Meet The Five North Texans Competing On This Season Of The Voice.
Ever since Burleson native Kelly Clarkson dominated the first season of American Idol — and arguably became the series' biggest success story — North Texans have been a staple in reality singing competitions.
But never before have we seen anything like what's been happening on the current season of NBC's The Voice. Four rounds into Season 7's blind auditions phase, five North Texans have already been added to teams headed up by Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams and Blake Shelton.
And it could've been even more: 16-year-old Southlake resident Cole Wilkinson auditioned for the judges last week as well, but unfortunately couldn't get any chairs to turn.
The others have fared better. Of the five North Texans that are already confirmed to continue in this season's competition, Blake's turned his chair for all five, nabbing two competitors along the way. Gwen, meanwhile, has turned her chair for four of the five, yet ended up with zero locals on her squad.
We digress.
Before the fifth and final round of blind audition airs this Monday, October 6, and another eight competitors will be selected to participate in this season, we'll give you a chance to get acquainted with all the North Texans currently competing on The Voice — and why each has got a shot to go all the way.
Name: Reagan James.
Age: 15.
Hometown: Burleson.
Chairs Turned: Gwen, Blake.
Team: Blake.
Why she'll win: Her audition was so strong that none of the judges could believe James is only 15 years old. And, after learning her age, Pharrell instantly regretted not pressing his “I Want You” button, going so far as to tell James that he'd be stealing her the first chance he got, calling her “a threat to this competition.” But a visibly stunned Gwen summed it up best when she told James that she truly had a “God-given gift.”
Name: Luke Wade.
Age: 31.
Hometown: Fort Worth.
Chairs Turned: Adam, Gwen, Pharrell, Blake.
Team: Pharrell.
Why he'll win: The response Wade received from the judges following his rendition of Otis Redding's “That's How Strong My Love Is” is by far the most overwhelmingly enthusiastic reaction earned all season to date. Adam not only climbed his chair in what People Magazine called his “Tom Cruise moment,” but the Maroon 5 frontman already went as far as to declare Wade this season's winner.
Name: Taylor Phelan.
Age: 25.
Hometown: Sherman.
Chairs Turned: Adam, Gwen, Pharrell, Blake.
Team: Pharrell.
Why he'll win: He fronted a band for several years — and it shows. To that end, Gwen called him the most natural performer she's seen on the show thus far. His voice is equal parts silky smooth and powerful. He's what you might call the complete package.
Name: Kelli Douglas.
Age: 31.
Hometown: DeSoto.
Chairs Turned: Adam, Gwen, Blake.
Team: Adam.
Why she'll win: Already, Douglas' voice has a haunting, raspy quality that helps her standout from others in the competition. With a little coaching, she'll likely be able gain a little confidence and hone all that raw talent into something fierce. And if she can get three chairs to turn with a boring old Kenny Loggins tune, we're not sure there's anything she can't do.
Name: Craig Wayne Boyd.
Age: 35.
Hometown: Mesquite.
Chairs Turned: Pharrell, Blake.
Team: Blake.
Why he'll win: Although Boyd's style is deeply entrenched in the country sound, his audition — and specifically his ability to improvise — was impressive enough to make a believer out of Pharrell. It's even more impressive considering that the famed producer had admittedly never heard Travis Tritt's “The Whiskey Ain't Workin'” before Boyd's audition.