Shocking elimination on 'The Voice'

In the early stages of the season, I would have never guessed that it would come down to Nicholas David and Trevin Hunte, sweating it out onstage as they anxiously awaited the announcement of which singer would make it to the show's finale. Surely, it would be the high school student who stunned coaches and viewers alike with his emotional performance of Beyonce's “Listen.”

After Terry McDermott and Cassadee Pope had secured their spots in the top three, there was still quite a bit of time left in the show before we would find out if Hunte or David was moving on. Would there be some more special guests singing Christmas carols? Another former contestant trotting out their debut single? Guess again. In a cruel twist, the dueling vocalists were forced to sing a duet together – and a Mariah Carey song, no less! Oh, “The Voice” – you wicked minx. Let's blame Carson Daly; I think we're all comfortable deeming him the scapegoat after three trying months of grating commentary and awkward embraces.

There was a collective gasp as we found out that it would be David, not Hunte, joining McDermott and Pope as “The Voice's” final three. How could this happen?

It's simple. Hunte had his peak moment last week with that Jennifer Hudson tune and it would be virtually impossible to top it. If only he had saved another “Dreamgirls” hit for last. “Wind Beneath My Wings” was a bad choice – let me just freely admit that I kind of hate that song – and, aside from his ill-advised selection of Usher's “Scream,” it may have been his least impressive performance. I still say he should have gone with some Etta James or Aretha Franklin (if Amanda Brown hadn't beat him to it). How great would he be at “Something's Got a Hold on Me” or “At Last?” I'm sure that he'll do OK after this; he's just 18, which is easy to forget, and he's already poised to take off. He's got so much talent but I don't think he's figured out who he wants to be yet. Who has at that age?

Now, it's down to Pope, McDermott and David. I personally would love to see McDermott win it, but odds are that Pope will take it all. If she keeps doing the country thing and starts penning songs about bad breakups, she could give Taylor Swift a run for her money. I think that the producers want her to win – with the way her iTunes singles are selling like hotcakes, she could be the show's first big success story, helping to lend more credibility to the competition. Better yet, they'd have a star before the US version of “The X Factor” does.

More musings on last night's “Voice” –

- I really wanted to love Juliet Simms' new single. She did an amazing job belting it out, but there was some strange spoken-word interlude that I couldn't get behind. Edit that stuff out and it will be so much better. I would love to see her succeed in her new endeavors – there still hasn't been a performance that I've loved more than her “Roxanne” or “It's a Man's Man's Man's World.”

- RaeLynn's single was … not my favorite. I struggled to get through it and it makes me sad, because I did admire her spunk and her talent last season. Have all of the truly great songs already been written?

Fashion round-up:

- Best look: Nicholas David looked so dapper in his shiny purple double-breasted suit. That's what I love most about him: Only he could pull that off and make it look completely natural to boot.

- Most aquatic: Cassadee Pope evoked a mermaid with her sequined frock, green on the bottom half and big bouffant. Ariel and Ursula will tell you that massive hair is huge “Under the Sea.”

- Most insane: Christina Aguilera donned a pink-and-blog streaked wig, an alphabet-print top teamed with polka-dot paints, and make-up caked on so thick, even a drag queen would say, “Honey, you need to tone it down.” On Monday, the theme was "Clockwork Orange masquerade." It really made me think about how much I'll miss her last season, with her barbed insults and spectacular sartorial indiscretions. Fingers crossed that Shakira pulls out all the stops next year.