Tonight, the final four artists of season nine were revealed, and five contestants were sent home.

The results show kicked off with a performance from season three’s champion Cassadee Pope. Dolly Parton also dropped by The Voice this week to offer the artists advice and congratulate them on far they’ve gotten.

Carson Daly announced the first of the results. Adam Levine’s Jordan Smith was the first season nine artist through to the finals. Smith sang “Somebody to Love” by Queen last night and it was one of the best performances of the entire season. His spot in the finale has seemed guaranteed since the Blind Auditions when he blew everyone away with his performance of Sia’s “Chandelier.”

Blake Shelton’s Emily Ann Roberts, who stepped out of her comfort zone to sing “9 to 5” last night, was the next artist voted through to the finals. Roberts didn’t seem like a frontrunner early on the competition, but she has improved significantly with coaching, and clearly she has been connecting with voters, because she has never been in the bottom two.

After a performance from Parton, the results continued. Barrett Baber from Team Blake became the second member of Shelton’s team to advance to the finals. Baber has been on a hot streak for the past few weeks, and the coaches have all seemed certain he would make it to the end.

Next, Daly announced the three artists who would be singing for the last audience instant save of the season: Team Gwen’s Jeffery Austin, Team Blake’s Zach Seabaugh and Team Pharrell’s Madi Davis. Team Adam’s Amy Vachal, Team Gwen’s Braiden Sunshine, and Team Adam’s Shelby Brown were all eliminated. Vachal’s elimination was particularly surprising, as she has been one of the most consistently distinct artists in the competition with really interesting artistry.

Seabaugh sang first, choosing “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw. The vocals weren’t perfect, likely due to nerves, but Seabaugh is a strong performer, and country fans have connected with him.

Madi Davis, Pharrell’s last shot at making it to the finals, went next, singing “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” She also had a vocal run that wasn’t totally perfect, but overall, it was a really gorgeous performance. Davis is still figuring out who she is as an artist, but she’s very versatile.

Jeffery Austin sang “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran, and it was an incredible performance. “You’re so great; you’re so talented,” Stefani said, very pleased with the performance, which was sultry and vocally tight.

After the Twitter votes were calculated, Daly announced that Austin would be advancing to next week’s finals. Pharrell will not have an artist in the finale. What did you think of tonight’s results?

Original Article Source: The Hollywood Reporter