NBC’s ‘The Voice’ finale rankings: Christina Grimmie, Josh Kaufman, Jake Worthington, and a change

For our last edition of “The Voice” rankings of the season, we are here to report that there is actually a major change for the first time all season: We have someone new in the #1 spot! Trust us when we say that we are surprised that things shook out like this, but also in a way delighted. Regardless of who wins, we want it to be a battle, and before this past episode, we felt like it was going to be a runaway victory.

At this point in the competition, there are so many factors to consider, but for now performance quality, voting history, coach popularity, and overall likability all have to play a role in determining things.

3. Jake Worthington (last week: #5) – We are not going to say that it is impossible for Jake to win, mostly because we don’t believe that at all. There are many ways that Jake can come out of this competition on top, with the biggest one being if he can somehow figure out a way to appeal to the diehard country voters. Remember that Jermaine Paul won the competition in season 2 almost out of nowhere.

The one thing that may make Jake look like a little more of a fearsome competitor than he may otherwise be is the simple fact that he went last on this past edition of the show, and getting the pimp spot helps a lot.

2. Christina Grimmie (1) – This is the first time that we have Christina anywhere other than #1, and the irony here is that we feel like her “Hide and Seek” was her best performance since the Drake cover. It’s just so indie that a lot of people aren’t going to remember it. (Ironically, we thought back to that scene from “The OC.”) It’s certainly possible that she will recover, just as it is possible that she will get another favorable position in the show. All this ranking really means is that this is not going to be as easy for the YouTube star as it probably seemed at the start of the live shows.

1. Josh Kaufman (2) – There are so many reasons that Josh has ascended this high, but the biggest one is that he’s an awesome singer. He’s likable, and he picks songs that most voters for the show will know with the help of his coach Usher. He’s rocked iTunes lately, with his only real miss being “This Is It” when it comes to sales. One other thing that you cannot discount at all? The power of Twitter. Josh’s coach has some very influential friends on Twitter, and if he can get people voting who aren’t even watching the show just at the request of their musical idols, that is a huge benefit for a very talented guy (but probably not voting in the way the show wants).

Who do you want to see win “The Voice” this season? Let us know below! Also, click here to see the roster of performers for the finale, or here to get some further updates worth a song or two courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: NBC