Spoiler alert! This story reveals who was eliminated in the first round of The Voice’s Season 24 Playoffs in the episode that aired November 21.
Niall Horan’s team took center stage on The Voice for the first night of Playoffs on November 21, with all six of his singers performing in hopes of moving on to the live shows. The One Direction alum then had the unenviable task of sending home half of his team, and it was clear that the decision weighed heavy on Horan throughout the night. In the end, he did what he came to do, but did he make the right decision? Fans on social media seemed to think he eliminated the artist who would have won it all.
Each coach finished the Knockout round with five artists on their team; however, Carson Daly announced that due to the caliber of talent on Season 24, John Legend, Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan would all be allowed to bring one person back for the Playoffs. Horan’s decision to give 13-year-old Julia Roome one more chance certainly made his final decision harder, as she — and the other five members of her team — left it all on the stage, especially fan favorite Alexa Wildish.
However, when it came time to pick the three contestants who would continue to represent Team Niall in the Top 12, the coach chose Nini Iris, Huntley and Mara Justine. The blowback from fans came fast and furiously, with one posting:
How is Alexa not going to the live show??? @NiallOfficial I AM SO UPSET!!!!!!! #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/S8sPUh5J6vNovember 22, 2023
Another viewer said Alexa Wildish seemed to be on track to win the whole season, writing on X:
You made the wrong decision by sending home Alexa. She would have won this season and I know that many people agree.
To put into context how good Alexa Wildish is, consider her Knockout performance. The 34-year-old California resident was up against Julia Roome — Niall Horan’s Super Save — and Lennon VanderDoes, who had John Legend and the other coaches practically sobbing after his performance. And Wildish still came out on top with her unique take on Cher’s “Believe.”
In the Blind Auditions, Alexa Wildish was one of the few Four-Chair Turns who didn’t choose John Legend, after her rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird,” and she won her Battle duet singing “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish. After all the praise that’s been heaped on her in the competition, fans could not believe the injustice of not seeing her in the Top 12. Their comments continued:
- Niall is either an idiot, or somebody told him who he had to pick!! What a JOKE – emconway55
- NOPE NOPE NOPE Alexa should be moving on. I will die on this hill. – TheSaxyOne
- I don’t understand the judges’ decisions this year, unless they are being told who to pick. Alexa has been praised by all judges as one of the favourites and all of sudden she is not chosen to make the lives? Make it make sense! – The_Shoe_Freak
- Alexa deserved to go to the top 12. She was the best out of everyone this season by far. – tyler_xcx
- BIG MISTAKE not choosing Alexa. She could have won for you. – Queenie427
- I cannot believe Alexa just went home 😭 – TaliseAngel
You can watch Alexa Wildish’s Playoff performance below and decide if you think she should still be in the competition:
Unfortunately we’ll never know if Alexa Wildish would have pulled off the Season 24 win had she continued to the stage where America gets to vote. The Voice coaches have no Saves or Steals in the Playoffs, so this really was the end of the road. Hopefully it’s not the last we hear from the artist though, and she’ll go on to find success after The Voice.
Tune in to see the next two teams battle it out for their place in the Top 12, when The Voice returns at 8 p.m. ET next Monday, November 27, on NBC. Episodes can also be streamed the next day with a Peacock subscription.
