Neal Middleton Falls Short With ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ on ‘The Voice’

Neal Middleton said that he felt 'The Voice' was his last shot at "becoming the man [he's] always wanted to become." With his wife and two songs in tow, the 33-year-old rock crooner, of the band Royal Bliss, explained that he was really auditioning for the show in order to provide for his family, especially since they don't even have health insurance.

Speaking to 'The Voice' host Carson Daly, Middleton also talked about having a near-death experience when he fell off of a 35-foot building onto concrete, which almost left him paralyzed. After hearing his story, we were rooting for Middleton, so naturally it came as a disappointment that he didn't make it through.

For his performance, Middleton performed a hard rock rendition of the Motown classic most synonymous with Marvin Gaye, 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine.' Although his gravelly vocals were impressive -- and despite the fact that Christina Aguilera was seen mouthing "I like it" to fellow coach Blake Shelton -- none of the judges hit that big red button during Middleton's blind audition.

After he finished the song, Shelton pretty much summed it up when he said, "It was like an amp that's on 10," while Aguilera agreed saying, "It felt like it was wide open and stayed wide open the entire time." Judge Adam Levine also weighed in, saying, "I just want somebody that has a unique voice that no one has."

While Middleton didn't make it through, his wife assured him that she and their boys were proud of him no matter what. We wish him the best of luck in the future!