‘The Voice’ Crowns Chevel Shepherd Season 15 Winner

Chevel Shepherd has brought home another victory for Team Kelly Clarkson after being crowned The Voice Season 15 winner Tuesday.

The 16-year-old performed a cover of “It’s a Little Too Late” by Tanya Tucker, her original song “Broken Hearts” and a duet with Clarkson to “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” in Monday’s finale performances, and brought home the victory by earning the most votes of the top four competitors of the season a day later.

Coming in fourth place in the fans’ votes was Team Jennifer Hudson’s Kennedy Holmes, with Team Blake Shelton’s Kirk Jay coming in third and Team Blake’s Chris Kroeze in second.

Team Kelly also took home the victory in Season 14 of the NBC series, Clarkson’s first as a coach, with singer Brynn Cartelli.

Tuesday’s finale announcement also included performances by artists such as Panic! At the Disco, Bastille, John Legend, Kelly Rowland and Dan + Shay, as well as a number of segments featuring funny behind-the-scenes moments and deep dives into the singers’ relationships with their coaches.

Noticeably absent from the finale was a representative from Team Adam Levine, after Reagan Strange was eliminated amid controversy in the live top eight elimination last week. Her presence in the semi-finals came under fire from fans who thought Levine had thrown his other singer, DeAndre Nico, under the bus the week before, urging fans to vote for Strange after the 14-year-old was unable to sing in the night’s competition due to illness.

Following his elimination, Nico told local news outlet 12NewsNow, “It was just weird because I just felt like, not being rude, I just felt like he sold me out, you know? And I just don’t respect it, just being honest. We did our job, sick or not. I just got over laryngitis, and when I came back, I still sang. It wasn’t none of that anxiety or none of that stuff. I know she’s a little kid, but it’s like man, you could have put in some words for me at all. Like something, something.”

In the light of all the backlash from fans, Levine addressed the claims of favoritism in a pre-taped segment, saying, “It was a strange week, but it’s over now,” and showing himself and Strange FaceTiming the former teammate. “DeAndre’s my boy. I love him. We talked,” Levine said at the time.

Photo credit: Trae Patton/NBC