'The Voice' Season 18: Mandi Castillo steals the show and knocks out Thunderstorm Artis in tonight's battle
The Knockouts continue with Team Legend's Mandi Castillo and Thunderstorm Artis under the guidance of guest mentor James Taylor.
Mandi will be singing 'Stand By Me' by Ben E King while Thunderstorm will take on John Legend's 'Preach' in an acoustic version, which means the R&B and soul singers are going to go head-to-head with two amazing songs. And as James Taylor puts it — Team Legend is monstrous.
It'll be difficult to pick between these two artists and John is visibly nervous as he asks his fellow coaches to help him pick tonight because he really doesn't know who it's going to be.
"Hard decision, don't envy you on this one@johnlegend #VoiceKnockouts," tweets one fan, while another states, "You chose 2 good artists@johnlegend #VoiceKnockouts."
Mandi goes first, and her tone and runs are flawless as she emotionally sings the song she is dedicating to her friend dealing with cancer. "Whew Mandi is the bomb@johnlegend #VoiceKnockouts," tweets one fan.
Thunderstorm goes up next and manages to make John's song entirely his own while not oversinging it at any point. After his performance, it seems most fans are leaning towards him this round.
"#VoiceKnockouts #Theres just something special about @Thunder_artis," tweets one fan, and another shares, "Thunderstorm Artis has a voice that sets him apart from the original instantly. It’s like a new song. Open your eyes, dude. This has a lotta drive and heart. Pretty good. #TheVoice #VoiceKnockouts," but adding, "but I wanted more more more."
"Thunderstorm is a keeper," tweets another fan.
Some did, however, lean towards Mandi. One fan states, "Mandi did a awesome job, Thunderstorm was a wee bit nervy (sic)."
It's a pretty close competition. One viewer asks, "You have a tough decision John. Who will you pick?"
Among the coaches, Nick Jonas picks Thunderstorm while Kelly Clarkson feels like Mandi had more competitive drive. Blake Shelton also felt like Mandi showcased more of her singing tonight.
"You should steal Mandi!!!!!@kellyclarkson #VoiceKnockouts," tweets one fan. She won't get that chance though, as John picks Mandi tonight, stating that she continues to grow with each performance.
And just as Thunderstorm was saying his goodbyes on-stage, Nick steals him and keeps him in the competition.