Four contestants sing for final time on 'The Voice'

(Reuters) - Charlotte Sometimes and Naia Kete of Team Blake and Sera Hill and Moses Stone of Team Christina became the first four contestants kicked off celebrity TV singing show "The Voice" on Tuesday evening.

Kete, a singer on country crooner Blake Shelton's team whom the coaches appreciated for her reggae skills, found herself forced to "sing for her life" with fellow team members Sometimes and Jordis Unga. When Blake told Kete he wished she had sung a more reggae-influenced tune, Kete pleaded that she wanted to but was limited by the songs available to her.

Sometimes also was shown the stage door after she followed Monday night's choice of singing Paramour's "Misery Business" with a performance of Goo Goo Dolls ballad "Iris" that coach Christina Aguilera said nearly made her cry.

Shelton chose to save Unga, whose version of "Wild Horses" impressed fellow coaches Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.

From her team, Aguilera reluctantly said goodbye to Stone and Hill. Stone departed from his canon of rap songs by taking on Jason Mraz's "Falling to Pieces," while Hill sang "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey.

Remaining on Team Christina is Ashley De La Rosa, who wowed Aguilera, Green and the TV show's fourth judge, Adam Levine, with her rendition of "Paris Oh La La" by Grace Potter and The Nocturnals.

Before the elimination, host Carson Daly showed footage of Team Blake's trip to Los Angeles country music station Country 105, where Shelton took his team as part of his mentoring. Aguilera chose to take her team to "The Tonight Show," where contestants received advice from host Jay Leno.

Tuesday's episode also included a performance by band Gym Class Heroes, who sang a song off their current album "The Papercut Chronicles II."

Next week, audiences will see performances from contestants on the teams of Levine and Green, and have the opportunity to vote for their favorites and see others eliminated.

Tuesday night's episode of "The Voice" was the season's first elimination episode. Previously, Aguilera, Shelton, Levine, and Green chose teams of singers through a blind audition process, whom they mentor throughout the course of the show.

"The Voice" is an American spinoff of a similar Dutch show, and is now in its second season on NBC. It has given stalwart singing contest "American Idol" as serious run for its money in terms of viewership and ratings. The winner of "The Voice" will receive $100,000 and a record deal with Universal Republic.

(Reporting By Andrea Burzynski; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)


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