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Another contestant has quit The Voice Season 26. Mor Ilderton decided to bow out of the competition ahead of the third night of Knockouts on the show. Find out what his coach said about his departure.
Why Did Mor Ilderton Leave The Voice?
During Episode 15 of The Voice, which saw the contestants facing off in the third night of the three-way Knockouts round, it was announced that Ilderton, from Team Gwen, had left the show. There was no explanation for his absence. Coach Gwen Stefani told Sting, her Mega Mentor, “We had Mor, who I stole, but he had to go home, so it’s just gonna be the two of them.”
In Ilderton’s absence, there was a two-way knockout between Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace. Stefani chose Sterlace as the Knockouts winner and used her save for Dan.
NBC hasn’t provided a statement about Ilderton’s exit and the singer hasn’t addressed the reason why he left The Voice, but he has been posting on Instagram recently, promoting his new single “Stranger” that comes out on November 22. Given that he’s teasing new music on social media, many fans believe that he quit The Voice to pursue his music career after getting exposure on the singing competition.
Mor Ilderton on The Voice
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In a Reddit discussion about his departure, one fan speculated: “I’m wondering if some of these artists just want the quick exposure thinking they can just use an appearance like a marketing tool for their own music and eschewing the mentorship offered 🤔. Of course it’s speculation but just thinking how Tanner left and used that cryptic TikTok to promote new music he has.”
Ilderton is a 20-year-old indie folk artist from Teays Valley, West Virginia. During the Blind Auditions, he sang Dylan Gossett’s “Coal” and turned three chairs. He chose Team Bublé, then lost his Battles performance to Kiara Vega, but was saved by Stefani.
After he lost to Vega, Ilderton said, “Thank you for everything. The advice that I’ve gotten from you, how much I’ve learned… God is so good.”
Stefani pressed the steal button. “I just had to steal Mor,” she said. “I just got this feeling like, ‘I know what to do with that guy.’ My favorite thing about Mor’s voice is it just has a unique, raspy, undone tone. When you hear music out there, his voice feels like what’s happening now in the world.”
Ilderton’s exit comes on the heels of Tanner Frick quitting the competition during Episode 12 of The Voice, also without an explanation. These Season 26 contestants aren’t the first to leave the competition, however. In October 2018, Cody Ray Raymond left The Voice before the Knockouts rounds due to “personal matters.” In Season 19, Ryan Gallagher was removed from the competition after he allegedly broke the show’s COVID-19 protocols. During Season 23, Alex Whalen left due to “personal reasons” and, in Season 24, Tom Nitti left for personal reasons.
Fans have been commenting on Ilderton’s Instagram posts, hoping to find out why he left The Voice. Many expressed they are disappointed that he’s no longer competing. “I was looking forward to hearing what song you would sing your heart out to on the Knockouts,” one person wrote. “Excited for the release of this song though, still love your voice! 😊”
Others commented, “I wish you stayed on The Voice because I was rooting for you! But I look forward to the song❤️” and “Literally so sad cause you left 😭😭.”
Another noted, “Sure miss you!! I was sad to learn you dropped from The Voice. It makes me wonder what’s going on behind the scenes with both you and Tanner dropping out. I will be watching for your awesome talent though. ((Hugs))❤️🙏.”
On November 19, The Voice begins the Playoffs and the competition gets even more intense. Two more episodes of the Playoffs air on November 25 and November 26. In the Playoffs, the coaches don’t have any steals and can only choose two of their artists to move on to the Live Shows.
