LOS ANGELES – Three of the four contestants who appeared in the final round of NBC’s “The Voice” have Texas ties. Spectrum News crews traveled to Los Angeles to meet with the contestants.
- Three Texans in “The Voice” finale
- Texan Jake Hoot takes home the top prize
On Team Blake, Ricky Duran grew up in Massachusetts but now lives in Austin, Texas. According to his bio, his father taught him how to play the guitar and he eventually studied at the Berklee College of Music.
The Texan on Team Gwen hails not far from Austin either. Rose Short was born and currently lives in Killeen, Texas. As many people from Killeen might guess, Short’s father is in the military and she spent lots of her childhood performing on military bases before her family eventually moved back to Texas.
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And finally, Jake Hoot on Team Kelly was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He doesn’t talk about it much on the show but according to his bio, his missionary parents left Texas when he 9 years old to do mission work in the Dominican Republic. For the last decade, Hoot has been living in Tennessee, but once a Texan, always a Texan.
Neither of the Central Texas competitors won, but they certainly expressed their love for the Lone Star State. The good news is Texas was still well represented as Hoot takes home the top prize.
It was quite a ride for Short. Less than a year ago, she walked away from her job at a maximum security prison. Seven months later, she got a call from producers of “The Voice,” and the rest just fell into place.
“The funny thing is, I would tell everybody for eight years that I worked every day, I swear,” Rose said. “I put this on me every day. I told them I was quitting. And everybody, even my captain, was like, ‘Where you going? You ain’t quittin’!’ I am like, ‘I am quittin’.’ And eventually I spoke it into existence, and it happened eight years later.”
The support Rose has received not only from Texas but all over the world has been a testament to her character.
“It blows my mind,” she said. “You know, that people are taking out time to rally behind me, and half of these people, a lot of them, I don’t even know. You know? So for them to do that for me – I just – it’s overwhelming. It’s almost like I wish I was there to celebrate, but if I was there I wouldn’t be here.”
Duran moved to Austin just over a year ago, but it’s a place he always wanted to call home.
“One of my mom’s last wishes before she passed was that I pursue my dreams,” Duran said. “She knew I wanted to move to Austin and pursue music, and there was no way I was gonna just, just not do that after she had said that, and it’s been in my heart for so long.”
Duran’s story has resonated with America. His father took his own life, and he lost his mother a year earlier to breast cancer.
As tragic and moving as his journey to the final four was, it’s his story of perseverance that touched viewers.
“I’ve been wanting to do this. And yeah, you really have two options: just give up or keep pushing. And giving up was hardly an option. It’s not really an option for me, so keep pushing. That’s it,” he said.
Rose and Duran were strangers prior to the show, but the Texans struck together over the several months of competition.
“Just to have that love. You know how were are in Texas,” Rose said. “Texas is very loyal, okay? So I’m just appreciative that they have some loyalty to me and Ricky. So, I’m grateful.”