The third season of the American reality talent show The Voice premiered on September 10, 2012, on NBC. NBC officially announced The Voice's renewal on May 13, 2012, during its 2012–13 upfront presentation, with the show returning as a fall series. Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green continued as coaches.
Season three introduced Steals during the Battle rounds in which other coaches can save a losing artist to join them to their team and reinstating them in the competition. It was initially enacted during the Battle rounds, but would later extended to Knockout rounds (also introduced this season) from season 5 onwards.
This is the first season to introduce a revamp of the competition during the live shows adapting to a format similar to The X Factor, where eliminations now apply to any artists disregarding to the team's affiliation, and the iTunes bonus multiplier where it was awarded a tenfold of votes (fivefold as of season five) to certain artists if their recorded single peaked at a certain position at the close of the voting window. This is also the first time in the show's history a reduced three artists represented in the finale, thus making it the first season not all of the coaches would guarantee to represent an artist in the finale. This is one of nine seasons where the team size was not 12, but with a size of 16 (The inaugural season was the first with a size of eight members; seasons 18 through 20, season 23 and season 25 had 10 members; and seasons 22, 24, and the current 26th had 14 members instead of the traditional 12).
Cassadee Pope was named the winner of the season, making her the first female winner of The Voice. marking Blake Shelton's second win as a coach, and the first coach to win multiple (and consecutive) seasons. She also the first winner who had the performance montaged (battle round).
Auditions, coaches, and hosts
Auditions for were held on July 7 to August 12, 2012, in Memphis, Minneapolis, New York, Dallas and Los Angeles.
All original coaches signed on for season three. Mary J. Blige, Michael Bublé, Rob Thomas, and Billie Joe Armstrong joined the show as advisers for Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, CeeLo Green, and Christina Aguilera's teams respectively during the Battle Rounds segment of the show. Christina, Blake, and Cee Lo brought in Ron Fair, Scott Hendricks, and Jennifer Hudson respectively to help coach in the episode, Top 10 Perform Live. Cee Lo brought in Bill Withers to coach Nicholas David the following week, and was sick during rehearsals for the subsequent week, so he brought in Pat Monahan, lead singer for Train, to coach all his artists that week, while still choosing his team members' songs and keeping in touch with them on the phone.
Teams Color key
Coaches Top 64 artists Adam Levine Amanda Brown Melanie Martinez Bryan Keith Loren Allred Joselyn Rivera Sam James Joe Kirkland Nicole Nelson Kayla Nevarez Michelle Brooks-Thompson Alessandra Guercio Collin McLoughlin Caitlin Michele Benji Adanna Duru Brandon Mahone Samuel Mouton Brian Scartocci CeeLo Green Nicholas David Trevin Hunte Cody Belew MacKenzie Bourg Diego Val Terisa Griffin Caitlin Michele Daniel Rosa Mycle Wastman Avery Wilson Chevonne Amanda Brown JR Aquino DOMO Emily Earle Todd Kessler Alexis Marceaux Ben Taub Christina Aguilera Dez Duron Sylvia Yacoub Adriana Louise De'Borah Devyn DeLoera Aquile Chevonne Alessandra Guercio Laura Vivas Celica Westbrook MarissaAnne Joselyn Rivera Beat Frequency Nathalie Hernandez Nelly's Echo Paulina Jordan Pruitt Lisa Scinta Blake Shelton Cassadee Pope Terry McDermott Michaela Paige Julio Cesar Castillo Liz Davis Suzanna Choffel Gracia Harrison MarissaAnne Collin McLoughlin Rudy Parris Terisa Griffin 2Steel Girls Lelia Broussard Kelly Crapa Ryan Jirovec Nicole Johnson Casey Muessigmann Charlie Rey
Blind auditions Color key Coach hit his/her "I WANT YOU" button Artist defaulted to this coach's team Artist selected to join this coach's team Artist eliminated with no coach pressing his or her "I WANT YOU" button
Episode 1 (Sept. 10) The coaches performed "Start Me Up" at the start of the show.
Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Terry McDermott 35 Aberdeen, Scotland "Baba O'Riley" — 2 De'Borah 25 Chicago Heights, Illinois "Hey, Soul Sister" — — 3 Gracia Harrison 18 Virden, Illinois "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" — 4 Garrett Gardner 16 Ringwood, New Jersey "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" — — — — 5 Devyn DeLoera 20 Snyder, Texas "Ain't No Other Man" — 6 Bryan Keith 22 New York City, New York "It Will Rain" 7 Daniel Rosa 21 Riverside, California "Somebody That I Used to Know" — — 8 Anita Antoinette 22 Boston, Massachusetts / Kingston, Jamaica "No Woman, No Cry" — — — — 9 Joe Kirkland 24 Fort Worth, Texas "Gives You Hell" — — 10 Jessica Sharpe 23 Greensboro, North Carolina "Son of a Preacher Man" — — — — 11 Danny Hunter Jones N/A Los Angeles, California "Superstition" — — — — 12 Jamie Pickett N/A New York City, New York "Love on Top" — — — — 13 Odiseas Georgiadis 15 New York City, New York "The Lazy Song" — — — — 14 Trevin Hunte 18 New York City, New York "Listen" —
Episode 2 (Sept. 11)
Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Adriana Louise 22 New York City, New York "Domino" 2 Casey Muessigmann 22 Spencer, Iowa "Sweet Home Alabama" — — 3 Aquile 24 San Diego, California "Your Song" — 4 Ryan Fogarty 28 Nashville, Tennessee "Tomorrow" — — — — 5 Brett Hite N/A Spokane, Washington "Replay" — — — — 6 Jamie Lampert N/A Chicago, Illinois "Poker Face" — — — — 7 Matt Carr N/A Hanover, New Hampshire/Boston, Massachusetts "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" — — — — 8 MacKenzie Bourg 19 Lafayette, Louisiana "Pumped Up Kicks" — — — 9 Julio Cesar Castillo 21 Chicago, Illinois "La Bamba" — —
Episode 3 (Sept. 12)
Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Samuel Mouton 19 Fort Collins, Colorado "Redemption Song" — 2 Chris Trousdale 26 Big Rapids, Michigan / New Port Richey, Florida "Glad You Came" — — — — 3 Mike Squillanté N/A Boston, Massachusetts "Everybody Talks" — — — — 4 Jasmin Rose N/A N/A "Mercy" — — — — 5 Brandon Clark N/A Atlanta, Georgia "Colder Weather" — — — — 6 Nelly's Echo 32 Lagos, Nigeria/Baltimore, Maryland "Ain't No Sunshine" — — 7 2Steel Girls (Krystal and Allison Steel) 23 & 44 Nashville, Tennessee "Before He Cheats" — — 8 Lisa Scinta 26 Las Vegas, Nevada "Teenage Dream" — — 9 MarissaAnne 15 Long Island, New York "Part of Me" — — 10 Loren Allred 22 Salt Lake City, Utah/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania "When Love Takes Over" — — 11 DOMO 26 New York City, New York "Don't Cha" — — — 12 Nicole Nelson 34 Burlington, Vermont "Hallelujah"
Episode 4 (Sept. 17) A preview of Christina Aguilera's video for Your Body was televised.
Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Melanie Martinez 17Astoria, New York City, New York "Toxic" — 2 Cupid 29 Lafayette, Louisiana "Cupid Shuffle" — — — — 3 Brian Scartocci 26 Austin, Texas "Isn't She Lovely" — 4 VanJess Lagos, Nigeria /Rancho Cucamonga, California "Work Out" — — — — 5 Maddie and Julia N/A Scotch Plains, New Jersey/New Paltz, New York "Disturbia" — — — — 6 The Wadsworth Sisters N/A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "Edge of Seventeen" — — — — 7 Beat Frequency (Shawn Lewis and Natasha Neuschwander) Vancouver, Washington "E.T." — — — 8 Tyler Lillestol 23 Riverside, California "U Got It Bad" — — — — 9 Liz Davis 25 Madison, Mississippi "Here for the Party" — 10 JR Aquino 24 Anchorage, Alaska "Just the Way You Are" — 11 Agina Alvarez 22 San Diego, California "Turn the Beat Around" — — — — 12 Nicholas David 31 Saint Paul, Minnesota "Stand By Me" — — — 13 Alessandra Guercio 17 New York City, New York "The Climb" — — 14 Adanna Duru 15 Walnut, California "The Edge of Glory" — — — 15 Kelly Crapa 15 New Fairfield, Connecticut "Sparks Fly" — — — 16 Paulina 16 Los Angeles, California "You Make Me Feel..." — — — 17 Avery Wilson 16 Hamden, Connecticut "Without You"
