Christina Aguilera

After 12 of the top 24 gave it their all last week, The Voice returned for part two of the latest round last night, treating the audience to some great performances.

And a few that were less than great. But so it goes.

With six members of Team Adam Levine and six members of Team Cee Lo Green battling for just four spots apiece, there was a lot on the line Monday.

Let's break down the performances one by one:

Katrina Parker - "Tonight Tonight" (Team Adam)

Adam thought she did great, but no one will mistake her for Adele, who he so desperately wanted her to break away from. Better than average, not superb.

Cheesa - "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Team Cee Lo)

Cheesa did well, but like Katrina, didn't knock any socks off, and might leave her fate in the hands of the people who perform after. Too many dancers, too.

Tonny Lucca - "In Your Eyes" (Team Adam)

He wasn't that bad, but Christina launched into a rant about how Tony has no versatility and would only get votes because of his personal popularity, etc.

It was quite mean at worst, totally random at best. Adam stuck up for his boy and said Tony made him feel good with the song ... will America agree?

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The Voice cut four out of these 12 hopefuls last night in its ever-confusing elimination process, but its first-ever live results show was lightning quick and first-rate.

Three members out of six each from Team Blake and Team Christina were voted through to the next round by America. Who were the lucky contestants?

Team Blake: Erin Willett, Jermaine Paul, and RaeLynn.

Team Christina: Jesse Campbell, Lindsey Pavao, and Chris Mann.

But wait, there's one more spot up for grabs on each squad, and the singers had to do their thing again to vie for it! So who moved on and who's done?

From Team Blake, Naia Kete sang "If I Were a Boy," Charlotte Sometimes then turned in a rendition of "Iris," and Jordis Unga finished with "Wild Horses." 

Somewhat surprisingly, all the coaches aligned behind Jordis, and while Blake's voice is the only one that counted, he gave her the final ticket on.

From Team Christina, Ashley de la Rosa did "Paris (Ooh La La)," followed by Sera Hill's "Vision of Love" and Moses Stone's "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)."

Cee Lo picked Sera, before Adam and Blake quickly chose Ashley. Xtina seemed to waffle over this call, but she kept Ashley in the competition.

So Jordis Unga and Ashley De La Rosa join the Sweet 16. Next week, Team Adam and Team Cee Lo members battling it out for the final eight spots,

Do you agree with this week's eliminations?

Live shows have finally arrived on The Voice's second season.

Who were your favorite singers from Team Blake and Team Christina on the first night of the Top 24 on The Voice? Who's most likely to go home tonight?

More importantly, how is it even decided who will go home?

So, America will pick its three favorite contestants, out of six, from each team that got to perform on Monday, and those six will move on to the next round.

The also-rans with one from each team moving on. Christina and Blake will get to pick the one remaining singer on their team to advance to the Top 16.

Confused yet? Nice. Anyway, let's get on to the performances!

Team Blake Shelton

1. Jermaine Paul, "Livin' on a Prayer." A bit over-produced, and not his best, but he was pretty good. The coaches seemed pleased, if not simply wowed.

Jermaine Paul - "Livin' on a Prayer" (The Voice)

2. RaeLynn, "Wake Up Call." What she sang vocally was an improvement over her Battle Round effort, but the performance might've been over the top.

RaeLynn - "Wake Up Call" (The Voice)

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In the fourth and final week of The Voice's Battles, there were some mediocre efforts, but by and large, the duets were strong enough to lead to some tough calls.

The Battle Round, as we've discussed, forces aspirants to crank out songs that aren't necessarily in their vocal wheelhouse, putting some at a slight disadvantage. 

Still, that's the name of the game, and from a viewing standpoint, they're hard to beat, as they help showcase both the show's unique talents and A-list coaches.

Which six contestants advanced to the next round, and which six succumbed to the sudden death format? Whose team is strongest as of now? Let's take a look:

James Massone vs. WADE - "True Colors" (The Voice)

James Massone vs. WADE - "True Colors"

In this battle of Team Cee Lo members, James was the tortoise, steady as he goes, coming through even if he didn't dazzle anyone and may not go a lot further.

Wade has much greater power and range, and thus potential, but James made the fewest mistakes (none) and that was good enough to win this Voice battle.

Nicolle Galyon vs. Mathai - "Love Song" (The Voice)

Nicolle Galyon vs. Mathai - "Love Song"

Nicolle's calling card all along her piano playing, and after coach Adam took that out of the equation, she became a lot more generic, and Mathai got the nod.

In a surprising move, Adam revealed how disappointed he was in the duet overall, even though it was his own team, but Mathai was a lock to advance.

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"I wish they would've done that on the show I was from." - Kelly Clarkson

In week three of The Voice's Battles, there were some clunkers, but by and large, the duets were so strong that a number of standouts went home by default.

While the Battle Round forces aspirants to belt out songs that aren't necessarily in their wheelhouse, they help showcase both the talent and the A-list coaches.

Watching Blake, Christina, Cee Lo and Blake really get in there and TEACH the singers how to work with each other and the songs is a uniquely cool touch.

There's also the added pressure that only Sudden Death format brings. Even if you bring your best, you could be gone, as we saw in this week's battles ...

