‘The Voice’ Recap: Riley Green Stays Loyal to His First-In Pick in Battle Rounds

Another night of Battle Rounds concluded on Monday, October 19, on The Voice. Coaches Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah, and Riley Green continued to make eliminations from their teams heading into Cut Week.

In the Battle Rounds, the coaches paired up their 12 artists to sing duets. Then, it was up to each coach to determine which of their artists would move on and who would be eliminated. Levine and Latifah were the only two with Steals left to use on one artist from another team.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to see where the teams stand at the end of Night 3 of the Battles.

Bryan Jaymes vs. Brandon Diaz (Team Queen)

Latifah’s first pairing of the night was Bryan Jaymes (three-chair turn) and Brandon Diaz (two-chair turn), who sang a rendition of Stevie Wonder‘s “As.”

“That was awesome. It was like a heavyweight boxing match back and forth,” Green said. “Brandon, you got a cut-through tone that really stands out, and Bryan, you got a warm, soothing tone, so y’all are really different, but you sounded cool together.”

Levine added, “Brandon, your comprehension of the song and your tone and how it matches the song benefited you the most. Bryan, you came in with those big high tones and got so much of the Stevie aspect of it. I just think it depends on the day.” While he said Brandon probably won the Battle, he noted that he’d probably “stick with Bryan” because he’d be interested to see what he could do going forward.

Finally, it came down to Latifah’s choice. “What you just did to that song is unbelievable. The harmonies? What was that?” she said. “This is a very, very difficult decision.” It was a big struggle for the new coach, but she picked Bryan as the winner because he “leveled up just a hair more.”

Lucky for Brandon, though, Levine jumped in with the Steal to keep him in the competition.

Allie Rae vs. Harmony McKee (Team Riley)

Green paired his First-In pick Allie Rae (three-chair turn) with Harmony McKee (two-chair turn) to sing “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers.

“Harmony, your voice fills the room. It’s such a beautiful resonance, such a beautiful gift you have,” Clarkson gushed. “Allie Rae, you are 15 years old. You have a really rad style. Don’t think I did not notice that walk. I loved that. I would maybe lean a little towards Allie Rae.”

Levine said the performance was “great,” adding, “Harmony, I turned for you, and Allie, I remember I was having some temporary brain meltdown, which is the only possible justification for why I didn’t turn around for you. It’s tough. You guys are so different.” He ultimately decided he would’ve picked Allie as the winner.

Green told his artists, “I’m not surprised in the slightest. Y’all were amazing in rehearsals, and this was one where I’ve been looking forward to quite a bit and also dreading because you’re both so talented. Allie Rae, you’re such a talent for any age, but I think there’s something so interesting about your voice and how you hit certain notes and how you pocket things. Harmony, one of the most talented vocalists on the show. You completely filled the room with everything you did. I also want to say thank you, because even though you’re not much older than Allie Rae, I felt a big sister vibe in rehearsals.”

The country singer said the Battle was “neck-and-neck,” but he had to pick one winner, and it was Allie Rae, staying loyal to his First-In pick.

Owen Uffens vs. Wade Turner (Team Adam)

Two of Levine’s teen singers, Owen Uffens (two-chair turn) and Wade Turner (two-chair turn) were up next. They sang a duet of “Dive” by Ed Sheeran for the Battle, and Levine noted that the winner would be the one who “did the best homework” before the performance.

“You individually have such different voices,” Latifah noted. “Owen, you run through so many different places. When you go up into that falsetto it’s really, really pretty, but you come out of it and go to so many different places. I heard your nervousness, but you did a great job, so you should be very proud of yourself. Wade, you had some notes to hang onto and when you went there, I just got to sit back and listen.”

Green said he’d “lean towards” Wade, but praised Owen for taking some risks when he was singing the song. Clarkson, on the other hand, leaned towards Owen because she liked the, possibly unintentional, moments where his voice broke.

