For the 10th anniversary, Parade.com went on a walk down memory lane with executive producer Audrey Morrissey and host/producer Carson Daly to get their thoughts as to some of the most memorable Blind auditions. Here are their picks:
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Javier Colón (season one) got a four-chair turn on day one of season one of The Voice with his rendition of the Cyndi Lauper classic “Time After Time.” He opted to join Team Adam and went on to win. “We cut the promo for that, and when it aired on NBC, I think that was the real beginning of us all feeling like, ‘Oh, my God! This could be a really big hit show,’” Daly recalls. “Javier’s performance of that song, I think that’s when people really perked up.” The Morgan Twins (season four)—Cara and Rhian—were the first-ever duo to audition for The Voice. They received a four-chair turn for their harmonizing on “Fallin’” and opted to join Team Blake. They were later eliminated in the Battle Rounds, but they left quite an impression, says Morrissey. “They were blond identical twins, and it was shocking when you turned around. You were just like, ‘What is that? No wonder their blend was so great.’ You thought you were seeing double, so that was really a fun moment.” Josh Kaufman (season six) sang George Michael’s “One More Try” in the Blinds, which earned him a four-chair turn. He opted for Team Adam, but he didn’t stay there long. He lost his Battle Round, but was stolen by Usher, and Levine is probably kicking himself still, because Kaufman became the first stolen artist to win the entire season. Sawyer Fredericks (season eight) was only 16 when he sang Dick Burnett’s “I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow” for his Blind Audition, landing him a place on Pharrell Williams’ team, which led to him winning the entire season. “It was this really deep, soulful, swampy almost spiritual song,” says Morrissey. “It was so earthy. You could have sworn it was a 35-year-old person. There’s no way you thought it was a 16-year-old.” Jordan Smith (season nine) fooled everyone. His performance of Sia’s “Chandelier” was the first time that all the coaches felt certain that it was a woman singing when it was actually a man. “We have an inside joke at the show, when anybody starts out singing Sia, we all are like, ‘No, don’t do it, that’s just too hard,’” says Daly. “‘Chandelier’ is one of Sia’s most difficult vocals. But, of course, he crushed it and went on to win. That was a Blind Audition I’ll always remember.” Chris Blue (season 12) sang “The Tracks of My Tears” by the Miracles when Alicia Keys had one final spot on her team. Not only did Blue win the final spot of the season, he also went on to win the competition. “Alicia was waiting and waiting and waiting, believe me,” Morrissey says. “We were all there for extra hours while she just kept listening to people and listening to people, and wouldn’t turn and wouldn’t turn. At some point you’re wondering, Well, how long is this going to go on? And then she got Chris, and he ended up winning, which is just such a crazy story.” Katie Kadan (season 17) opened The Voice season 17 with a showstopping performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Baby I Love You” and earned a position on John Legend’s team. Kadan went on to finish third, leaving quite an impression along the way. “I’m sure when the coaches were sitting back there, they might have had a thought of what this person looked like, and I’m sure it didn’t match up with Katie, who’s just a great personality and has such original style,” says Daly. “Sometimes it’s not just about gender, it’s about the antithesis of genre or style of song that they chose to sing.” John Holiday (season 19) sang Ella Fitzgerald’s classic “Misty” for his Blind Audition, inspiring John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and finally Gwen Stefani to turn. When Stefani turned, the first words out of her mouth were, “Oh, my God!” The artist with the beautiful, high voice was a man, not the woman they all expected to see. The Voice airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC Next, Take a Look Back at Blake Shelton’s Funniest Moments on The Voice
