"We're simultaneously thrilled and terrified," said Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles just before taking the stage with hopeful John Glosson. The two big-voiced singers were given the challenge of kicking off the first live episode of 'Duets' with a performance of the 'When You Say You Love Me' by Josh Groban. With his impressive second place showing during last week's Movie Night episode, how did their rendition of the beautiful ballad measure up?

"I'm not shocked you did amazing just then," said a newly-blonde Kelly Clarkson. "It was beautiful."

Likewise, celebrity mentor Robin Thicke had nothing but critical praise for the two Georgia natives. The soul singer even poked fun at Nettles' recent pregnancy announcement saying, "Legally, that's not a duet anymore," a comment directed toward the mother-to-be. "There was a little bit of breaking the rules there," joked Thicke.

Remaining mentor John Legend did offer Glosson a little criticism, saying, "As a matter of taste, it felt a little bit syrupy," speaking about the bombastic ballad song choice. "Your voice sounded magnificent," added Legend.

When it comes to the added stress of the live aspect of the show, the public voting and his frontrunner position throughout the series, Glosson remains confident in his intuition.

"I've used my gut feeling from day one," said the singer. "I'm gonna keep doing it that way."

Unlike in the first five weeks of the competition, a scoreboard was not used to assess the young hopeful's rankings. Beginning this week, the viewing audience is encouraged to call the toll-free number to vote for their favorites. The contestant with the least amount of votes will be eliminated at the beginning of next week's episode.

Call 1-855-962-5004 to vote for Nettles and Glosson.

Watch Jennifer Nettles and John Glosson Sing 'When You Say You Love Me'

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