Adam Levine may have experienced one of the most painful missed opportunities of The Voice Season 30 when 24-year-old Iran-born singer Saade stepped onto the Blind Auditions stage — and Riley Green made sure his fellow coach knew it.
Saade performed RAYE’s “Oscar Winning Tears,” taking on a demanding song that gave her the opportunity to show both control and power. As the performance unfolded, the coaches began realizing they were listening to one of the night’s standout voices.
But there was one major problem for Levine: he never turned his chair.
That decision became much more painful once the performance ended and Saade revealed something Adam definitely wasn’t expecting to hear.
“I really, really wanted you,” she told him.
Levine immediately realized what he had missed, dramatically reacting as though the admission had hit him straight in the heart. Saade softened the blow by making it clear she still loved him, but Riley Green wasn’t about to let the moment disappear quietly.
Green looked at Levine and summed up his mistake with two brutal but playful words: “Dumb idiot.”
The room erupted as the friendly rivalry between the coaches continued. Green then turned his attention back to Saade and told her that hers was the most powerful vocal performance he had heard since joining The Voice.
Green even jokingly introduced himself to Saade, apparently wondering whether she would know who he was. Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah also made their cases, leaving Saade with several very different coaching possibilities.
The teasing of Levine wasn’t finished either. Green joked that Adam had been “sleeping” during the performance, while Clarkson reminded Saade that Adam was the coach who had failed to turn for her.
Then Saade revealed a personal connection that suddenly gave Clarkson a major advantage. She explained that while growing up in Iran, Kelly Clarkson had been an important musical presence in her life.
That connection ultimately decided the battle. Saade chose Kelly Clarkson, giving Team Kelly another powerful vocalist — while Levine was left knowing that the singer who had entered the audition hoping for him had instead joined one of his biggest rivals.
For Riley, however, the outcome provided one more opportunity to tease Adam. Two words were all he needed to turn Levine’s missed chair turn into one of the funniest coach moments of the night.
