Updated on Nov. 9, 2016, at 1 p.m.: After Monday night's "Live Playoffs," there are only two Texans remaining in the top 12. That's down from 5 of the 20 just a week ago. Arlington's Simone Gundy, Denton's Josh Halverson and Dallasite Dana Harper were eliminated.
Fort Worth native Austin Allsup and Houston's Sundance Head remain.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on Ch. 5 (NBC). The top 12 will perform in the first of next week's episodes.
Previously: Five of the 20 remaining contestants on The Voice are Texans.
Simone Gundy is from Arlington. Austin Allsup is a native of Fort Worth. Dana Harper is from Dallas. Josh Halverson lives in Denton. And Sundance Head hails from Houston.
But there were even more Texans in serious contention: All four judges had turned their chairs for sisters Whitney, 25, and Shannon, 23, of Houston. But they didn't make it through the first of the show's "Knockout Rounds," which cut down the competition pretty quickly.
"The world needs the two of you," judge Alicia Keys said on the day they were chosen. The duo had covered the Dixie Chicks cover of "Landslide" for their audition.
And it's been more than a couple of close calls for Halverson, who keeps losing in head-to-head competition. He lost Monday night, too, but Coach Keys got him back on her team with a steal from coach Miley Cyrus' team.
Some of the names left in the competition may sound familiar.
Harper, who sings gigs around North Texas, is also the daughter of former Dallas Mavericks player Derek Harper.
"Hanging out back stage with my Tweetybird" pic.twitter.com/9jo8IyOV14
— Derek Harper (@D_Harp_12) September 21, 2016
Allsup toured as a teenager with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, of which his father Tommy was a guitarist. He released his own CD a little more than 10 years ago; he also plays all over, "about 150 shows a year," according to The Voice website.
The show is already in flashback mode, with tonight's episode a look back at the road for the contestants so far. Halverson has had the hardest row to hoe, but it's almost as if he has an angel on his shoulder keeping him on the show. Perhaps a realistic angel with a wicked sense of humor, as his saving grace this time was the Chris Stapleton (and others)-written, Tim McGraw (and others) song "Whiskey & You."
Like they say, "God bless Texas."
The show airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on NBC (Ch. 5).
