The battle begins, and Daniel is visibly nervous. I think the notes may have intimidated him away from them. My vote goes to Alexis, and not just because of the hurricane. I don't see either of them winning this whole thing, though. This battle leaves me feeling tepid. Adam tells Daniel he loves the way he sings with all his soul, so he would choose Daniel. Blake says it comes down to taste, and he would pick Alexis. Christina tells Daniel to play to the audience and engage a bit more, and would pick Alexis a little bit more. Cee Lo says he likes Alexis's voice but connects with something in Daniel, so he chooses Daniel. Cee Lo loves an underdog, and obviously doesn't care about winning like the rest of us. Like America.

Alexis graciously thanks the judges and follows a completely wrecked Daniel Rosa off stage. Blake says he's kicking himself for not "stealing" Alexis, but he didn't and that's all that is. Then, Daniel gave an interview in the wings and Cee Lo crept up behind him, and then someone let Daniel's ski-hat-wearing family in out of the cold to hug both of them.

Adam hosts the next battle: Brandon Mahone versus Nicole Nelson. I remember really liking Brandon, who grew up listening to the likes of the Temptations. I don't really remember Nicole, but she got four button pushes for singing "Hallelujah," because if you don't push your button for that song you're going to Hell. Adam chose "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" for these two, and I think that's the perfect choice.

"She's good. I see no weaknesses in Nicole," Brandon confesses in an interview. Oh no, he's too darling. They all had so much fun with Mary J. Blige and sounded good in rehearsals and I'm not saying that black people are generally better, more soulful singers but I would like to take this opportunity to imply it.

"You're both ... ridiculous," Adam says, and then he went to read a book on how to choose sheets with the proper thread count for your sleeping position. He's a side sleeper, so ...

"I might go out there and choke, and he might just kill it," Nicole says of Brandon, not really believing what she was saying. She has more experience, and could crush him vocally. The battle delivers charming vocals, but an awkward energy between the two. Nicole seems like she feels sorry for Brandon, and also is just clearly too much woman for him. I think they also forgot some of the lyrics. Let's just say it was no "Vision of Love."