Carter Rubin wins Season 19
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NBC’s “The Voice” debuted in 2011 with judges Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton.
USA TODAY
Gwen Stefani has finally won.
Carter Rubin was crowned the Season 19 champ of “The Voice” during Tuesday’s finale, handing Stefani her first win in her fifth season as a coach. (She served as a coach on Seasons 7, 9, 12 and 17.)
“Blake won last season, but I’m back this season and I’m going to get a win,” Stefani said during the season premiere, after replacing Nick Jonas. And she wasn’t lying. Sorry, Blake.
The 15-year-old Long Island, New York native became the youngest male winner ever. Rubin once said he would “have been happy with the chair turn,” but now he has a shining “Voice” trophy.
When his name was called, a speechless Rubin buried his face in his hands as confetti poured over the stage. A triumphant Stefani joined her champion while repeatedly yelling, “You won!” Rubin shook his head in disbelief.
Stefani visibly wanted to share the moment and embrace Rubin. She could be heard asking, “I can’t hug him?” But due to COVID-19 guidelines, the pair had to maintain a social distance even while celebrating.
“We’re trying to understand what is happening right now and we aren’t even supposed to be close to each other,” Stefani said in a Twitter video with Rubin afterwards.
‘The Voice’ finale, Part One:Carter Rubin, Jim Ranger, rest of Final Five sing for the crown. Who will win?
Rubin first started his “Voice” journey at 14. He earned two chair turns from Stefani and John Legend during his piercing rendition of Lewis Capaldi’s “Before You Go.”
“You do not look like your voice… I cannot believe what I’m seeing and hearing right now,” Stefani said during the Blind Auditions. “My son is 14 years old, so I can be a mom figure for you because I am a mom.”
Stefani took on that role for Rubin throughout the competition and was brought to tears on several occasions by her newest cub. On Tuesday, Rubin told Stefani: “Not only are you a phenomenal coach, you are a phenomenal human… it’s a dream come true to work with you.”
“You are so special as a human being. I just loved getting to know you. You’re inspiring. Thank you for choosing me,” Stefani told him.
Carter Rubin was crowned the Season 19 champ of “The Voice” during Tuesday’s finale, handing Stefani her first win in her fifth season as a coach. (Photo: NBC, Trae Patton/NBC)
Shelton called this season “special” because there were doubts over whether the NBC competition could continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Just a few months ago, we weren’t even sure we were going to be able have a season,” Shelton said. “And now to see that we’ve been able to do this thing. I don’t feel like we’ve missed anything, outside of the studio audience.”
The in-person audience may have been missing, but the talent wasn’t. And after an unprecedented season riddled with COVID-19 restrictions – including Ryan Gallagher’s abrupt exit over alleged breached protocols – and social distancing, the results are in.
And it came down to Team Shelton vs. Team Stefani. “To be a fly on the wall at the after party,” Daly joked after the finale reveal.
When the votes were tallied, Jim Ranger (Team Shelton) finished in second place; Ian Flanigan (Team Shelton) came in third; Desz (Team Kelly Clarkson) in fourth; John Holiday (Team Legend) in fifth.
“Congrats on the win @gwenstefani ! I’ll let this one slide!” Shelton tweeted afterwards. “@carterjrubin… if anyone beat #TeamBlake, I’m glad it’s you!!!!”
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The two-hour season finale felt like a concert, with more than a dozen guest performances and post-competition duets with the Top 5 and their coaches.
Desz looked right at home next to Clarkson on a powerful rendition of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.” The duo exuded confidence and vocal power in matching tulle skirts.
“The best Christmas gift I’m getting, y’all, is getting to sing with Desz,” Clarkson said.
The Johns (Legend and Holiday) teamed up on “a song of healing,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water.” They sang from behind their respective pianos during the beautiful duet, earning a standing ovation from the rest of the coaches.
Shelton had double duty Tuesday with two finalists. He tackled Waylon Jennings’ “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” with Flanigan. The cowboy then partnered with Ranger on Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens’ “Streets of Bakersfield,” Ranger’s hometown in California.
“I kind of made the decision that I was only going to do duets with Gwen Stefani, so I’m making a huge exception here for the both of you,” Shelton joked.
Stefani appears to be on a different page than her fiancé because she performed their duet “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” sans Shelton. Rubin filled in Shelton’s cowboy boots on the Christmas single.
But the real star of the show was Stefani’s whimsical holiday-inspired getup. “Gwen, your dress is better than the tree in my house,” Daly said.
The Top 20 kicked off the finale with a festive performance of Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” complete with red reindeers, holiday lights and a giant Christmas tree.
Nelly and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard lit up the stage with a their hit song “Lil Bit.” Capaldi performed his single “Before You Go” (the same song Rubin auditioned with during the Blind Auditions).
24kGoldn and Iann Dior brought a vibrant light show to the stage with their song “Mood.” Lauren Daigle performed her mega hit “You Say” and JP Saxe and Julia Michaels sang the Grammy-nominated “If the World Was Ending.” (Michaels served as an adviser for Team Stefani during the Battles.)
Jason Derulo joined the live broadcast virtually from his Winter Wonderland in Los Angeles for a performance of “Take You Dancing” and “Savage Love.” Dan + Shay joined from the Universal Studios backlot for “Take Me Home For Christmas.”
Keith Urban and Pink also paired up for a remote performance of “One Too Many.”
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