Maelyn Jarmon Pulls Ahead of Gyth Rigdon, Wins ‘The Voice’
Season 16 of NBC's hit reality show The Voice has been quite the country-flavored romp, with coach Blake Shelton going for his seventh win in bulldozer form—having notched three contestants in the Top 4, and all of them country singers, at that.
However, standing up to the male country crowd was one lone woman, Maelyn Jarmon, representing John Legend's team. And, it was that lone female—and non-country voice—that ended up taking America's votes.
Jarmon was, arguably, neck-and-neck with Shelton's Gyth Rigdon, a Louisiana native who won the nation's hearts with a series of interesting and sometimes daring song choices—most notably, a cover of Lee Greenwood's ultra-patriotic anthem, "God Bless the U.S.A." He also proved a strong contender with a touching cover of the late Earl Thomas Conley's "Once in a Blue Moon" on Monday's part 1 of the finale (May 20).
Jarmon, however, charmed with her own series of memorable performances, including a show-stopping version of Leonard Cohen's classic "Hallelujah." The singer has an admirable backstory, being completely deaf in one ear and only having 20% hearing in the other. Her win marks Legend's triumph in his inaugural coaching role.
Shelton, who has now lost three seasons in a row, noted to Rigdon, "Buddy, this has been a hell of a run for you, no matter what happens, you guys both are incredible. I couldn't be happier. I couldn't be."
Rigdon fared just slightly less better than his fellow Louisiana native singer Laine Hardy, who on Sunday took home the title of American Idol for that show's season.
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