‘The Voice’: Niall Horan & Gwen Stefani Left in Tears After Shock Elimination

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After receiving four chair turns in the Blind Auditions and sharing his heartfelt reason for being on the show, The Voice contestant Dylan Carter was among the favorites to win the show.

However, as the NBC competition show continued its Battle Rounds on Tuesday (October 31) night, fans were in for a huge shock, as Carter was surprisingly eliminated after an impressive showdown with fellow contestant Tom Nitti.

Both members of Reba McEntire‘s team, country singers Carter and Nitti had a tough task of impressing the Queen of Country. The pair sang Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t,” a song about appreciating loved ones, which seemed fitting for Carter, whose mom suddenly died at age 47 from a heart blockage.

Carter, who blew the coaches away during the Blind Auditions with his emotional rendition of Whitney Houston‘s “I Look To You,” previously revealed his mother had recently passed away. He also told the coaches he’d wanted to sing the Whitney classic at his mom’s funeral but couldn’t make it through the performance.

Between his stunning performance and emotional backstory, McEntire was quickly won over by Carter, even shedding a tear herself after his audition.

In this week’s rehearsals, Carter again spoke about losing his mother, admitting that he took her for granted and never expected to lose her so young. It was clear the young singer was coming into the Battle with a deep, emotional connection to the song.

This all pointed to a near-guaranteed win for Cater, especially up against underdog Nitti, who only received one chair turn during his Blind Audition. It seemed most of the coaches were in agreement, with John Legend telling Nitti he has a “tendency to hide behind the guitar,” while Carter is able to “cut right through” to the heart of the ballad.

Niall Horan, who was teary-eyed during the elimination, backed up Legend’s comments, telling Carter, “I could tell that song meant a lot to you. I could see it all over your face. But you persevered.”

However, the decision of who moved on in the competition was up to McEntire, and she had a different idea in my mind, unexpectedly picking Nitt as the winner of the Battle and sending Carter home.

“Wow!” Gwen Stefani, who was similarly emotional at Carter’s exit, gasped at McEntire’s choice. She also said she would have stolen Carter for her own team if she still had Steal left.

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McEntire said that Nitti had “continued to impress” her but also noted that she still intended to work with Carter despite him leaving the show. “We’re gonna do something. It’s not over,” she stated.

Carter took the loss on the chin and thanked the coaches, saying, “When you all four turned around for me, I gained so much confidence that I needed, and I felt my mom for the first time in a long time. “I’m going to keep chasing my dreams — keep chasing her dreams. Thank you so much.”

Elsewhere on Tuesday’s show, Olivia Minogue beat Laura Williams in their Battle for Team Niall. Team Gwen’s Jason Arcilla defeated Eli Ward in their head-to-head. And Mara Justine moved on for Team Legend after beating Claudio B; however, Horan stole Claudia B. for his team.

The Voice, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, and Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC