‘The Voice’ recap: Season 9 Top 12 picked; 12 singers go home

It’s always tough to watch talented contestants on “The Voice” head home. But watching 12 of them get their dreams crushed in the course of a single hour on Wednesday’s live playoffs elimination show felt especially brutal.

Each of the four coaches – Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani – offered their team members words of support, but Shelton’s solemn pep talk, after Barrett Baber and Zach Seabaugh had been voted through, to the four endangered singers on his team – Emily Ann Roberts, Nadjah Nicole, Morgan Frazier and Ivonne Acero – from whom he would be able to select only one to save, summed up the situation best:

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“This is the ninth time that Adam [Levine] and I have had to do what we’re doing right now and it never gets easier, because sometimes there’s really just no rhyme or reason to who moves on and who doesn’t. Sometimes it might just be a handful of votes to separate you for from these two,” Blake Shelton told the four trembling, terrified-looking singers awaiting his verdict onstage. “It just sucks, that’s the only way to say it, and I’m sorry that you guys are in this position, but you have made it this far because you are that talented and you deserve a round of applause just for that.”

Buoyed a bit by the audience support, the young women appeared to brace themselves for bad news, while hoping for good.

“There’s a million ways to become successful in this industry and to make it and go on and do what you want to do,” Shelton said. “I have to make my decision right now based on who I think can thrive in this situation here on ‘The Voice,’ and based on what I’ve seen I’m going to choose Emily Ann to move forward.”

You knew it was going to be Roberts – Shelton clearly has high hopes for the teenage country singer, and she perfectly fits the mold of the singers he seems to enjoy helping most (young, talented and blond) – but that didn’t make it any less sad for the singers he didn’t rescue. Still, unlike some of the other coaches, who embraced their team’s winners and left the losers to dangle, Shelton immediately rushed to the three singers he had just disappointed to offer hugs and, presumably, more encouragement.

Nicely handled, Blake.

The evening also included performances by all the teams, the return of last season’s winner, Sawyer Fredericks, who sang his new single, “Take It All,” and a taped appearance by Michelle Obama, who encouraged us to support our troops and veterans and got in a (somewhat belated) crack about Levine’s hair.

And results? Well, here’s who made it through and who went home from each team:

Team Gwen

Voted through: Jeffery Austin and Braiden Sunshine

Saved: Korin Bukowski

Headed home: Ellie Lawrence, Regina Love and Viktor Kiraly

Team Blake

Voted through: Barrett Baber and Zach Seabaugh

Saved: Emily Ann Roberts

Headed home: Morgan Frazier, Ivonne Acero and Nadjah Nicole

Team Pharrell

Voted through: Madi Davis and Evan McKeel

Saved: Mark Hood

Headed home: Celeste Betton, Darius Scott and Riley Biederer

Team Adam

Voted through: Jordan Smith and Shelby Brown

Saved: Amy Vachal

Headed home: Blaine Mitchell, Chance Pena and Keith Semple