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'The Voice' Season 20 Battle Rounds: Why Ryleigh Modig, Dana Monique and Gean Garcia are the ones to watch out for

Fans are shocked that Julian Awari wasn't saved or stolen by the judges, and some are hoping that the show brings the contestant back as a wild card

Fans of ‘The Voice’ were exposed to some serious talent during the very first Battle Round on ‘The Voice’. It seems that some strong contenders for the ultimate top spot are already emerging.

The very first battle was between Team Kelly's Ryleigh Modig and Gean Garcia. While this one was a close call with Gean’s ‘voice from another dimension’, the judges agreed that Ryleigh had a slight edge with her completely unique sound. Gean, however, found a new home on the show and was stolen by John Legend. Ryleigh and Gean may have been pitted against each other, but fans want to hear more of the two together, especially since they both have such unique sounds.

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One fan tweeted, "When Gean & Ryleigh sang ''Pov'' By @ArianaGrande Durig The battle rounds on #TheVoice Tonight Wow I thought they both did such A great & Amazing Job, He got A unique voice & She sings like A bird, I'm glad they both stay, They deserve It. So, Congratulations to them both!!!"

While Ryleigh and Gean were almost perfectly matched in terms of talent, it was clear that Devan Blake Jones of Team Nick found himself out of his depth, when taking on powerhouse Dana Monique.

Devan summed it up pretty well when he shared that when his mother asked him who he was up against in the battle round, he said ‘Aretha Franklin’. Meanwhile, Dana was confident and seemed completely at ease on stage. It was clear that the round belonged to her. Coach Nick knew he had set quite a task for Devan and saved the contestant, leading to an extremely grateful Devan breaking down in tears.

Fans were relieved that Nick didn't let Devan go. One fan tweeted, "Devan reminded my ears of @montelljordan on that performance! As intimidating as it was to sing against “Aretha” he stepped up to the plate and brought."

The other artist who impressed judges was Pia Renee, whose performance was called explosive by both Nick and Blake. Clearly being tentative at rehearsals didn’t hold her back when it counted. One fan tweeted, "When Christine & Pia sang Baby By @4everBrandy During The battle rounds on #TheVoice Tonight Wow I thought they both did such A great & Amazing Job But I felt like Pia voice came out A lot stronger with This performance, So Congratulations for making through to The Next round!!!"

In comparison, the first round of the country music battle of Team Blake seemed a little lacklustre between Aaron Konzelman and Connor Christian, though it did give rise to a new nickname for Blake, 'Backhand Blake'. The nickname came up when Blake was complimenting Connor on his focus, which comes from his career as a tennis coach. Much to everyone's amusement, Blake said he is quite the tennis pro himself and goes by the name 'Backhand Blake'. It was game set and match for Connor but Team Blake's second battle round was far more entertaining, as Avery Roberson and Ethan Lively took to the stage. The notes that they could lean into had Nick feeling like ‘half a man’. While the round went to Ethan, Kelsea Ballerini got into the act and stole Avery, much to her own delight.

Fans thought that this performance was what country music was all about. One fan tweeted, "For real...felt like a concert. The two should get e single together after this show is done :)"

The other battle of the night that was a tough call was Team Nick's second battle round between Jose Figueroa Junior and Julian Awari. Both brought unique strengths to the stage. While the judges admired the fluidity of Jose's style, they also appreciated how solid Awari is as a performer. This is what led to fans being shocked that while Jose won the round. Awari wasn't saved or stolen.

One fan tweeted, "Awari, you are absolutely amazing and I’m shocked you did not get stolen?! I know the judges are regretting this already- just wow!?!!"

Others are wondering if Awari will be back at some other point during the season. One fan tweeted, "I wanted Awari to stay, can we get a wildcard this season?"

To find out if Awari somehow gets a second chance, you can catch new episodes of 'The Voice' on Mondays 8/7c on @NBC.