Jim And Sasha Allen’s Spectacular Run Concludes During ‘The Voice’ Semifinals
Hometown stars Jim and Sasha Allen’s journey on the NBC singing competition The Voice ended on Tuesday, December 7, to the disappointment of many dedicated fans and their coach Ariana Grande.
The father-son duo soared through the competition, which began with their Blind Audition performing John Denver’s song “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” which aired September 21.
On October 18, viewers saw a montage that included their duet of Stevie Wonder’s song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” with contestant Sophia Bromberg for the Battle Round.
The Allens were selected as the winner of the battle by Grande and moved on to the Knockout Round that was broadcasted November 1.
For the Knockouts, they sang Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ song “Home” and were up against contestant Manny Keith. They won the knockout and went on to be part of The Voice’s Top 20.
For their first live performance on the show, on November 8, Jim and Sasha covered The Beatles’ popular song “Hey Jude.” Sasha also mentioned after the performance that he had been recovering from laryngitis.
Their talent and perseverance not only impressed the coaches, but also America and they were voted in to the Top 13.
On November 15, Jim and Sasha sang “Your Song” by Elton John for Dedication Week. They dedicated it to their family member Stephanie who passed away at the age of 26.
Edmond Town Hall hosted its first free viewing party of The Voice that Monday night, so local fans could watch the show on the big theater screen together.
The support for Jim and Sasha extended beyond Newtown, and America voted them into the Top 11 contestants.
The Top 11 Live Performances took place on November 22. Since it was Fan Week, Jim and Sasha’s supporters were the ones who selected them to sing “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
That night, Edmond Town Hall hosted its second free viewing party and reporter Taylor Kinzler, of CT Live, was on site with a film crew to capture the excitement of the evening. That footage went on to air live before Jim and Sasha performed.
On November 23, the father-and-son duo did a group performance with coach Grande and their teammate Holly Forbes. They sat around a campfire on set and sang “FourFiveSeconds,” by Kanye West, Paul McCartney, and Rihanna.
Later that same night, Jim and Sasha were thrust into the Instant Save Challenge after being in the bottom two contestants. They performed “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz.
The song proved to be the right option to showcase their skills, as they were saved and continued into the Top 10.
On November 29, the Allens performed the rhythm and blues (R&B) ballad “Stay” by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko. It was selected by Grande as part of The Voice’s Challenge Week where coaches picked songs for their artists that were considered outside their typical genre of music.
After America voted that night, the following episode’s results revealed that they had made it through to the semifinals with the Top 8 singers.
Semifinal Live Show
On Monday, December 6, Jim and Sasha took part in the semifinal live performances.
During rehearsal, Grande pointed out that their music has been charting on iTunes [Apple Music]. She said how the achievement “speaks volumes,” to which Jim finished her sentence, saying, “to our coach!”
Grande disagreed and said that it spoke volumes to their hard work and how “beloved” they are. She praised them for their semifinal song selection of “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel, as it had never been sung on the show.
“This is my favorite thing I’ve ever heard,” Grande said when they finished rehearsing. Grande recommended that Sasha consider playing guitar with his dad in addition to singing.
Before the duo performed live, Jim shared, “We would have never gotten here without the love and support from the people that are closest to us,” including his wife, Maddy.
Sasha agreed and specifically cited his girlfriend, Brynn, as being a huge supporter of him personally, musically, and artistically.
Jim and Sasha’s live performance kicked off the night. They sang together with Jim on guitar and an impressive light show behind them.
Then, midway through the song, Sasha leapt off the stage and hustled over to Grande, who was in her coach’s chair holding his guitar. Sasha took the guitar, headed back to the stage, and finished the song playing alongside his dad – just as they had during their Blind Audition.
At the end of the song, host Carson Daly joked that Sasha has “the most talented guitar tech of all time.”
Coach John Legend gave feedback first and pointed out that it is so nice to see them so comfortable on stage. He complimented them for picking the “perfect song” and that it “was so comforting to watch.”
