The Voice Season 30 continued its Blind Auditions on September 28 with another packed episode, as Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah and Riley Green battled over a new group of singers hoping to secure a place in the competition.
Episode 4 arrived with the teams beginning to fill up, making every chair turn more important. Several contestants managed to attract multiple coaches, while others found themselves caught in increasingly competitive battles between the four stars.
One of the biggest developments of the night belonged to Riley Green. The first-time coach had been holding onto the season’s new First-In advantage, waiting for a singer he believed was worth using it on.
That singer turned out to be 15-year-old Allie Rae.
Allie stepped onto the stage and performed Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet,” delivering a confident country-rock performance that quickly caught Riley’s attention.
Riley turned first, but Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah also wanted Allie. What initially appeared ready to become a three-coach fight suddenly changed when Riley decided the moment was too important to risk.
He activated his First-In button, immediately securing Allie for Team Riley because he had been the first coach to turn for her.
The move meant Kelly and Queen never even received the opportunity to persuade Allie to choose them. Riley had waited several episodes to use the season’s new advantage, and when he finally did, he made sure another coach couldn’t steal one of his favorite young country singers.
The episode wasn’t only about Riley’s strategy. Several other performers delivered auditions strong enough to create major coach battles, continuing a Season 30 trend of artists forcing three and even all four chairs to turn.
With Adam and Kelly bringing years of experience on The Voice, Queen and Riley have had to find their own ways of competing against two coaches who already know exactly how unpredictable the Blind Auditions can become.
That has produced some of the season’s funniest moments as well. Coaches have interrupted one another’s pitches, tried to prevent contestants from looking at their competition and used every possible personal connection to convince singers that their team is the right destination.
Episode 4 also showed just how valuable the First-In button can become. Unlike a normal multi-chair audition where the singer gets the final decision, the new twist can immediately end the battle when the first coach who turned chooses to activate it.
That makes timing increasingly important. A coach may love a performance enough to turn early, but they must also decide whether that contestant is special enough to spend their one major strategic advantage.
For Riley, Allie Rae was apparently that singer. His decision prevented a potentially difficult fight against Kelly and Queen and gave Team Riley another country performer as the Blind Auditions moved closer to completion.
Team Queen Latifah
BigCountry
Marcus Ladden Jr.
Mia Knight (First-In button)
Alt Bloom
Morgan Lett
Bryan James
Sophia Liano
Chari
Team Riley Green
Joe Henley
Ferryn & Brinkley
Caroline Alexis
Harmony McKee
Kenna Elpers
Cade Mower
Allie Rae (First-In button)
Everett Bounds
Team Kelly Clarkson
Hazel Gerson
Brianna Cameron
Koumba Diallo
Johnnie Kapua (First-In button)
Kyle Davis
Brooklyn Marie
Saade
Anna McElroy
Team Adam Levine
Destinee Monroe
Owen Uffens
Lexi Stephens
Amanda Mikkel (First-In button)
Connor Closs
Julia Clark
Cal Cook
The Voice, Season 30, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC
With six Blind Audition episodes scheduled this season and the teams rapidly taking shape, the competition between the coaches is only getting tighter. Episode 4 proved that a great performance can still turn several chairs — but this season, turning a chair first might be just as important as the pitch that comes afterward.
