Blake Shelton Chooses 17-Year-Old RaeLynn Over Adley Stump in ‘The Voice’ Battle Rounds

Blake Shelton opened up the battle rounds on ‘The Voice‘ by pitting two women with country leanings against each other. Adley Stump, the one-time cheerleader who began singing just 10 months before auditioning, faced teenage blonde RaeLynn, singing a duet of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’.’

At just 17, RaeLynn lacked confidence early during rehearsals, but seemed to find herself when Miranda Lambert showed up to offer a few tips on Monday’s episode. “RaeLynn is a stylist, and part of that is not being on 10 all the time, you got to be able to dial that back,” Lambert said. She encouraged the country cutie, now known for the comically big flower in her hair, to not compete with Stump, but to compete with herself.

Oklahoma-born Stump was surprised with Kelly Clarkson as a mentor. As they worked together one-on-one, it was clear that the powerhouse hopeful was singing with nothing to lose. She seemed to sense RaeLynn’s insecurities and wanted to prove that despite her lack of experience, she was the better choice to move on to the next round for Team Blake.

“She’s a powerhouse, I mean I can sing high but I don’t belt it like she does,” RaeLynn said.

The battle could have gone either way. RaeLynn began nervously — and was visibly shaken when she missed a few early notes or tried too hard to inject her personality and accent into the song. Stump, dressed in a shimmery gold dress with hair to high heaven, was steady, but Shelton may have been impressed by the younger woman’s comeback during the last half of the song. As they reached the climax, RaeLynn stole the spotlight.

Shelton said he knew both women could sing, but he was looking for the better storyteller. “One of you did a better job,” he said, providing a Hollywood-style dramatic pause. “The winner of this battle for me … is RaeLynn.” Stump accepted defeat graciously, smiling as she met her family backstage.

“@adleystump your personality and talent can light up a whole room. I’m so happy we were able to work together. Keep it up! #TheVoice,” Shelton tweeted after the audition, encouraging her to go forth even though she was not the chosen one.

Watch RaeLynn and Adley Stump Battle With ‘Free Fallin”