Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #18 Writings On The Wall - Matt Terry / X Factor UK

18. WRITINGS ON THE WALL
Matt Terry
X Factor UK

The opening verses had a good restraint quality about them, and by the time Matt reached that grand chorus, it was as if his voice had blown-up into something bigger and more ferocious navigating effortlessly the deceptively tricky melody. To some, Sam Smith was a tough act to follow and that his version paled in comparison, but to others, this was one stellar performance with seven (7) of the panelists ranking it within their Top 10. The numbers eventually went to his favor.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #19 Stone Cold - Kimberly Fransens / Idol Netherlands

19. STONE COLD

Kimberly Fransens

Idol Netherlands

DRAMA! Whether there was too much of it or not - based from the jury's comments - Kimberly's take on Demi Lovato's riveting ballad was one for the books. No, this wasn't cleanest, most prestine vocals this year, but there's a real perfection in the nooks and crannies and imperfections of her voice. The dramatic break in her voice, combined with the tortured wail of the chorus, was the kind of from-the-gut singing that upgrades this to something special. Or maybe not. This posted the second highest standard deviation that entered the list and based on the scorecard, you'd understand why.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #20 Valerie - Dave Moisan & Michael Sanchez / The Voice US (Fall)

20. VALERIE
Dave Moisan & Michael Sanchez
The Voice US (Fall)

Dave Moisan was spotless in his falsetto, while Michael Sanchez's smoky tone was just arm-tingly sublime. There was just so much soul, warmth, and complexity to the blend of their voices, that one could've just basked in two hours of music from the both of them. This was highly favored by some of the jury that one of them even ranked this performance as THE best of the year, with four (4) putting it in their Top 10. Not too shabby for the two dudes that didn't even make the Live Playoffs during their season.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #21 1+1 - Bryan Bautista / The Voice US (Spring)

21. 1+1
Bryan Bautista
The Voice US (Spring)

Bryan displayed so much range - belted and whispered, hit notes of the growly and falsetto varieties and also managed to deliver even the trickiest sequences of notes that looked effortless - that one had to just stop and simply enjoy the performance, all while capturing the sensuality of the song.  This performance scored half of the panel's nod to be part of the Top 25 even placing second from one jury member.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #22 All Of Me - Alfie Arcuri / The Voice Australia

22. ALL OF ME
Alfie Arcuri
The Voice Australia

By no means was this the most original or even the most creative performance this year - Alfie was pretty much coloring directly within the template of Sam Smith's hit - but in this particular instance, some of the jury couldn’t help but be wowed by his technical prowess and the way his voice rose and soared without ever going the slightest bit out of tune. His emotional connection to the song was also lauded by the jury. Like this year's trend though, high standard deviation made this an interesting case having ranked as high as #5 and as low as #62.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #23 Holy Grail - Maan de Steenwinkel / The Voice Holland

23. HOLY GRAIL
Maan de Steenwinkel
The Voice Holland

Maan de Steenwinkel's take on Holy Grail showed a lot of creativity stripping down the melody to something more substantial backed by her impressive vocals and her total popstar package. So it was quite a surprise how this ended up as one of the more polarizing performances of the year posting a huge standard deviation. Nonetheless, it had enough love to push it to the upper tier of the group.

Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2016: #24 Leave Your Lover - Caity Peters / The Voice US (Spring)

24. LEAVE YOUR LOVER

Caity Peters

The Voice US (Spring)

She didn't exactly shake up the formula of Sam Smith’s original, but Caity showcased impeccable control and gorgeous tone, not to mention the way she authentically conveyed whatever emotion the song required. In a sea of outstandingly over-the-top vocals, Leave Your Lovers inclusion was a pleasant surprise.