Did singing Wake Co. deputy make it through on ‘The Voice’? Here’s what happened
The 33-year-old Wake County Deputy who wowed country star Kelsea Ballerini on “The Voice” had to fight through Monday night’s Battle Rounds for a chance to stay on the show.
Hunter sang Morgan Wallen’s “Lies Lies Lies“ with teammate Paige Mackenzie, with Mackenzie winning the battle. Viewers didn’t get to see the entire performance, only a snippet near the end of Monday’s show when Ballerini talked about singers she had to keep and let go.
The singing deputy auditioned with Cody Johnson’s “Till You Can’t” on the Feb. 24 episode of the NBC singing competition show, gaining interest from Ballerini and fellow coach Michael Bublé. With the help of his young daughter, he picked Team Ballerini.
How Battle Rounds, Knockouts and Playoffs work on ‘The Voice’
The portion of “The Voice,” in which team players duet against each other for survival is called the Battle Rounds. After Battle Rounds come the Knockouts, in which players from the same team are again paired against each other, but this time to sing individually. The coach also picks who advances. After Knockouts come Playoffs, in which artists compete to see who moves on to live performances. Once live performances begin, viewers get to vote for singers to advance. )
Tonight’s Battle Rounds could have gone a few ways for Hunter.
If he had been picked by Ballerini, he would have advanced. He could have also been “saved” by Ballerini or “stolen” by another judge.
In addition to Ballerini and Bublé, Adam Levine and John Legend serve as coaches on “The Voice.”
About Deputy Hunter
Hunter, a Garner native who lives in Willow Spring, has been with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for six years and is currently assigned to the Warrant Unit in Special Operations.
In an Instagram video shared in February by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Hunter said his passion for music started when he was a senior in high school. He learned to play the guitar and loved to sing at home, he said. He started singing in live shows when he was in college at Appalachian State, where he studied criminal justice.
“I’ve been balancing both career and music from Day 1,” Hunter said in the video. “It was kind of cool seeing my passion for law enforcement was developing at the exact same time my passion for music was exploding.”
How to watch ‘The Voice’
“The Voice” airs at 8 p.m. Mondays on NBC.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 12:55 PM.
