Lexi Stephens’ Coach Choice — Season 30 Episode 2 Recap

“The Voice” continued its Season 30 Blind Auditions on Tuesday, leaving viewers on a frustrating cliffhanger that ensures we’ll all tune back in for the conclusion on Wednesday.

After spending the hour watching fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah, and Riley Green collect impressive team members, reigning champion Adam Levine was feeling pretty defeated during the second night of the premiere. That’s when 23-year-old Lexi Stephens entered the room, delivering what Levine would dub the best audition he’s ever heard on “The Voice.” It was quite a compliment, and we’re sure Spiro appreciated hearing it, considering her pre-audition confession. (“I’m going to literally pee pants and throw up,” she told the camera shortly before entering the studio.)

Levine was fully entranced by Stephens’ delivery of Sienna Spiro’s “Die On This Hill,” turning around almost immediately after she started singing. And there was a lot to love about Stephens’ voice, from her clear belt to the raw emotion she brought to her performance. Her talent is undeniable, hence all four coaches turning around in the hopes that Stephens would join their team. (TVLine’s grade:A)

No coach was more adamant — or more desperate — about adding Stephens to their ranks than Levine, but we’ll have to wait a full 24 hours to find out whether he gets his wish. “I’m going with…” Stephens began, before being interrupted by an eye roll-inducing announcement from host Carson Daly: “Find out tomorrow night on our final night of premiere week!”

While we wait to learn who Stephens chose, read on for a breakdown of the four contestants who made it onto a team on Tuesday. When you’re finished, drop a comment with your thoughts on Tuesday’s episode. Is Stephens sure to choose Levine? And which singer had your favorite audition of the night?

This teen overachiever is already her class president, but why not add one more accolade to her resume? We have to imagine that “The Voice” Winner looks pretty good on a college application. When Kelly Clarkson realized that Koumba Diallo was singing Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold,” she remarked, “Big song!” Fortunately, Diallo came equipped with an even bigger voice, crushing the ballad seemingly without breaking a sweat. By the end of her booming final note, all four coaches had turned their chairs around, the first being Queen Latifah — so imagine Clarkson’s surprise when Koumba opted to join her team instead.

TVLine’s grade: A-

There wasn’t anything necessarily bad about Alt Bloom’s performance of Maren Morris’ “The Bones,” but we have to admit, we were surprised to see a coach — let alone multiple coaches — turn around during his audition. Again, we don’t have too many negative things to say about it, except that we kept waiting for that “wow” moment, anything to make us want to see more of this artist, which never came for us. In fact, Queen Latifah delivered a more memorable performance in her pitch to get Bloom on her team, with two back-up singers joining her from seemingly out of nowhere. (For the record, we foresee ourselves waking up in the middle of the night singing, “If you get with the Queen, she’ll get you the trophy.” What? It’s catchy.)

TVLine’s grade: B-

Kelly Clarkson knew she needed this New Zealand native on her team from his first notes of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” which he delivered with a dreamlike quality. From Johnnie Kapua’s smooth falsetto to his gasp-worthy runs, Clarkson was practically panting through the performance. And after losing so many strong singers to other coaches, Clarkson wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip through her fingers, forcing her to employ her one-time-only First In Button.

TVLine’s grade: B+

Adam Levine and Riley Green were at each other’s throats over this teen rocker after her explosive performance of Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead.” It was a pretty risky song choice, considering Harmony McKee claimed she’s never performed a country song, but it definitely paid off, even if some of the bigger moments were a little messy. And Levine was thrilled when McKee revealed that she usually leans more into R&B and soul, in case you couldn’t tell from his literal happy dance. Between that admission, as well as the audience chanting Levine’s name, we really thought the Maroon 5 lead singer had this one in the bag. So imagine our surprise when McKee picked Green as her coach; and he wondered why the audience didn’t cheer?

TVLine’s grade: B