Who’s the Ultimate Contender? Analyzing Who Should Win The Voice Season 25 Based on the Finale Performances

Who are you voting for, America?

(Image credit: NBC)

The hard part is over for the contestants of the 25th season of The Voice, and now it’s all up to America’s vote. After Chance the Rapper’s final artists were eliminated in the semifinals, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay watched their remaining team members leave it all on the stage in the performance finale on May 20. Each artist sang a ballad and an up-tempo number in hopes of winning over the audience, so based on those songs, who deserves the crown?

In a strange twist, none of the five finalists — Nathan Chester, Bryan Olesen, Josh Sanders, Asher HaVon or Karen Waldrup — got the attention of all of The Voice coaches in the Blind Auditions, ensuring that Season 25 will not see another Four-Chair Turn winner. That’s no knock at this season’s talent, though, and may just be a sign that each singer found their perfect match. Let’s take a look at the finale performances, followed by who I think should win the competition. (The artists are listed below in the order they first appeared on Monday’s episode.)

Nathan Chester (Team Legend)

Nathan Chester kicked off the show with a spirited rendition of the Motown classic “It’s Your Thing,” before slowing it down with “A Song for You” later in the show. Chester has proven to be quite the entertaining performer this season, but I agree with John Legend, who said his ballad showed how well-rounded he is as a singer. It also seemed like Carson Daly may have a favorite, as he gushed over Chester’s up-tempo song before saying that if the contestant had a Vegas residency, he’d call up all of his friends to go.

Josh Sanders (Team Reba)

Reba McEntire’s country singer Josh Sanders had his coach’s emotions running high at the finale, eliciting tears with a heartfelt cover of “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” Sanders got to let go a little later in the show with “Boots On,” which had the whole place rocking, and the Queen of Country said she loved to see what a great time he and the audience were having. I thought both performances were the best the contestant has been all season.

Asher HaVon (Team Reba)

Disco is just not my thing, so the fact that Asher HaVon won me over with the Donna Summer classic “Last Dance” is a testament to his talent. There’s literally nothing I wouldn’t listen to him sing. John Legend called the song the perfect choice for the finale, and that was even before HaVon closed out the show by belting “I Will Always Love You.” Both of his performances got a standing ovation from all five coaches.

Bryan Olesen (Team Legend)

John Legend had a roller coaster of a night with Bryan Olesen. The EGOT winner was fired up with his team member’s cover of “Freedom! ‘90,” saying he felt Olesen’s passion and energy. He had the opposite response to the singer’s ballad choice, “Beautiful Things,” which got Legend choked up as he remarked: “It feels like when you’re singing it, that you know what it means to lose something. And I really felt it. I really felt it.” Oof, pass the tissues please.

Karen Waldrup (Team Dan + Shay)

Dan + Shay couldn’t have been prouder of their country music power house Karen Waldrup, who earned a standing ovation for her version of “What Hurts the Most,” before taking on the country classic “I’m Alright.” Shay Mooney welcomed Waldrup to the country music community, and Dan Smyers commented that she was the most consistent singer on The Voice this season and said he can’t wait to see her in concert.

(Image credit: NBC)

Who Should Win The Voice Season 25? Asher HaVon

While all of the finalists are unquestionably talented, Asher HaVon was simply unmatched in my opinion, and the other coaches seemed to think so too. While his own coach Reba McEntire said that HaVon embodies what The Voice is all about — finding undiscovered talent — John Legend repeated his past sentiment that HaVon is the best vocalist in the competition. Chance the Rapper echoed that, saying that the artist hasn’t had a single week when Chance didn’t feel that HaVon was the best performer, and he deserves to win the show.

It’s not up to the coaches, however. Tune in for a recap of the finale performances at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 21, before the winner is crowned at the end of the two-hour live finale that starts at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core ’90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey’s Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.

Who’s the Ultimate Contender? Analyzing Who ...

Who’s the Ultimate Contender? Analyzing Who Should Win The Voice Season 25 Based on the Finale Performances

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