The Voice’s Season 25 Winner Is Obviously Going to Be…

It’s time for us to look ahead, Voice fans. The NBC sing-off’s Season 25 Lives kick off Monday (at 8/7c), meaning that we’ve got to let go of our disappointment over the facepalm-inducing decisions made by coaches John Legend, Reba McEntire, Chance the Rapper and newbies Dan + Shay.

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For me, that means finding a way to stop sulking because the rookies eliminated Ryan Argast in the Battles and Frank Garcia in the Knockouts. It means giving up griping because John kept Zoe Levert over Mafe, and Chance cut Kyle Schuesler in favor of Nadège. And as for Reba…

You know what? As quick to grumble as I am, I don’t actually have any quibbles with the queen of country this season. She’s going into the Lives with debatably the most stacked team.

Not that that means I’m predicting a win for one of her contestants. See below to find out which singers I suspect are the likeliest — and least likely — to emerge victorious.

12. Nadège (Team Chance the Rapper)

Working for her: Her tone is as lovely as her presence. Working against her: She’s likelier to leave viewers saying “That was pretty” than “That was pretty amazing.” (Revisit her Blind Audition by pressing PLAY on the video above.)

11. Bryan Olesen (Team John Legend)

Working for him: He’s Season 25’s one and only rocker. Working against him: His habit of oversinging increases his risk of giving off karaoke vibes. (Hear what I mean by pressing PLAY on his above Playoffs performance.)

10. Zoe Levert (Team John Legend)

Working for her: The show is working overtime to brand her “the next Taylor Swift.” Working against her: She’s good and getting better, but the next Taylor Swift, she is not. (Lend an ear to her standout Playoffs performance above.)

9. Serenity Arce (Team Chance the Rapper)

Working for her: She doesn’t just sing her numbers, she thrillingly feels them. Working against her: The young female lane in Season 25’s most crowded. (Watch her sink her teeth into Rihanna’s “Unfaithful” in the Knockouts above.)

8. Tae Lewis (Team Dan + Shay)

Working for him: He’s both a country boy and a showman. Working against him: He’ll be splitting the vote with two arguably better singers. (Flash back above to the Blind Audition that earned him a two-chair turn.)

7. L. Rodgers (Team Reba McEntire)

Working for her: She’s got a powerful voice that’s even more memorable than her look. Working against her: Season 17’s spectacular Katie Kadan only came in third place; just sayin’. (Press PLAY on the video above to be blown away again by L.’s Pink cover.)

6. Madison Curbelo (Team Dan + Shay)

Working for her: After failing to get a chair turn in Season 20, she returned with the polish to get all of the coaches vying for her. Working against her: She may not have the stage presence of the contestant at No. 3. (Still, see if you can make it through Madison’s above rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” without sniffling.)

5. Karen Waldrup (Team Dan + Shay)

Working for her: She keeps surprising us with vocals that get bigger as the stakes get higher. Working against her: Historically, male country singers have won The Voice more often than female ones. (Listen to Karen tackling Trisha Yearwood during the Knockouts above.)

4. Asher HaVon (Team Reba McEntire)

Working for him: His voice packs enough of a punch to leave anyone seeing stars. Or at least seeing one — him! Working against him: Stiff competition, and that’s about it. (Watch him drop a match on Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” above.)

3. Maddi Jane (Team Chance the Rapper)

Working for her: She’s charismatic to the nth and has an ear-popping voice that doesn’t quit. Working against her: Only the fact that she’s likely to split votes with Zoe, Serenity and Madison. (Check out the clip above to hear how she made viewers want to “Stay”… tuned.)

2. Josh Sanders (Team Reba McEntire)

Working for him: He’s basically the second coming of Season 17 winner Jake Hoot. Working against him: He’s up against three country competitors and the dynamo at No. 1. (Raise a glass to Josh’s spirited rendition of Nate Smith’s “Whiskey On You” above.)

1. Nathan Chester (Team John Legend)

Working for him: Besides his being pitch-perfect, his retro-soul leanings are sure to appeal to the older-skewing Voice audience. Working against him: Not a damn thing. We’re calling it here and now. (Bask in the awesomeness of his Knockouts performance via the video above.)