‘The Voice’ finale results: And the Season 9 winner is ...

[Spoiler alert: This article contains information about the Season 9 finale, including the name of the winner.]

He’s done it. Jordan Smith has been crowned the Season 9 winner of “The Voice.” Is anyone -- anyone at all -- even a little bit surprised?

For weeks, it has seemed almost preordained that Smith, a 22-year-old college student from Harlan, Ky., would win “The Voice.” We may have sensed it even back at his endlessly hyped blind audition, in which Smith applied his gravity-defying, gender-blurring vocals to Sia’s “Chandelier” and moved his eventual coach and chief cheerleader, Adam Levine, to call the high-voiced, large-bodied, perpetually poised singer “the most important person” ever to compete on the show.

SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter >>

Certainly, it has became clear in recent weeks, as Levine’s continued hyperbolic praise (“You’re not a singer; you’re a figure,” the Maroon 5 singer told Smith a few weeks back, in the sort of gush we’d soon grow used to. “You’re a person that everyone draws this amazing energy from”) was matched by Smith’s stellar performance on iTunes. For five straight weeks, the songs Smith sang on the show made a beeline for the iTunes top 10, including two that shot up to No. 1, one of them knocking Adele out of the top spot in the process.

Even by “The Voice” iTunes-performance standards, which are reliably high, Smith’s chart domination stood out, as did his unearthly vocals, his steady poise and apparent modesty -- and his desire to serve as an example for those who do not fit the mold but might yet learn to love themselves and celebrate their differences.

So, after everyone from Coldplay to Wynonna, Missy Elliott to Justin Bieber, Ricky Scaggs to The Weeknd (not to mention four dancing apes) had taken the stage in the finale Tuesday, and the four finalists had been gathered together to learn which of them would carry away the Season 9 trophy, the results didn’t come as much of a shock.

Team Gwen’s Jeffery Austin, who had barely survived last week’s deep cut ahead of the finale, came in fourth, depriving Stefani of her chance, at least for now, to become the first female coach to capture a win. Team Blake’s big-hearted family man, Barrett Baber, came in third.

That left Team Blake’s 17-year-old country darling, Emily Ann Roberts, and Smith to await word on which of them would collect the win and which would launch his or her career as the Season 9 runner-up. It didn’t take long for Carson Daly to declare Smith the victor.

For a moment, the news seemed to affect Smith’s reliably ruddy color, but he swiftly regained his usual composure -- accepting a hug from his coach and the trophy Daly handed him, albeit briefly.

As the confetti fell and his proud parents stood behind him, taking it all in, Smith launched into a cool, collected rendition of “Climb Every Mountain.” Even Pharrell Williams, appearing at his shoulder, couldn’t distract him.

Smith was doing what he was born to do: sing for the people. There would be plenty of time for him to celebrate later.

ALSO

CBS’ mysterious cancellation of ‘Mike & Molly’ leaves cast ‘shocked’ and frustrated

Howard Stern signs a new five-year deal with SiriusXM

Twitter reacts to Bill Cosby ‘defamation’ countersuits