieved that this performance was montaged and I only had to listen to about 18 seconds of it. Niall let Laura go, but I have a feeling this Battle’s “winner” will soon follow her out the door. Olivia Minogue may have the marquee-worthy name of a pop diva, but she’s no Rodrigo and she’s no Kylie, so it’s unlikely that she’ll survive the three-way Knockout Rounds — no matter how loudly she sings (or shouts).
WINNER: Olivia Minogue
TEAM GWEN: Eli Ward vs. Jason Arcilla, “Make It With You”
Gwen loves her some Bread, so she gave this mellow-gold makeout classic, one of her all-time favorite tunes, to her two “chill” singer-songwriters. She was worried that easy-breezy Hawaiian crooner Jason might be too chill, actually, but Eli ran the risk of not being chill enough. (The young, green singer totally lost his composure when Gwen turned for him in the Blind Auditions, and it was awkward.) Eli was much improved this week, his nerves in check, and he held his own against the always unflappable Jason. But Eli still gave off more of a cheesy boy-band vibe, while Jason got into the proper ‘70s lite-soul groove with his sexy, breathy vibrato. Gwen was impressed by Eli’s quick growth, but was still concerned about his consistency, so she eventually, understandably went with the contestant who was “more ready — right, right now.”
WINNER: Jason Arcilla
TEAM LEGEND: Mara Justine vs. Claudia B., “Son of Preacher Man”
Gritty, growly throwback diva Mara was serving Joss Stone realness on this Dusty Springfield classic. So much sass, so much camera eye-sexing, so much smizing, so much hairography! She was living, and I was living for it. And in her Suzi Quatro onesie, she was such a rock star that I almost didn't notice that the pristine and pageant-y Claudia was also on the stage. Claudia sang very well — John stressed that she “did nothing wrong” — but Mara slayed. “The moment Mara walked onstage, there was a star quality in her walk. … She just had this other thing,” marveled Gwen. John went with the “edgy” Mara, whose “rock energy” set her apart, but then Niall swooped in for the Steal. Perhaps a bell-clear-toned pop girl like Claudia will be better off with the former One Direction teen idol as her coach, and will have more of a chance to shine if she doesn't have to fight for spotlight against someone as charismatic as Mara.
WINNER: Mara Justine / STOLEN: Claudia B. moves to Team Niall
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