Pip vs. Nathan Parrett: "You Know I'm No Good" (The Voice Battle Round)

Pip vs. Nathan Parrett - "You Know I'm No Good"

This Team Adam matchup was one of the night's best, and despite Nathan coming through big time, fan and judge favorite Pip knocked it out of the park.

The two of these guys sounded excellent together in what was the first of a handful of truly good duets this week, but Pip got the nod from Mr. Levine.

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Wonder if it will be called Hypocrisy?

When it comes to Adam Levine's new fragrance - coming May 2013! - Christina Aguilera smells something funny ... namely the fact that The Voice coach had mocked the entire concept of celebrity perfumes/colognes about 12 months ago.

"Haha @AdamLevine. What a difference a year makes," Aguilera tweeted along with a link to this tweet that the Maroon 5 singer sent out in March 2011:

"I also would like to put an official ban on celebrity fragrances. Punishable by death from this point forward," Levine wrote at the time.

What a difference, indeed.

The teasing was all in good fun, though, as Aguilera followed up by saying to her NBC co-star, "Welcome to the celebrity fragrance family!"

Levine's scent, 222, will have versions for men and women, BT-Dubs. Phew.

The teams are set. The gauntlet has been thrown down.

After five episodes, the Blind Auditions have finally come to an end on The Voice. Each of the four coaches rounded out his/her squad last night, with an even dozen aspiring stars ready to battle it out here in Season 2.

Let's take a look at how the final rosters shook out:

Team Blake Shelton

Blake turned around after Cee Lo and Adam during Lex Land's rendition of "I Can't Make You Love Me," but he won her over with his comments ... or charm:

Lex Land - I Can't Make You Love Me (The Voice Audition)

Adley Stump gave Blake another country singer with a great "Last Name":

Adley Stump - Last Name (The Voice Audition)

Team: Lex Land, Adley Stump, RaeLynn, Gwen Sebastian, Jermaine Paul, Erin Willett, Jordis Unga, Brian Fuente, Naia Kete, Charlotte Sometimes, Jordan Rager, ALyX.

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It's episode four of The Voice's blind auditions, with Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton back in their red-spinning spaceship chairs yet again.

How much fun is this show?

American Idol likes to tout its star-creating power, and The Voice may not have an answer to that until it produces its own Kelly Clarkson ... or even a Scotty McCreery.

Still, it remains a far more entertaining show in many respects, from the diversity of the vocalists trying out, to the rapport between the judges and the unique format. 

Who got the stars to turn around Monday and joined Teams Adam, Cee Lo, Blake and Xtina? Let's break down the performances of Monday's Voice aspirants, by team:

Team Adam Levine

Mathai, who covered Adele (never a bad choice nowadays), showed creativity, stage presence and raw vocal talent. Adam was lucky to land this hot commodity.

Mathai - Rumor Has It (The Voice Audition)

Adam also snagged Nicolle Galyon, who wants to be the first country music piano girl. She sounds great, despite her obvious problem with nerves. Take a look:

Nicolle Galyon - You Save Me (The Voice Audition)

Karla Davis and those two join previous team members Tony Lucca, Kim Yarbrough, Angel Taylor, Pip, Katrina Parker, Chris Cauley and Nathan Parrett.

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All four judges on NBC's hit singing competition series The Voice will return to the NBC hit for a third season that will air in the fall instead of the winter.

Christina Aguilera previously agreed to return for $10 million next season. Now, Cee-Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are back on board too.

All with substantial pay raises, according to those close to the negotiations. Green, Levine and Shelton will see their pay roughly doubled to $6 million.

Insiders say Levine had been holding out because of a scheduling issue. He and his band, Maroon 5, have an album nearing completion, and tour dates and promotion of the new record had to move to accommodate the show's move to the fall.

It looks like that worked out, though, and not a moment too soon for NBC.

It averages an 8.4 rating/21 share in the crucial 18-49 demographic and 21.3 million viewers overall. It owes that average largely to huge ratings for the Season 2 premiere, debuting after the Super Bowl, but nevertheless, it's a success.

Moving to the fall would have the show, now a mid-season hit, airing at the same time of year as Fox's The X-Factor ... and being a lot more entertaining.

It's episode three of The Voice's blind auditions, with Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton back in their red-spinning seats to evaluate talent.

Actually, they've never left those seats. They're still in the same clothes. Busted! Seriously, this was one marathon audition day if it was chopped up into three episodes.

Anyway, who stood out last night and joined Teams Adam, Cee Lo, Blake and Xtina? Let's break down the performances of some of Monday's top Voice auditions ...

Katrina Parker (below)

The 34-year-old insurance worker performed "What If God Was One Of Us" by Joan Osbourne. Adam was the only one to show interest. That's enough.

Team: Adam

Katrina Parker - One of Us (The Voice Audition)

Pip

The 19-year-old, baby faced Pip (that's his real name), takes pride in his fashion choices ... and his rendition of The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun."

The four coaches court Pip. Christina, quoting her own songs, actually tells Pip, "I am a fighter. And I will fight for your ass!" But alas, Levine wins out.

Team: Adam

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