NBC’s ‘The Voice’ review: Troy Ritchie, Taylor Phelan, Menlik Zergabachew battle

Tonight, the Battle Rounds continued on “The Voice,” regardless of whether or not you enjoyed the journey of some of these characters so much the first time. We don’t care for the format, and the way that contestants are pitted against one another.

With that being said, there was still something in the episode Tuesday night that we enjoyed. Maybe it was some of the very good performances, and the contestants we actually find ourselves wanting to root for moving forward. Still, there really was not a whole lot of content in here given just how long the episode was.

Taylor Phelan vs. Jordy Searcy (Team Pharrell) – This was the sort of battle that we know was screwed for Jordy from the start. He was not given a whole lot of screen time in the premiere, and we could use that to determine that he had no shot. We liked the song choice in “Breakeven,” and love how he performed it. Pharell made the right choice. Taylor advances.

Alessandra Castronovo vs. Joe Kirk (Team Adam) – Here is what we would proclaim to be the massive surprise of the entire night. We expected Joe to be a lock here when it comes to screen time, and even after the two parties performed, we still thought that Joe was going to advance. We were surprised here twice, including when there were no steals that came through. Adam picks Alessandra.

Troy Ritchie vs. Menlik Zergabachew (Team Gwen) – After some montaged contestants, this is where we ended. Given that this was the final battle, you knew some craziness was going to happen. Troy won, but we actually feel like Menlik is in the better place for him now. He’s such an interesting, creative guy, and this will give him a chance to shine. Gwen picks Troy, Pharrell steals Menlik.

What did you think about tonight’s battles? Let us know, and head over here to see the battles from the first go around. Also, sign up today to get some further TV updates worth a song or two via our CarterMatt Newsletter.