What To Know
- The Top 7 artists hit the stage in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the Sunday, November 23, episode of The Road.
- They each sang an original solo song, as well as a cover song as part of a group performance.
- Cassidy Daniels was the top-rated artist of the night, and Keith Urban had to eliminate one of the bottom two.
Episode 6 of The Road officially marked the halfway point for the remaining seven artists in the competition. During the Sunday, November 23, episode, the contestants all opened up for Keith Urban in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For the first time this season, the singers had to participate in group performances, in addition to their individual sets. For the solo performances, the Top 7 sang original songs, while the group performances featured them performing cover songs.
The audience rated all of the contestants based on their individual performances, with Urban and Dustin Lynch, who was standing in for Blake Shelton, ultimately deciding who would be eliminated from the bottom two. Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out who was sent home at the end of the night.
Group 1
Kicking off the night in Group 1 was Cassidy Daniels, Billie Jo Jones, and Adam Sanders. They performed “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac, and Billie Jo struggled with learning the lyrics in rehearsal.
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“Excellent,” Urban raved, while Lynch said, “Wow, 10 out of 10 right there. All three of them.” Tour manager Gretchen Wilson was mind-blown. “Wow,” she gushed. “I am so impressed.”
Group 2
Group 2 consisted of Channing Wilson, Jenny Tolman, Cody Hibbard, and Britnee Kellogg, and they performed Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s “Sweet Home Alabama.” Although the song doesn’t necessarily highlight vocals, the group knew they could win the crowd over with it.
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“Everybody has their own voice. Everybody was unique,” Lynch pointed out, which Urban agreed with. Lynch also noted that Channing, who has been top-rated all season long, was the “most uncomfortable” singing “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Adam Sanders
The first soloist to perform was Adam, who actually has a history with Lynch. In fact, Adam was a cowriter on Lynch’s No. 1 song “Hell of a Night,” so this was a full-circle moment.
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At the end of the day, though, it’s the crowd’s opinion that matters. Adam’s original song was called “All Summer Long.” Urban watched the soundcheck and noted that it was hard for him to make out what Adam was saying at certain points, so he was hopeful that it wouldn’t impact the actual performance.
“You can tell the confidence,” Lynch commented. “He’s comfortable on stage.” Urban agreed, adding, “He comes out on 10, always,” with Lynch admitting that it’s “maybe too intense” sometimes. “You’re quite right,” Urban said. “You can come out to an audience that’s like this and you immediately think, ‘I gotta get them fired up,’ but sometimes the audience is like, ‘I don’t know you yet.’ So it’s a weird thing to know how to read a room. I’m interested to see how the voting goes for him tonight.”
Billie Jo Jones
Billie Jo, who was in the bottom two last week and has been under the weather for most of the show so far, came out with something to prove. She performed her song called “Flame.”
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“I was waiting for the chorus to take off,” Urban admitted. “It was going it was going, and then it…” Lynch was in agreement. “I’m with you there,” he said.
Cassidy Daniels
Cassidy has had a great run so far, and she came out swinging with her latest original, which she referred to as a “redneck baby maker,” causing Urban and Lynch to crack up.
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“What a delivery,” Lynch said, while Urban gushed, “She can sing!” Lynch added, “I’ve not seen an artist like Cassidy in country music ever. It was like the perfect amount of energy, and that energy…”
Britnee Kellogg
Britnee’s original song “Love Thy Homewrecker” was about, well…a homewrecker. The song “did well on social media,” so Britnee was hoping it connected the same way with the audience.
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“I didn’t think the connection was as strong,” Lynch admitted. “You have 30 seconds to connect with the audience. Who are you, what’s the song, why are you going to love it? I’m not sure she connected those dots.”
Cody Hibbard
Since he’s from nearby, Cody had some of his loved ones in the crowd for the show. He was able to connect with the audience right off the bat by mentioning his nearby roots, and singing a song about the area called “We Speak Country.”
“Cody sure does know how to rile up an Oklahoma crowd,” Wilson said. “But I’m not sure if that was in the right key or not. I’m just hopeful that they’re going to forgive the pitchy notes because he’s a local boy.”
Lynch also noticed that the key was “too low” for Cody. “It’s probably the nerves,” he added. Cody also acknowledged that he was a “little pitchy” on the low notes.
Jenny Tolman
After being in the bottom two twice, Jenny knew she had to do “everything” she could to not go home this week. She performed “Married in a Honky Tonk,” which has a “little bit of truth and a little bit of characters.”
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During soundcheck, Urban pushed Jenny to try and sing the song in a higher key, as he noted the original was a bit low for her.
“Jenny was great,” Lynch praised. “Right away, with her story, a lot of the girls connected immediately with that.”
Channing Wilson
Closing out the night was Channing, who “pulled out” a new song called “Real Damn Country Song” for the Tulsa show.
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“Fantastic. That’s knowing the room right there,” Urban laughed, while Lynch added, “That’s knowing the room! That’s connecting. That was great, man, wow.” He also said it was his “standout performance” of the night, and Urban pointed out, “It’s not an act, man. That’s who he really is.”
Who went home on The Road Episode 5?
After the show, Urban told everyone, “I think everybody lifted their game tonight,” while Lynch said, “I was really impressed by how well all of you guys connected to the crowd, coming out cold. Everybody did a great job.”
Urban revealed that the voting was “extraordinarily close” this week. Cassidy once again came out on top as the No. 1 rated in the group. The bottom two were Billie Jo and Jenny, and Jenny was eliminated.
“Jenny, I think you did the best tonight you’ve done, but unfortunately, you’ve been in the bottom three times, and because of that, we have to let you go tonight,” Urban explained.
“I learned so much being here,” Jenny said. “I’m so grateful. Keith’s advice was amazing. It’s the best I’ve done, and I felt so much energy when I was up there and when I got off stage. At the end of the day, all the other artists did awesome, and that’s what the audience vote was. Keith helped bring out strength in me, and I definitely learned the importance of confidence. I’ll be taking that on the road with me in real life.”
The Road, Season 1, Sundays, 9/8c, CBS