The best thing about Monday night's "Voice" finale is that all three acts deserve to be there. Danielle Bradbery, Michelle Chamuel and the Swon Brothers each would make a fine winner.

 

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This season's final three are a refreshing contrast to last season's, which featured two stylistically and vocally limited contestants pitted against one with broader appeal and talent (who, fortunately for the show, ended up winning). This time it's a much better-balanced battle, and you can make a case for any of them taking home the crown.

 

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So let's do that.

 

The case for the Swon Brothers: OK, it's a thin one, and only the most dedicated advocate would take it on. While Michelle and Danielle have seemingly breezed into the finals, the Swon siblings, Zach and Colton, have had to slug it out every step of the way, from the battle rounds onward. But that may be their strength: They're this season's true underdogs.  They've defeated seemingly stronger and more superficially attractive contestants – Justin Rivers in the playoffs, Josiah Hawley and Kris Thomas in the top 10, Holly Tucker in the top 6. They've also defied the unfavorable track record for duos and groups in TV music contests in general and "The Voice" in particular.

 

As with their competition in the finals, the Swons' personalities are a plus – a low-key charm, good-natured fraternal joshing, and a timely identification with their home state, Oklahoma, have helped them along. Their instrumental prowess and versatility doesn't hurt (Michelle and Danielle aren't players), and they use their hereditary harmonies adeptly.

 

Their material has often been surprising and usually effective, from their Tom Petty beginnings to Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" in the semifinals, and they strategically established their country credentials with George Jones' "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" and Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" (a weird choice, but who better to sing it than actual Muskogee-ites?). They've beaten the odds every time out; if they can pull off that feat, unlikely as it may be, one more time, they'll reign as one of the best dark-horse success stories yet.

 

The case against: The brothers' luck is bound to run out against the strongly focused competition they'll face in the finale. Michelle has the misfit/oddball vote sewn up (the duckling who will defeat the Swons), as well as the entire portion of the electorate that doesn't care for country. Danielle has the grandmas, most of the teens, and the bulk of the conventional country fans. That doesn't leave a lot of room to maneuver for the Swons, who may need to edge back toward the rock stylings they began with to tap that underserved constituency. Sappy ballads such as "Danny's Song" from the semifinals will seal their doom.

 

The case for Michelle: "The Voice" has been a hospitable refuge for quirky artists – Dia Frampton, Melanie Martinez, Charlotte Sometimes, Lindsey Pavao – and Michelle might well top them all. She follows the recipe to the letter: an appealing kind of geeky shyness, an eccentric demeanor, and unpredictable, frequently brilliant song choices. And she adds a strong voice -- maybe not up to the standards of the departed Judith Hill, Amber Carrington or Sarah Stewart, but right there with Danielle's and superior to the Swon Brothers as individuals. Those qualities have won her a massive and loyal fan base, including a lot of people who aren't normally fans of these shows but find themselves drawn to Michelle's anti-star aura and startling songs such as Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend" and Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble."

 

The case against: Michelle has made virtually no mistakes throughout the season. Her singing hasn't faltered and her emotional intensity is the strongest in the competition. If there's a minor flaw, it's a tendency for her and her coach, Usher, to play it a little safe at times – having triumphed with Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," did she have to come back in the semifinals with "Time After Time"? Michelle will have to walk a thin line – something too obscure or weird will put her in jeopardy, but with Danielle commanding the mainstream, something too conventional could provoke yawns and end up equally fatal, especially if the Swon Brothers take an edgier direction.

 

The case for Danielle: Without knowing the actual vote totals, it seems as if Danielle has been the one to beat all season long. Downloads may or not be a reliable indicator, but she's the sales leader – she's the only contestant to consistently show up in Nielsen SoundScan's top 50 download chart each week. (That bodes well for her post-"Voice" career as well – she may just become the breakthrough hit artist that the show hasn't had and desperately needs to cement its status as top dog in the field.)

 

Building on the irresistible narrative about her first public performances taking place on "The Voice," she has fashioned a formidable Cinderella story as a country-loving 16-year-old phenomenon. Which is exactly what she is – her performances have been consistently strong, and she and her coach, Blake Shelton, have for the most part chosen infectious, up-tempo songs that reflect her buoyant personality and youthful verve – none better than her cover of Jessica Andrews' "Who I Am" in the semifinals. In many ways, it seems like her contest to lose.

