The ballad songs on Oct. 14 filled the room with emotion. The third round of The Voice had everyone on the edge of their seats in Washburn A/B. With 12 contestants and only three spots for the finals, judges had to make the tough decision of who would move on.

All of the participating parties were able to make a comeback from last week’s challenge of singing songs they were unfamiliar with.

Dr. Noonan’s team brought the heat with a variety of different songs. Carmen Bauer started off the night with “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. Then Xavier Jameson stole the show with the song “Back at One” by Bryan McKnight. Sierra Jeter was up next with “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5. Lastly, Angela brought immense emotions with the song “If The World Was Ending” by JP Saxe and Julia Michaels.

Attending a prior engagement, Danielle Dempsey-Swopes sat in for Dr. Desoto, and she had the final say as to who would advance to the finals.

On Dr. Desoto’s team, Eric Patterson grabbed the audience’s attention with “This is a Man’s World” by James Brown. Madeline Dumler came with the heat, singing “Pretty Funny” by Lindsay Mendez. Chartell Grissom threw the crowd for a loop with the song “Tennessee Whiskey ” by Chris Stapleton. Rounding out the team after being saved from elimination last week, Lesley Ayala sang her heart out with the song “¡Corre!” by Jesse and Joy.

Finally, Dr. Grospitch’s team put on a show for the audience. Bryan Wyckoff started the team strong with “Broken” by Seether and Amy Lee. Maddie Ray did a great rendition of “I Love You” by Billie Eilish. Meghan Scott filled the room with “Piece By Piece” by Kelly Clarkson. The final contestant of the night, Gabe Reichart, sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.

“The previous week we all wrote down our favorite songs on a sticky note and we didn’t know this was happening, but they put them all in a baseball cap. We picked out of it and that was the song we had to sing. We had no control over it. Pretty much all of us got a song that we did not know,” said Meghan Scott, a sophomore elementary education major.

At the end of the semi-final round, only Chartell Grissom, Meghan Scott and Angela Holthaus were left standing. Coming up the final round of The Voice, the three final contestants feel the heat of the competition on the rise. Hoping to improve and bring their best performances next week, each wants to spice up their acts.

“Stage presence is really big and I need to get a strap for my guitar so I can stand,” said Angela Holthaus, a junior nursing major.

With her ability to walk and sing, Holthaus hopes to engage the crowd and make next week her best performance so far.

“Dr. G has been great. When I met with him he talked to me about stage presence and what the song means, which was really meaningful this week. He was the first to admit that he might not have as much music experience as the rest of the coaches, but he has been absolutely amazing with the advice he has given,” said Scott.

Holthaus gave her take on what it was like being a part of Noonan’s team.

“I had Dr. Noonan and she was very helpful. You can tell she is very knowledgeable about music and she really helped me with my overall plan with the song like the peaks and the lows. She just helped me get an overall idea of what to do,” said Holthaus.

The coaches and audience have been huge supporters of the participants.

“I didn’t come to the first week and last week they sang other people’s songs, but this week Gabe brought it. I was like yes. I am biased because I came for Chartell,” said Tonyce Jackson, a senior integrated studies major.

With only three finalists and one winner, the heat is rising.

“I’m rooting for Chartell because she can sing and is the reason I didn’t sign up. I want Chartell to win, but these are some good people in the line-up,” said Jackson.

With $1000 on the line, the finalists are excited and motivated.

“We just had our meeting about what the plan is for next week and it’s going to be fun. I’ll use the money to pay off my student loans because college is expensive,” said Scott.

Holthaus agreed that the money will help students in many areas with tuition being high on the list.

Next week the finalists are set to take the stage at 7 p.m. in Washburn A/B for the final round of The Voice.

Edited by Ellie Walker, Kyle Manthe