The competition heats up on The Voice season 7 as we bid farewell to three artists tonight. This means instead of the usual bottom three, the bottom half will have to perform for the Instant Save. So who will be in the Top 5? It’s getting more and more difficult  to guess who’s in and who’s out since the results have been pretty unpredictable week after week so I won’t be surprised anymore if my predictions don’t come true, and neither should you. Here’s my forecast:

[Videos] The Voice Recap: The Top 8 Perform>>>


Who’s Safe 

Matt McAndrew took a huge risk by performing a Damien Rice song, which is very difficult to deliver and live up to. Though he didn’t do a lot to veer away from the original, he gave an impressive and  heart-wrenching rendition which easily earned him the number one spot on Monday night’s live show in my book. 

Damien, as usual, puts a lot of intensity in his performance. He usually sings slow and emotional songs which can be a little boring sometimes but you can’t deny he’s got chops. 

Chris Jamison‘s performance was not perfect but I think his performance on The Voice this week was his best thus far. Plus, the ladies love him!

Craig Wayne Boyd didn’t really stand out this week but he also didn’t really do anything that would land him at the bottom. His confidence and commanding presence is mirrored by his enjoyment on stage which is pretty fun to watch.  And considering how strong and loyal the Country vote is, I don’t see any reason why he should go home this week.

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Who’s in Jeopardy?

I’m a little on the fence about Taylor John Williams. While he did a unique folksy spin on “Royals,” it still wasn’t that compelling. It also might not be outstanding enough to beat his competitors.  

As for Danica Shirey, she’s a stunning singer no doubt but she might just lack commercial viability. I also blame the song choice.  

Ryan Sill, on the other hand, fell flat in his performance this week. It felt like he was trying to hard and somehow it just didn’t measure up to the others.

Something was missing in Luke Wade‘s performance this week which is probably why he didn’t get all praises from the coaches.  He’s usually so connected with the music so it’s hard not to compare this week’s gig to his previous engaging performances.

Who will Twitter Save? 

The “Instant Save” is back which means viewers are given a five-minute window to vote for the contestant in danger of elimination via Twitter. I think Ryan, DaNica and Luke will go home and I think that Taylor will get the save. Among my three picks, I’m a little uncertain about Ryan simply because he’s been a bottom-dweller for several weeks now and he still manages to keep his spot in the game. I’d really like to say that Taylor is the one getting the Save but I’ve underestimated Ryan before so I could be wrong again. While Ryan has about 44,00 Twitter followers, Taylor has about 39,000. 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

Dean Bextor

Staff Writer, BuddyTV