Showing a little love to his fellow coach Adam Levine, Riley Green pitted his teammates against one another for a pretty epic “battle” of Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved.”
Last night (Oct. 13) marked the second round of Battles onThe Voice, and, if I’m being completely honest, this is usually the point in the season where I start to get a little bored. But this time around, the show still has me locked in.
Green kicked off the Battles on Monday night by pairing two of his standout vocalists for his Ella Langley duet, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” which not only made for a heated matchup but felt perfectly messy given all the drama brewing over the past week.
He followed that up by pairing 27-year-old Brendan Coulter and 32-year-old Keiyana Osmond for the early-2000s Maroon 5 staple “She Will Be Loved.” While the song immediately transported me to the middle of a Kohl’s in 2008, I’ve also got to hand it to both Brendan and Keiyana, who more than held their own on the hit right in front of Levine himself.
However, their performance certainly has the internet divided, especially now that Green’s ultimate pick for the Battle winner is being called into question. After tossing a few jokes Levine’s way about being ancient and supposedly writing the song with a quill pen, Green eventually got down to business and praised both singers. He called Brendan “flawless,” while telling Keiyana, “There’s something so interesting about you.”
Apparently, though, Keiyana’s uniqueness was enough to edge out Brendan’s undeniably polished vocals, making her the winner of the Battle. And now, fans can’t stop questioning whether Green made the wrong call.
While Brendan may no longer be in the running to win Season 30 of The Voice, he’s already built himself a pretty devoted fan base and, at the very least, would absolutely KILL it in a Maroon 5 cover band. Still, I have a feeling he’s got a successful career ahead of him without needing the help of a TV competition.
As for Green, he’s at least broadening his horizons and keeping his team diverse, with Keiyana’s R&B potential proving he’s capable of coaching more than just country singers. The third installment of Battles will return next Monday, October 19, on NBC as coaches Green, Levine, Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah continue to put their teams to the test.
Full performance: