The Voice 2024 Finale LIVE - Voice fans rage Dan + Shay

The Voice fans rage Dan + Shay ‘doomed’ finalist Karen Waldrup as she sounds ‘off-key’ in ‘disappointing’ performance

VIEWERS have claimed Dan + Shay may have set their sole contestant up for failure with her first performance on The Voice’s live finale.

Karen Waldrup, the only competitor left on Team Dan + Shay, sang her own rendition of Rascal Flatts’ hit song, What Hurts the Most.

The Voice Season 25 finale viewers thought Karen Waldrup’s coaches, Dan + Shay, may have ‘doomed’ her with her first song of the nightCredit: NBC

Fans weren’t too impressed with Karen’s ‘off-key’ performance despite her coaches’ positive reactionsCredit: NBC

Karen is Dan + Shay’s only contestant to make it into the finals, while both Reba McEntire and John Legend have two finalists eachCredit: NBC
Karen is one of the five finalists left on The Voice Season 25, along with Bryan Olesen, Nathan Chester, Josh Sanders, and Asher HaVon.

The country pop duo raved over Karen’s first song of the night, with coach Dan even commenting, “The performance right there is what will win you The Voice.”

Many viewers, however, thought she should have been set up with an arrangement that better suited her voice.

“Dan + Shay’s arrangement doomed Karen. Love them but that was a bad call,” one person commented on Instagram.

Others took to X to share their thoughts, with one writing, “I expected a lot more… extremely off key.”

“I like Karen, but she sounded like she was singing at top volume the whole time. I just prefer a more dynamic, melodic voice than a full-time belter,” a second said.

“Karen and Dan and Shay should have attempted to change the arrangement of this song for Karen, or find better ways to let her breathe,” added a third.

“The thing is, Karen has an amazing voice and range with the right song,” a fourth noted.

“This song is doing karen no favors im afraid. a big step down from her performance last week,” tweeted another.

Despite some negative reactions from fans, Karen received a standing ovation from each of the coaches for her performance.

The Voice 2024 LIVE — Top 9 finalists face semi-finals tonight as new coaches revealed for next season
Before taking the stage, she was seen chatting with Dan + Shay and host Carson Daly, 50, about her journey so far this season.

The duo thanked Karen for getting them to the finale as Carson mentioned how fellow coach Reba McEntire, 69, was blocked from choosing the singer.

Reba has two contestants remaining in the competition: Josh Sanders and Asher HaVon.

There are also two finalists left on Team Legend — Nathan Chester and Bryan Olesen — while coach Chance the Rapper is out of the running.

The Voice winners

The Voice is an American television series broadcast on NBC.

American vocalists work alongside a group of celebrity judges to compete for a $100,00 prize and a record deal with Universal Music Group. Past winners are as follows:

Season 1: Javier Colon
Season 2: Jermaine Paul
Season 3: Cassadee Pope
Season 4: Danielle Bradbery
Season 5: Tessanne Chin
Season 6: Josh Kaufman
Season 7: Craig Wayne Boyd
Season 8: Sawyer Fredericks
Season 9: Jordan Smith
Season 10: Alisan Porter
Season 11: Sundance Head

Season 12: Chris Blue
Season 13: Chloe Kohanski
Season 14: Brynn Cartelli
Season 15: Chevel Shepherd
Season 16: Maelyn Jarmon
Season 17: Jake Hoot
Season 18: Todd Tilghman
Season 19: Carter Rubin
Season 20: Cam Anthony
Season 21: Girl Named Tom
Season 22: Bryce Leatherwood
Season 23: Gina Miles
Season 24: Michael Huntley

LEAVING ALREADY?

Last week, Dan + Shay addressed their exit from the show after the Season 26 coaches lineup was revealed.

While the duo just joined on for Season 25, they will not be partaking in the next season of the NBC series.

The two talked about their departure and hinted at a possible return in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“I think that’s absolutely a possibility,” Shay said when asked about someday returning to the reality competition.

He clarified that the return would have to be some time in the future due to their busy schedule.

“We’re touring a lot this year, which we’re really excited about but obviously doesn’t allow us to come back.

“I think that would be a blast if they would have us, we would definitely love to see what that looked like,” he continued.

Dan + Shay were then asked if they had any advice for newcomers Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg.

“Those guys are seasoned pros,” Dan said. “They’re top of their game, they don’t need our advice but they’re gonna have a blast. They’re gonna kill it.”