Why Matthew Schuler Is The Voice Contestant To Beat

In case you have been living under the false assumption that televised singing competitions are dead and gone, allow me to introduce you to the guy bringing them back in a big way.

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This beautiful human being is Matthew Schuler.

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During his audition for Season 5 of The Voice he set a chair-turning record. All four judges pressed their buttons within the first few bars of hearing this angel's voice. Have a listen.

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Adam Levine, the first to press his button, recognized that a standing ovation was insufficient. So he climbed onto the seat of his chair to indicate just how impressed he was.

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Not to be outdone, Christina Aguilera also climbed onto her chair (in high heels!) to applaud Schuler's performance. Adam then got ON TOP OF his chair and couldn't get down. Blake Shelton got up to high-five him. This is all before they even began to comment on his audition.

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The In the end, Schuler's pick was Aguilera, who reacted appropriately given this incredible advantage her team now had to actually win (side note: Aguilera has yet to emerge the victor in any season of this show).

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Viewers were eagerly anticipating the Battle Rounds to see which dynamite song and unfortunate opponent would be assigned to him. Aguilera selected Fall Out Boy's "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)" to be duelled against Jacob Poole, who gave it a great shot, but Schuler's mighty vocals prevailed.

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Seriously. Look at this intensity.

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Which brings us to the Knockout Rounds that premiered last night.

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Matthew's goosebump-inducing version of Florence + the Machine's "Cosmic Love" only gave additional proof that he is truly the one to beat this season. Listen and good luck trying not to swoon.

Will Champlin's Bruno Mars number was his best performance to date but still couldn't give viewers any reason to doubt Schuler's spot on Team Xtina for the Live Rounds, beginning next week.

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In short, this guy is phenomenal. I can't wait to see where he goes from here and you should keep an eye on him as well. It's certainly a lovely view.