Coach Kelly Clarkson said she enjoyed how they switched off with the harmonies. She also pointed out that The Voice’s musical director, Paul Mirkovich, was singing along with them during the performance. Clarkson added how that it is something she has never witnessed in all her eight seasons on the show.
Grande told Jim and Sasha, “We love you much more each time, because you continue to showcase such amazing musicianship and perfect harmony and amazing vocals, but also there is such a specificity to what you do. It’s nostalgic and it’s warm and it’s so full of love and it’s infectious. I would love for you to be in the finale.”
In addition to the Top 8 singing their solo song, each artist in the competition performed a 90’s duet with another contestant on December 6. Jim and Sasha were partnered with Coach Blake Shelton’s team member Lana Scott, who is considered the main country artist of the season.
The trio sang “Hold My Hand” by Hootie and the Blowfish, which was released in 1994 – a whole seven years before Sasha was born in 2001.
Jim shared, “I love this song. This song came out a few weeks before my wife and I eloped, and we got to hear it on the radio. It was really sweet.”
For that live performance, Jim sang and played mandolin in the center of the stage. Sasha and Lana sang while also moving, feeling the music. A light fog covered the ground of the stage and the light show behind them had large text that read, “Hold My Hand.”
When the camera panned to the judges, Clarkson could be seen standing and dancing to the music, and at the end Shelton was on his feet applauding.
On Tuesday, December 7, it was results night, where the four artists that received the most votes would automatically go on to the finale. The remaining four singers would then have to compete for the Instant Save for the fifth and last spot.
Between live performances by coaches John Legend and Blake Shelton, as well as other musical acts, host Carson Daly declared who America had saved.
The suspense built with every round of announcements.
Before the third set of results, Daly asked Sasha, “What moment will you always remember from your time on the show?”
“Well, Ariana, you have helped me through wardrobe malfunctions, laryngitis – the list goes on and on – but my favorite moments with you have nothing to do with this show or you being our coach,” he said. “You are just my friend and I love you. I adore you. Every moment and memory with you I will always hold so special to me. I think you are such an incredible person, and I wouldn’t want to be here without you. I think you’re the greatest.
Sasha added, “Trans rights. Shout out non-binary people. And I love you, Ari.”
After that, Daly observed, “And … Ariana is crying.”
It was soon discovered that Jim and Sasha would be going to the Instant Save Challenge, along with Lana Scott, Joshua Vacanti, and Jershika Maple. The latter two singers are both on coach Legend’s team.
For the Instant Save, the Allens sang “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates, which had coach Grande on her feet dancing during the performance. The father and son fed off each other’s playful energy and were constantly smiling at one another, appearing to be having fun in the face of such high stakes.
Clarkson was the first coach to comment after they sang and said, “Anytime you have a show, I want to come.”
Grande, with emotion in her voice, said, “You just bring such an amazing and irreplaceable, like, necessary energy to the show. You have so much light. It is so infectious, and it would be a calamitous mistake to not have you in the finale. Please, everyone, vote for Jim and Sasha!”
In the last few moments of the show, Daly let each contestant in the bottom four have a few seconds to talk directly to their coaches should they leave that night.
With a smile, Sasha said to Grande, “Ten seconds? Ten seconds can never, ever, like – I adore you … You’re the greatest. I’m going to be crying to you in two hours saying everything I can’t say in one second. It’s done. I love you so much.”
Grande responded that she is not saying goodbye to them and joked that Tuesday’s – elimination nights – are “the worst days ever.” She went on to say, “Thirdly, I think the best gift of this whole thing has been meeting you. Thank you. I love you. It’s been an honor.”
When the Instant Save voting was closed, Daly announced that America had saved Jershika Maple, meaning Jim and Sasha’s time on The Voice had ended.
To stay up-to-date on Jim and Sasha Allen’s musical journey after The Voice, follow them on Instagram @JimAndSasha. Watch The Voice’s two-day finale on Monday, December 13, and Tuesday, December 14, at 8 pm.
Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.