It’s only fitting that the two-part Season 28 finale of “The Voice” doubles as a holiday spectacular, because Monday’s broadcast kicked off with the ultimate present for two hopefuls: after tallying America’s votes, DEK of Hearts (Team Niall) and a braces-free Max Chambers (Team Bublé) are officially back in the competition.
They joined Aubrey Nicole (Team Reba), Jazz McKenzie (Team Bublé), Aiden Ross (Team Niall), and Ralph Edwards (Team Snoop) at Universal Studios Hollywood, where each act performed two songs, one classic and one contemporary.
Voting is now open for all contestants, both on the show’s official website and via “The Voice” app, and will continue through Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7 a.m. ET. The winner will be revealed live during the live Season 28 finale results show, Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.
The finale also featured a visit from “Love Island” host Ariana Madix and “Dancing With the Stars” finalist Dylan Efron, who will host a special pre-show before Tuesday’s live finale.
Read on for a breakdown of Monday’s live finale performances, then vote for your favorite contestant(s): who should win “The Voice”? When you’re finished, drop a comment with your thoughts on all things Season 28 below.
DEK of Hearts (Team Niall)
The first act to perform on Monday was one of America’s wildcard picks — Team Niall’s golden trio DEK of Hearts. Determined not to let the viewers down, the band went fishing for votes with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark.” It was another solid country showing from these three, with more of the tightest harmonies you ever did hear, albeit with a pinch more fun. It was nice to see the group enjoying themselves, rather than letting the pressure of the finale get to them.
TVLine Grade: A
After a brief technical snafu, DEK of Hearts returned for their second performance, met with uproarious applause from the studio audience. The trio kept it simple this time, delivering a relatively stripped-down take on James Bay’s already-sleepy “Let It Go.” The harmonies weren’t quite as tight this time around, which we’ll attribute to the technical issues (we noticed lots of ear-piece fiddling), but DEK of Hearts’ less than perfect is still pretty fantastic.
TVLine Grade: A-
Max Chambers (Team Bublé)
America’s second wildcard pick was up next, coming out swinging with a joyful performance of Forrest Frank’s “Your Way’s Better.” Were those backup dancers totally necessary? Absolutely not, but no amount of gyrating could steal attention away from Max Chambers’ pitch-perfect take on this gospel number, which — to borrow one of the most overused phrases in reality competition shows — took us to church. That last part clearly touched Michael Bublé, who thanked his viewer-approved team member for bravely sharing his faith.
TVLine Grade: A-
Bublé’s Mic Drop recipient made the best of his “One Moment in Time,” blowing the roof off the studio with his performance of this Whitney Houston ballad. Not many 14-year-olds could handle a song of this magnitude, but Max made it look easy, gradually building to an explosive climax. (“Make it shine,” indeed.) We would have preferred a more youthful song that matched Max’s style, but at this point, we’re pretty sure he could handle any song the coaches were to throw at him. Bublé was barely holding back tears as he expressed his gratitude to Max, adding that all of America is “blessed” to have heard him so early in his budding career.
TVLine Grade: A-
Aubrey Nicole
The crown jewel of Team Reba hoped to inspire viewers with her first finale performance of Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t,” simultaneously using this as an opportunity to thank Reba for everything she’s done. It started off a little shaky, but most of her nerves melted away when she grabbed that microphone and stepped away from the stand. Despite a flew flat notes, it was a strong showing overall.
TVLine Grade: B+
Aubrey returned to the stage with a renewed fire, rocking a dress as red as her mentor’s hair — which is fitting, as she was tasked with performing “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” a song famously recorded by Reba in 1991. But Aubrey didn’t crack under the pressure of this make-or-break moment, instead grabbing the song by its horns and owning it from start to finish, and solidifying her spot as a finalist in the competition.
TVLine Grade: A
Jazz McKenzie (Team Bublé)
Michael Bublé was already emotional before his pride and joy took the stage in Monday’s finale, assigning her Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” for her first performance. Dressed in a gorgeous glittery suit, it was impossible not to look at her now. As for listening to her, that was a treat as always. The soulful songstress stood confidently in her power, delivering an uplifting rendition of the ’80s rock classic. It wasn’t her rangiest performance, but it sat in her sweet spot, and we’ll never turn down an opportunity to hear Jazz work her brand of magic.
TVLine Grade: A
For her second performance, Jazz took on *checks notes* Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License”?! If we were to list a million possible songs for her to do, this one probably wouldn’t have made the cut — but lo and behold, Jazz sang the heck out of this heartbreaking ode to freedom on the road. From the moment it began, this wasn’t Rodrigo’s song; it was a Jazz original, and she delivered it as only she could, dressing it to the nines with runs and belts and so much soul.
TVLine Grade: A-
Aiden Ross (Team Niall)
Conjuring all the Texas Christmas magic he could muster, Aiden entranced the audience with a beautiful performance of JVKE’s “Golden Hour.” It’s a song we’ve heard on many a competition show as of late, but there’s no question, this was the best rendition of the bunch. Not only were the vocals on point, both in the softer falsetto moments and explosive belting, but there was so much emotion in his voice. Whether the votes go in his favor or not, this was a star-making turn for Aiden Ross.
TVLine Grade: A+
Aiden closed out the night with a potentially prophetic song, ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All.” Knowing what he’s capable of (combined with our love of “Mamma Mia”), we were excited to hear what Aiden would do with this one — and we were not disappointed. The performance began soft and soulful, with Aiden’s falsetto lulling the audience into a false sense of security before melting our faces off with the song’s explosive, emotional chorus.
TVLine Grade: A
Ralph Edwards (Team Snoop)
It’s only fitting that Ralph Edwards followed everyone else with his first performance because, wow, did he blow everyone else out of the water with his otherworldly rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.” That belting, those growls, that key change — everyone else in this competition should be quaking in their boots at the mention of this man’s name.
TVLine Grade: A+
Edwards returned in the second half of the night with a sharp change of pace, getting everyone on their feet with a joyful performance of Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.” There was something electric about this one. You could feel him fighting for the win with every phenomenal belt and every desperate growl, and watching him own the stage was simply satisfying.
TVLine Grade: A
OK, time to vote: Which singer(s) would you like to be crowned the winner(s) on Tuesday? Based on Monday’s performances, our money is on either Aiden Ross or Ralph Edwards bringing this one home — and we wouldn’t be disappointed with either outcome.