Sixteen-year-old Sawyer Fredericks appears poised to snap up a victory. Does that mean he will go on to make a hit record? Record a single you will hear on the radio? Even be a name you will recognize a year from now? Well, no, but that's not the point of "The Voice," and it never has been.
This past Tuesday night he was the first to be saved by America's votes on the NBC singing competition. He's never been in the bottom two or three.
Fredericks was greeted by thousands of fans in his hometown last week, which was slickly produced to be aired this past Monday night.
"You're clearly the frontrunner," Shelton told the Team Pharrell singer. "You're the real deal, buddy." The BookMaker leaderboard reflects that sentiment, too, with Fredericks as not only the favorite, but the only contestant on the minus side odds-wise.
Now, he wasn't the only one saved. Team Blake's Meghan Linsey made the cut, and so did Team Adam's Joshua Davis.
Carney, Linsey and Koryn Hawthorne had fun as a group performing “Faithfully” by Journey. But two of them had to vie for a coveted final slot before all was said and done.
Before that, though, Fredericks and Davis performed “Drift Away,” not remotely fusing their talents together the same as the ladies. Perhaps because they are acutely aware the other is his truest opponent, and a formidable one at that.
The last artist who automatically advanced was Adam Levine’s only remaining artist, Joshua Davis, leaving Carney and Hawthorne to sing for the instant save.
The Bottom 2 performance was Christina's India Carney going head-to-head (voice-to-voice really) with Koryn Hawthorne, of Team Pharrell. It was a nail-biter, to be sure. In fact, those who voted might already be regretting their actions.
INSTANT SAVE: Koryn Hawthorne
This, of course, means that this won't be Xtina's season after all, as fans and critics alike have thought for quite some time now.
Koryn’s original single will go a long way to determine if she can be the “inspiration” that Pharrell has been describing her as all season.
Hawthorne and Joshua Davis share the long-shot odds, teetering at +1200. Linsey was last seen teetering around +800. Shelton is not the judge lock he has been in seasons past. Still, at +400, he is ahead of friend/nemesis Adam Levine, in the background making noise at +1000.
Christina, as mentioned, is officially out of the running, but that doesn't mean her critiques won't play a key role in who emerges the victor. Fredericks could come up short when Xtina goes to evaluate final stretch performances, especially up against Hawthorne, recent victory against Carney notwithstanding.
Levine has proven invaluable as a mentor in the past, specifically under pressure, and he could certainly steer Davis to a stellar final number.
Any way you slice it, though, Pharrell, it would seem, moving downward from -140 here at BookMaker, is in a can't-miss position.
The question that remains is which of his players will take the prize?
The Voice odds to win for this Monday’s episode on NBC were first released by BookMaker. Cash in on futures odds to win the award-winning reality TV show by opening an account at BookMaker now! Now you can wager live while the episode unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
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