 

The case against: So how could she lose it? Her ballads have tended to be snoozers, and a really challenging song – say something overly ambitious from the catalogs of Trisha Yearwood or Carrie Underwood – might expose the occasional strain and inexperience that have popped to the surface occasionally. Otherwise, it's just a matter of whether the Swons or especially Michelle have broader appeal – and with the Swons cutting into Danielle's country base, that may be the decider.

 

 

The verdict: Despite the analytical factors that point to Danielle maintaining her clean sweep, Michelle – given at least one more show-stopping performance – could capitalize on a divided country vote and win the trophy.

 

Who do you think will win 'The Voice'? Tell us at MSN TV on Facebook and Twitter.

 

"The Voice" Season 4 finale airs Monday, June 17, at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Tuesday, June 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

 

 

 

By Minh Nguyen

Special to MSN TV

 

Here's the scoop on what was happening when the cameras weren't rolling:

 

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• The Fall Out Boy performance was pre-taped.
  
• When Carson announced who the first person America saved would be, I heard people yelling mostly "Danielle" and "Michelle."
  
• Adam Levine ran onstage to give Tony Lucca three bro handshakes and big hugs before and after his performance. That's a lot of love!
  
• Danielle didn't seem nervous about going home. She and the Swon brothers were chatting it up with Blake and had to be pulled away to perform "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."
  
• A little girl told the Warm Up Guy (WUG) that her uncle who worked for Blake got her front row seats.
• WUG: "Do you get to hang out with Blake sometimes?"
  Little girl: "Yes."
  WUG: "You don't drink from his Starbucks cup do you?"
  Little girl: "No."
  FYI, I don't think Blake has coffee in that cup.
  
• Adam Levine is the nicest guy. Even though Terry McDermott was on Blake's team, Adam cheered him on and came up to hug him onstage. Terry had to walk over to Blake's chair to say hello after his performance.
  
• Amber reassured fans it would be OK, blew kisses and waved to everyone right before she found out if she was going home.
  
• I think Adam Levine was told Amber would be sent home because he avoided all forms of eye contact with her before the break. Maybe they were afraid of a repeat of a"I hate this country" moment.
  

 

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Joan Rivers has confessed she felt sorry for Bristol Palin's sheltered lifestyle after getting to know her during "Celebrity Wife Swap." On the June 23 season premiere of the trading-places series, the daughter of Sarah Palin and the outspoken comedian trade lives for one week. Palin and her sister Willow traveled to Los Angeles to find out how Rivers and her daughter Melissa kept up with their hectic schedules, with the mother-daughter-duo uncovering a stressful lifestyle in Wasilla, Alaska, with Palin's energetic 4-year-old son Tripp. Much to her surprise, Rivers found the girls very delightful, but she was shocked at their lack of experience outside of their home in Alaska. 

 

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Rivers tells "Access Hollywood," "They're very nice girls. They're scared girls. The mother is so out there and so opinionated, and they're very careful, constantly thinking that they're going to make the wrong step. She's very, very pretty, terribly shy, very closeted. She'd never been to a Broadway musical. I was sitting there with six gay friends. Our mouths dropped. She's never been to Europe. That's why I said, 'Come live with me for a month. Boy, oh boy, would we have a good time!  Let's go to Venice and put our feet in the canal. Let's have fun.' It sounds stupid, but I felt very sorry for her. And I liked her tremendously, and she is so nice -- not a mean bone in her body."  By the end of the experience, Rivers found herself overly emotional about the swap, admitting all four women felt a new bond with one another after their time in each others' homes. She divulges, "We all cried when the week was up. Melissa and Willow were crying and kissing, and I was hugging Bristol saying, 'Come to New York. I want to show you some Jews!'"

 

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"Bachelorette" Desiree Hartsock was disgusted after she discovered suitor Brian Jarosinski still had a girlfriend back at home on Monday's episode. The 26-year-old bridal stylist received shocking news that affected the entire house of eligible bachelors during Monday's episode, when host Chris Harrison informed her one of the men was not there for the "right reasons." Show producers were contacted by Jarosinski's devastated girlfriend, Stephanie, who then came to the Malibu mansion to tell Hartsock the truth and confront her beau. The scorned girlfriend scolded Jarosinski: "You realize that this girl (Hartsock) is looking for love, looking for a husband? You think you're capable of that?" 

