Gwen Stefani tells Niall Horan, 'I actually feel sick for you right now,' as cutthroat 'The Voice' Playoffs begin

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Niall Horan agonizes over his "horrendous decisions" as he cuts him team from six to three. (NBC)

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The Voice Season 24 Playoffs kicked off Tuesday with Niall Horan’s six contestants, and as Niall mentally and emotionally prepared to make some “horrendous decisions” and slash his team down to just three singer who’d advance to the live semifinals, he admitted he was “scared.” Gwen Stefani, who’ll have to make her own tough decisions when the Playoffs continue apace next week, even told Niall, “I actually feel sick for you right now!”

Personally, I was feeling sick the end of the night, when Niall eliminated one of my favorite contestants of the season, or any season: throwback songbird Alexa Wildish.

 

Early favorite Alexa Wildish is shockingly eliminated from 'The Voice' Season 24. (NBC)

To be fair, Niall was doomed to make a “wrong” decision no matter who he sent home, because his team was so stacked with talent. And I agreed with his other two “no-brainer” choices. I was surprised, however, that Niall used his Super-Save — a new twist that allows each of the coaches to bring back a previously eliminated contestant, from any team — on 13-year-old Julia Roome, as I’d assumed he’d bring back Julia and Alexa’s standout Knockout Rounds partner, Lennon VanderDoes, instead. I still suspect, judging by John Legend’s teary reaction to Lennon’s performance last week, that John might be the coach who gives Lennon a reprieve. But for now, it’s difficult to grasp that all three singers from a Knockout that the entire panel deemed one of the very best in Voice history have already been knocked out of the running.

Nini Iris, “River”

Niall was certain that his team’s “readymade pop star” could handle this big Bishop Briggs song, and Nini was up for the challenge, eager to deliver the “best performance of my entire life.” She served drama in her brash show-opening number, decked out in balletcore/Madonna-at-the-1984-VMAs couture and holding nothing back, but I agreed with Reba McEntire that she “took it just a little too far.” It was all a bit try-hard, the very opposite of effortless. (Is “effortful” a word? Because that’s what this was.) Gwen, however, thought Nina was “tasteful” and didn’t overdo it, instead “building it to the right moment.” Niall was impressed, asserting that the music industry needs more “big belters” like Nini.

Claudia B., “Talking to the Moon”

John said he preferred Claudia’s jazzy Norah Jones cover from last week, but I still thought there was real magic here, as Claudia dedicated this aching Bruno Mars ballad to her much-missed fiancé back home. She even had real tears in her eyes, glistening like moonbeams. Reba was “totally captivated” and Niall had “goosebumps” that only made his decision “even harder,” but I suspected this would not be enough for Claudia to secure a spot in Team Niall’s top three.

Huntley, “Daylight”

The coaches, not the contestants, are picking the songs for the Playoffs, and perhaps on paper Niall’s pick for husky Southern rocker Huntley — singer-songwriter David Kushner’s TikTok-popularized smash — didn’t seem like a good fit. Niall himself admitted that the song choice could turn out to be a “spanner in the works” for Huntley. But this spanner simply worked. Huntley, sporting some smoky emo eyeliner and looking like a total rock star, was giving Creed/Hinder vibes that Middle America will surely love, but there was also nuance here, a perfect mix of softness and edge. Gwen called the performance a “masterful” and raved, “I can’t believe you don’t already have a whole album!” John said this was “well beyond a competition” and told Huntley, “You belong as one of the Grammy-winning artists that are singing on our finale.” I have feeling we will be seeing Huntley on the Season 24 finale — quite possibly in the winner’s circle.

Julia Roome, “True Colors”

Julia was Niall’s surprising Super-Save, because he “just couldn’t lose a voice that good that early.” And Julia was the most surprised of all, half-joking that when she got the FaceTime call from Niall inviting her back to the show, she thought it was AI. I don’t know if Julia was the wisest use of Niall’s Super-Save — at age 13, she needs more time develop, plus she’ll have plenty other chances in life, unlike some of the older contestants. And I do think her breath control on this emotional Cyndi Lauper anthem wasn’t great; she sounded gaspy from the start. But she did have some exquisite moments, even some moments when the gasping made it sound like she was on the verge of tears, for (perhaps unintentional) dramatic effect. The Super-Save was a great opportunity for Julia to get more screentime and experience, but when Gwen said she was “excited to see what’s going to happen” next for Julia, that sounded like another goodbye.

Mara Justine, “You’ve Got the Love”

This “one-in-a-million” rock diva hit the stage with hair-flying Alanis energy and, as John put it, “tapped into that falsetto” on this Florence and the Machine barnstormer in a way that was “a real revelation.” This fierce lady was a machine, already so far beyond most of her competitors. Reba described Mara’s performance as an “emotional rollercoaster of excitement,” and style-setter Gwen gushed, “What I love most about you is you’re so you.”

Alexa Wildish, “Fields of Gold”

This was, as I’ve already spoiled above, the shock elimination of the evening. Niall had just praised Alexa the empath for being “able to sell a song unlike anyone I’ve ever seen,” and he assigned her a Sting song that she’d performed at her grandmother’s memorial, which I’m sure was no coincidence. Alexa’s “Fields of Gold” was pure mellow gold, wowing all of the coaches. John told her, “No one else is like you in this competition,” and Niall said, “You bleed emotion and authenticity.” However, when Niall told Alexa, “It has been so good to watch you amongst all the big belters” and “You are ridiculously talented — and the world will see it at some point,” that did seem like a sadly foreshadowing kiss-off.

So, my three picks would have Mara, Huntley, and Alexa… and well, two out of three ain’t bad. Mara and Huntley sailed through, but then Niall unexpectedly chose Nini — ignoring Reba’s criticism of the Georgian singer’s showboating and claiming Nini is “the most ready” for the Lives.

 

Team Niall's Nini Iris, Mara Justine, Claudia B., Julia Roome, Huntley, and Alexa Wildish compete for three spots in 'The Voice' Season 24 live semifinals. (NBC)

Tune in next Monday for more horrendous decisions, as the contestants from Teams Legend, Gwen, and Reba — including three additional to-be-announced Super-Saves — compete for the nine remaining spots in the Season 24 semifinals.