The Voice Playoffs began Tuesday night (November 21), and Niall Horan was forced to make a decision that affected the structure of his team. He pared his team down from six to three in a choice that left fans devastated and Gwen Stefani feeling “actually sick.”
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Throughout the night, Horan prepared himself to make “horrendous decisions,” made difficult by the fact that his team was so stacked with talent. He admitted to Stefani that he was “scared,” to which she replied, “I actually feel sick for you right now.”
Horan chose to send Alexa Wildish home, who stunned during the Knockouts with her acoustic performance of Cher’s “Believe.” This time, she sang Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” and Horan had praised her for being “able to sell a song unlike anyone I’ve ever seen.” He then chose to eliminate her, which shocked everyone. The fans were irate and took to social media to air their grievances.
“If Alexa needed to belt it out, why choose ‘Fields of Gold’ which she beautifully interpreted and flawlessly delivered,” one fan wrote on X. “[S]he makes every part of the song so interesting – America loves her – Niall, you deprived us!”
[RELATED: ‘The Voice’: Team Gwen’s Road to the Playoffs]
Another wrote, “Niall my dude! Why did you not pick Alexa? She absolutely needs a record deal. I like your team brother, I just hope you know what you’re doing!”
Yet another fan pleaded, “Niall, you truly screwed up last night. While Nini and Huntley were good, they weren’t at their best. Julia and Claudia were your best performances last night and both surpass all the other contestants on the other teams, Mara was a close third. Why did you do it?”
Horan kept Mara Justine, Nini Iris, and Huntley, then used the new Super-Saves to bring back Julia Roome. He bypassed Reba McEntire’s criticism of Iris for her showboating where she claimed Iris “took it just a little too far.” But, Horan was sure of Iris and her abilities, claiming she’s a “readymade pop star” and keeping her on for the live performances.
As for Huntley, John Legend and Stefani had high praise for him, with Legend saying, “You belong as one of the Grammy-winning artists that are singing on our finale,” and Stefani exclaiming disbelief that he doesn’t already have a whole album. Horan saved Huntley for the finale, where he’s definitely a contender for the win. Mara Justine brought her individuality to the Playoffs, with Stefani gushing, “What I love most about you is you’re so you.”
Horan had tough decisions to make overall, which is going to happen when your team is so talented. While America mourns for the loss of Alexa Wildish from Team Niall, there’s some hope that we may see her again if she decides to work on music beyond The Voice.
(Featured Image by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
