Kelsea Ballerini’s unfiltered reaction to Jaelen’s finale blunder on 'The Voice' finally revealed
While 'The Voice' Season 27 recently wrapped up with Adam David claiming the win, it's Kelsea Ballerini who is grabbing major headlines for her raw and real reaction. Ballerini, who had a strong chance of winning with her team member Jaelen Johnston, faced disappointment when he forgot his lyrics during a crucial performance. Although Ballerini was supportive of him on camera, it’s her off-camera reaction that’s drawing the most attention, as she lets out her most unfiltered thoughts about the doomed performance.
On the penultimate episode of 'The Voice,' contestant Johnston suffered a major setback during his first live finale performance. Singing Dierks Bentley’s 'What Was I Thinkin,' the 21-year-old Kansas native blanked on the lyrics just 15 seconds into the song. Wearing a black cowboy hat, T-shirt, and jeans, Jaelen started strong but soon panicked as he looked around with wide eyes and then briefly stepped away from the mic. He threw his hands up in defeat before returning and humming several lines to keep the performance going. He eventually regained composure and finished the song.
While cameras didn’t show Johnston's coach Ballerini’s response, an insider told The US Sun, "Right when Jaelen started humming and clearly forgot his words, Kelsea looked immediately concerned." The insider further claimed, "Once he threw his hands up and stepped away for a moment, it looked like Kelsea mouthed 'oh f**k' and put her hands up to her mouth. She looked shocked and concerned, but as Jaelen began to continue on with the song, Kelsea tried to be extremely supportive and immediately stood up to support him. The rest of the song, Kelsea sang and danced around and was encouraging him from the coach's chair."
After the performance, Ballerini reassured Johnston, telling him, "I know you had a moment early on where you got nervous. But the thing is, this is the most nerve-racking thing you could do. And the only thing that matters is how you recover. And you locked back in, and you got back in your body and back in your voice. And you delivered, and you moved, and everyone loves you. That was the most impressive part; you really showed up. I'm so proud of you." Despite the initial hiccup, Johnston later redeemed himself with his second performance, a powerful rendition of Chris Stapleton's 'Cold.'
Notably, Johnston also talked about his toughest moment on 'The Voice' Season 27 during an interview with Entertainment Weekly after the live finals. "I think the worst thing is when you forget lyrics on stage," he said when asked about the best and worst parts of the show. The singer further added, "It really is the worst side of it, to be honest." Johnston opened up about his onstage mishap, revealing that in the moment he forgot the lyrics, his immediate thought was, “What’s the next line?” Despite the stumble, he reflected positively on the experience, saying, “Making connections and friends, and it's been amazing. Everybody out here deserves to be here. They're phenomenal, phenomenal artists, even better people.”
