Josh Kaufman Seizes Spot in 'The Voice' Finale

Indianapolitans had reason to celebrate on Tuesday night, and it sure wasn’t because of anything the Indiana Pacers did. While the home team fell at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to the Washington Wizards, failing to move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals against presumed foes the Miami Heat, Josh Kaufman advanced to the Voice denouement against rivals Christina Grimmie and Jake Worthington.

America’s votes, by way of phone and website and iTunes downloads, secured Kaufman’s place, and the Indy-native crooner will take part on the show’s finale airing May 19 and 20 on NBC. Country crooner Worthington, a surprise finalist, and hip-pop performer Grimmie, a ubiquitous social-media maven, make for challenging opponents in light of their sizable fanbases.

Kat Perkins and Kristen Merlin were eliminated on Tuesday night’s episode.

What’s more, Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance on that episode to announce that he will perform on the season finale. He may very well play “All of the Stars,” a song he wrote for The Fault in Our Stars film based on John Green’s hit young-adult novel.

That would make The Voice more Indy-centric than it already has been—and then voters may give Kaufman just the lift he needs to claim top honors.