“Wade, you’re a little more, for lack of a better word, trained. You have a little more technical prowess,” Levine confirmed. He also acknowledged that Owen forgot some of the words during the performance. He said his decision was coming down to whether he wanted to go with someone who needs to get past their nerves (Owen) or someone who needs to loosen up a bit (Wade). Following his heart, Levine “took a risk” and went with Owen.

“He has an intangible, awesome quality to his voice and I just want to see more,” Levine explained.

Matthew Chiu vs. Kyle Davis (Team Kelly)

Clarkson’s team members Matthew Chiu (one-chair turn) and Kyle Davis (four-chair turn) took the stage next. Their coach tasked them with singing “Take Me Home” by Phil Collins, and she was looking for the guy who was more confident and comfortable on stage in this moment.

“Matthew, Kelly was your only chair, and that performance was so much more worthy of the other chairs. I am super proud of you,” Levine said. “Kyle, you’re one of my favorites, dude. Some people have certain qualities in their voice that express a certain kind of soulfulness … what you’re doing up there, I can feel it, and I can instantly be moved by it.” He picked Kyle as the winner, but called Matthew the “most improved player.”

Latifah praised Kyle’s “strong” and “powerful” notes, but also applauded Matthew for “doing the most” with his performance skills. She told Clarkson that Matthew was the winner for her.

“You have such beautiful gifts. Kyle, yours is timeless. Your voice is what I listen to when I want to listen to vinyl,” Clarkson told her artists. “You have that special sauce about your voice that screams home for me. And Matthew, why’d you gotta do that? You’re a beast. You did the runs, which was cool, teetering on maybe a little too much, but it was just so tastefully done.” Kyle was named the winner of the Battle.

Amanda Mikkel vs. Julia Clark (Team Adam)

Levine paired his First-In pick Amanda Mikkel (four-chair turn) with Julia Clark (two-chair turn). They performed Elvis Presley‘s “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You.”

Latifah and Green both noted that Amanda sang difficult songs for both her Blind Audition and in the Battle. Green said he would probably pick Julia, though, because “something drew [him] in” to her voice.

“Julia, you do have this presence with your voice,” Clarkson said, calling both women “rad vocalists.” She admitted that Amanda will probably “fare a little better in the competition setting.”

Levine told his artists that they performed better individually than as a pair, and admitted that he noticed their nerves. He picked Amanda as the winner because she’s impressed him more throughout the competition so far, but he noted that she has work to do during Cut Week.

Brianna Cameron vs. Saade (Team Kelly)

To close out the night, Clarkson’s singers Brianna Cameron (two-chair turn) and Saade (three-chair turn) sang “Mercy” by Duffy.

Levine called the performance “really fun,” and noted how crazy it is that Brianna is only 13 years old. He also told Saade she “recovered really, really nicely” when the performance got away from her at one point.

“The energy you brought into the room … Saade, you jumped all over the place and gave us energy, you gave us feeling,” Latifah said. “Brianna, I don’t even understand how you perform a song like this with that much depth. I love the ownership you took of the stage. You did that really beautifully.”

Finally, Clarkson had to make her choice. “Saade, all of us have those moments. That doesn’t define you as a singer. What defines you is … keeping going. And you did. You didn’t let that ruin the rest of the performance,” she said. “Brianna, my only comment to you is that your back was to us for part of the performance. … Your voice, it’s insane.” Brianna was chosen as the winner of the Battle.

Here’s where the teams stand after three nights of Battles. Each coach will have seven artists on their team when Cut Week begins.

Team Riley Green
Ferryn & Brinkley
Joe Henley
Everett Bounds
Kayleigh Matthews (Steal)
Keiyana Osmond
Allie Rae

Team Queen Latifah
Alt Bloom
Lillie Kolich
Bigcountry
Chari
Bryan Jaymes

Team Adam Levine
Connor Closs
Evan James
Brandon Diaz (Steal)
Owen Uffens

Team Kelly Clarkson
Koumba Diallo
Anna McElroy
Nina Howland
Marcus Ladden Jr. (Steal)
Kyle Davis
Brianna Cameron

The Voice, Season 30, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC