NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a high-stakes episode of TV singing competition "The Voice" that whittled down each team to a single artist, four contestants all came up short on Tuesday and failed to advance to next week's finale.

Lindsey Paveo of Team Christina, Katrina Parker of Team Adam, Erin Willett of Team Blake, and Jamar Rogers of Team Cee Lo ended their run on the popular television show.

Hugs and tears abounded among both the show's winners and losers. Paveo cried as she hugged winning teammate Chris Mann and her coach Christina Aguilera, and she tearfully thanked "everyone who makes this beautiful, amazing magic happen."

On coach Cee Lo Green's team, a nervous-looking Juliet Simms had tears streaming down her face as she gripped teammate Rogers' arm while the two listened to Green's feedback. But Simms' nerves proved unfounded as both Green and TV audience voters gave her more points than Rogers, who thanked the show before exiting the stage.

Gratitude was a theme of the night among eliminated contestants. Parker thanked her coach Adam Levine "for believing in me" and the other coaches "for your generous words."

Willett, who was also celebrating her birthday, was praised by coach Blake Shelton for her strength in competing while also dealing with the death of her father. When asked by host Carson Daly where she got her strength, Willett said she wasn't sure, but added she "was raised by a beautiful mother and father" and told "to be myself no matter what."

Tuesday's elimination process consisted of totaling the points given to each singer by his or her coach and the percentage of votes each singer received from TV audiences. Judges each divided 100 points among their two remaining contestants. Aguilera and Shelton spilt their points 50/50.

"I don't want to be a part of this decision-making process anymore," Shelton explained. "It's up to America."

Levine and Green opted for a 60/40 split. Audiences, who also favored the coaches' top picks, agreed. Green, said that he wanted to be "honest, critical and fair."

Tuesday's show indulged in some "Voice" nostalgia with performances from season one's finalists, some of whom were paired with veteran singers. Dia Frampton sang "Don't Kick the Chair" with an assist from Kid Cudi, Vicci Martinez teamed up with her old coach Green to sing "Come Along," and Beverly McClellan and Cyndi Lauper sang Lauper's song "Money Changes Everything." Last season's winner, Javier Colon played the piano while singing his new single, "A Drop in the Ocean."

Paveo, Parker, Willett, and Rogers will be on Wednesday morning's "Today" news and chat show to talk about their eliminations.

A new "voice" will be crowned on the show's two-hour finale which begins at 9 p.m. on May 8. The winner will receive a recording contract.

Tags: Voice