Episode 5 (Sept. 18) Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Trevanne Howell 33 New York City, New York "I Have Nothing" — — — — 2 Collin McLoughlin 24 Bedford, New York "Wild World" — 3 Joselyn Rivera 17 Pembroke Pines, Florida "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — — 4 Benji 24 Orlando, Florida "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" — — 5 Todd Kessler 30 Chicago, Illinois "Maggie May" — — — 6 Ben Taub 21 Princeton, New Jersey "Feeling Good" — — 7 Emily Earle 23 New York City, New York "Ring of Fire" — — — 8 Lorraine Ferro 52 New York City, New York "Skyscraper" — — — — 9 Mycle Wastman 40 Seattle, Washington "Let's Stay Together" —
Episode 6 (Sept. 24)
Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Michelle Brooks-Thompson 28 Sunderland, Massachusetts "Proud Mary" — 2 Diego Val 25 Lima, Peru /Miami, Florida "Animal" — — — 3 Lauren Brooke 24 Pawling, New York "Cowboy Casanova" — — — — 4 Suzanna Choffel 32 Austin, Texas "Landslide" — — 5 Michaela Paige 16 Boca Raton, Florida "Sober" — — — 6 Ryan Jirovec 28 McAllen, Texas "Amazed" — — — 7 Dez Duron 22 Shreveport, Louisiana "Sara Smile" — 8 VJ Rosales 25 Bellflower, California "Forget You" — — — — 9 Alexis Marceaux 23 New Orleans, Louisiana "Go Your Own Way" — — — 10 Sam James 26 Worcester, Massachusetts "Imagine" — — — 11 Laura Vivas 33 West Palm Beach, Florida "Whataya Want From Me" — — — 12 Lelia Broussard 23 Los Angeles, California "We Can Work It Out" — — — 13 Brandon Mahone 17 Chicago, Illinois/Indiana "I Wish It Would Rain" — 14 Jeffrey James 25 Brownsburg, Indiana "A Little Less Conversation" — — — — 15 Paige Bryan 26 Los Angeles, California "You Keep Me Hangin' On" — — — — 16 Cameron Hovsepian N/A Los Angeles, California "I Need a Dollar" — — — — 17 LaRae Rhodes N/A N/A "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" — — — — 18 Jordan Pruitt 21 Loganville, Georgia "The One That Got Away" — — — 19 Terisa Griffin 42 Chicago, Illinois "Someone Like You" — —
Episode 7 (Sept. 25)
Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Sylvia Yacoub 19 Alexandria, Egypt /Muskegon, Michigan "Only Girl (In the World)" — 2 IJ Quinn 25 Warsaw, North Carolina "Virtual Insanity" — — — — 3 Charlie Rey 21 Long Beach, California "Home" — — 4 Amanda Brown 27 New York City, New York "Valerie" — — — 5 Yolanda Barber 55 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania "Get Here" — — — — 6 Cassadee Pope 23 West Palm Beach, Florida "Torn"
Episode 8 (Oct. 1) Order Artist Age Hometown Song Coach's and artist's choices Adam CeeLo Christina Blake 1 Nathalie Hernandez 15 Dunedin, Florida "White Horse" — 2 Rod Michael 26 Allentown, Pennsylvania/Atlanta, Georgia "Please Don't Go" — — — — 3 Caitlin Michele 20 Boston, Massachusetts "Cosmic Love" — — 4 Nicole Johnson 18 Denham Springs, Louisiana/Nashville, Tennessee "Mr. Know It All" — — 5 Kameron Corvet 32 Cincinnati, Ohio/Atlanta, Georgia "Crazy" — — — — 6 Chevonne 26 Little Falls, New Jersey "Brass in Pocket" — — 7 Kayla Nevarez 17 Mission Viejo, California "American Boy" — 8 Celica Westbrook 16 Franklin, Tennessee "A Thousand Years" Team full 9 Jay Taylor N/A Duette, Florida/Nashville, Tennessee "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" — Team full — 10 Gedina N/A N/A"Ain't Nobody" — — 11 Taylor Wagner N/A Mattoon, Illinois/Nashville, Tennessee "Mean" — — 12 Jessica Cayne 26 Grayson, Georgia "Good Girl" — — 13 Rudy Parris 46 Visalia, California "Every Breath You Take" 14 Cody Belew 27 Beebe, Arkansas "Hard to Handle" Team full
Episode 9: The Best of the Blind Auditions (Oct. 2) Episode 9 featured a clip show recapping some of the highlights of the blind auditions, along with the preview of the Battle rounds.
The Battles