 

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Stephanie also revealed he only told her he was going on a business trip, and she scolded him for not setting a good example for her young son. And while Hartsock immediately dismissed Jarosinski from the show, she writes in her blog for People.com that she was extremely blindsided and appalled by his hurtful actions. She writes, "I had no idea that Brian had a girlfriend back home or that he had unresolved problems with her. I was disgusted when I heard the news, and even more outraged when I learned that Stephanie is a single mother. It made me mad that someone could be so deceitful and disrespect women in that way. He also wasted my time and took the spot of another guy that did have the right intentions. Regardless of whether Brian and Stephanie were still together or not, there was no chance he was there for the right reasons -- or that he was staying. I just wanted him out of the house and to put it all behind me."

 

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Former "Bachelorette" Ali Fedotowsky has landed a cameo role in Woody Allen's upcoming film, "Blue Jasmine." The 28-year-old has moved on from her television dating days and has successfully made the transition into TV host with her travel and food show, "1st Look" on NBC. And now Fedotowsky is making a break into the acting world in a big way -- by making her debut in acclaimed director Allen's latest film. 

 

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She took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the good news: "Excited to announce that I have a cameo in Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine. So unbelievably grateful to be a small part of it!" "Blue Jasmine," which stars Hollywood heavyweights Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin and Peter Sarsgaard, hits theaters in New York and Los Angeles July 26.

 

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Robin Thicke has slammed his doomed TV talent show "Duets" as "soulless," insisting he signed on as a judge for the big paycheck. The musician was a mentor on the ABC show, which teamed contestants up with Thicke and fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles for weekly singing battles. The show was scrapped after its first season last year. Thicke admits he feared his stint on TV was affecting his reputation as an artist. 

 

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He tells Britain's Metro newspaper, "I didn't care for it. Everyone was wonderful, and it was a great environment. But I found it soulless and felt it was sucking my artistic integrity from me. Judges Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and I sang with the contestants on each episode, which is why it was attractive to me. It gave me the opportunity to sing in front of millions of people on TV every week. I did it because it paid well. I'm hoping I'll be rich enough off this album so I won't have to do that again."

 

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Former "American Idol" boss Nigel Lythgoe has called for Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson to be reinstated as judges in a bid to save the flailing talent show. Lythgoe announced on Monday that he and fellow executive producer Ken Warwick had departed after 13 years in charge of the long-running series. The latest season suffered a dramatic fall in the ratings, despite the panel boasting Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. Lythgoe, who sits as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," insists executives at FOX should return to the original format to prevent "Idol" from being scrapped. 

 

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He tells E! Online, "I believe in getting people together, testing their chemistry -- which is what I did with Randy, Paula and Simon. After that, whoever you bring in is a risk because we've (seen) it happen before. It's one of those things. You don't know how anybody's going to be as a judge. You could be the greatest singer in the world (but) that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be a good judge. That little team -- Randy, Paula and Simon -- again are the template for judges forever now."

 

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"Dancing With the Stars" professional Derek Hough has opened up about his brief romance with British pop star Cheryl Cole -- three years after they were rumored to be dating. The choreographer met Cole in 2010, when he was hired to work on her video for "Parachute," but he admits he had never heard any of her music. He explains, "I was asked to do it. I honestly took the gig because it was an excuse to come back to the U.K. as I hadn't been back in so long ... I vaguely knew who Cheryl Cole was -- in that I knew she was very popular in the U.K. But I had never met her. The best I knew of her was from Google searches ... I hadn't heard her music at that time." 

 

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They immediately hit it off and were soon snapped out together on numerous occasions, prompting speculation they were more than just friends. Cole and Hough remained tight-lipped about the dating claims both during and after their relationship, and the dancer admits he's reluctant to reveal much about their romance even now -- because he values his one-time girlfriend's friendship. He says, "We dated for a while. Absolutely we are still friends. We are still very close ... I don't speak about my time with her because I think often in this culture people take advantage of their friendships. I've never spoken about her because her friendship is important to me." Cole, who is now dating her backup dancer Tre Holloway, has previously praised Hough as "an amazing, amazing person" after he helped her through a near-fatal battle with malaria, which she contracted while on holiday in Tanzania.

 

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