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‘The Voice’ finalist makes rookie mistake in finale — fans say it should’ve knocked him out

"Recovered but a little too late," said a fan while slamming 'The Voice' finalist for their glaring mistake

NBC's 'The Voice' 27 has finally concluded with Adam David being declared as the winner, making it Michael Bublé's second win in a row. While David was undoubtedly a strong contender, several other contestants had earned high hopes from fans. However, one fan-favorite finalist ended up bearing the brunt of his own misstep after making a rookie mistake in the finale. Not only did it cost him dearly, but fans also openly criticized him for the blunder.

During Part 1 of 'The Voice' live finale, contestants had to perform both a ballad and an up-tempo song in a final bid to win over viewers. However, pressure got the better of finalist Jaelen Johnston, who forgot the lyrics while performing Dierks Bentley's 'What Was I Thinkin'.' Despite the slip, the 21-year-old singer didn't stop and powered through to the end, earning praise from his coach, Kelsea Ballerini, who said, "I know you had a moment early on when you got nervous... but the way you recovered is all that matters. You really showed up; I'm so proud of you," as per Sports Keeda.

Later in the episode, Johnston impressed the coaches with a powerful performance of Chris Stapleton’s "Cold." His emotional ballad surprised not only the audience but also his mentor, Ballerini, who admitted she had initial doubts about the song choice. "I'm out of breath, I'm sweating," Ballerini said after his performance. "It's a big song to take on... I didn't know how good you were until you did that song." However, fans were obviously less than thrilled with Johnston's earlier mistake, as many shared their opinion on X.

A fan said, "Jaelen messed up big that performance. Recovered but a little too late. He'll probably get 5th or 4th place," while another added, "Jaelyn is so bad and HE DOESN'T KNOW THE WORDS HAHAAHAH." A fan shared, "Who made Jaelen sing this song? Seems really difficult." Another remarked, "Right jaelen… What were you thinking? forgot a whole line of lyrics lol."

A fan said, "Ohhhh, Jaelen is fumbling so hard!!! Poor guy." Another shared, "If Jaelen wins #TheVoice despite literally forgetting the lines to a song he should have memorized by heart and soul, if country fans can allow that sort of egregious error to win out over a true blues soul like Adam David, then I have no faith in America’s vote anymore." A fan added, "If Renzo couldn’t win, thank God it wasn’t Jaelen, but how the hell did he come in SECOND!!??" 

Notably, in 'The Voice' Season 27 finale, after all five finalists talked about their journeys and expressed gratitude toward their coaches, host Carson Daly revealed the final rankings, as per Entertainment Now. Jaydn Cree finished in fifth place, followed by Lucia Flores-Wiseman from Team Adam in fourth. As tension built, Renzo was announced as the third-place finisher, leaving Johnston and David as the top two. Ultimately, David was crowned the winner, giving coach Bublé his second consecutive victory on the show.