Hunter Black has responded to “cheating” claims after coach Ronan Keating stunned viewers and changed his mind on The Voice Australia 2025. During the Battle Round, Ronan decided to keep Cle Morgan and cut Hunter Black from the competition.
However, when the episode was wrapping up, the coach told host Sonia Kruger he needed to do something unorthodox before walking backstage to find Hunter. Ronan told Hunter he’d made a “mistake” by not using his save to keep the 21-year-old singer in the competition, and used it retrospectively. Coach Richard Marx asked if it was “legal”, while Kate Miller-Heidke asked if it was “cheating”.
Hunter tells Chattr he was so “happy” when Ronan pressed save, but when Kate brought up “cheating”, he saw his dream slip away. “I realised, oh, maybe she’s right, I believe her, because it is [cheating], it kind of is. But I just went with the flow, I wasn’t trying to argue, and that’s when I asked the question, ‘Is this allowed?’, and then Ronan said, ‘Well, it is now’,” he recalls.
“I didn’t ask many more questions, because I didn’t want to, you know, jinx something. So I just went with it. But for a second, I was definitely worried.”
Hunter has been reading some of the comments left by viewers, and he tells us the response to being retrospectively saved has been primarily positive.
“I think a lot of people have come to the agreement that, because you know, we just gelled so well together on the stage, that I think most people are happy that I was saved,” he says.
“I’m sure there’s people that don’t think that [was] the traditional save process, but like Ronan said, I think it’s in the fine print, he’s allowed to do it.”
Hunter was “angry” when he was called back on The Voice Australia
After Hunter was eliminated from The Voice Australia, he was “devastated” and ready to go to a bar to reflect on his time in the competition. After changing out of his costume and messing up his hair, he was sitting in the departure room, ready to leave.
“I was approached by a producer last minute, saying, ‘Oh, there’s been a mistake. You need to come back in and do some more filming and extra photos’,” Hunter remembers. “I was really angry, I nearly swore at them, I was just so devastated [by being eliminated].”
After changing back into his outfit and redoing his hair, he was rushed backstage and saw Ronan, which made him realise something was about to change.
“I kind of had a little bit of spark of hope, a bit of excitement,” he says. “[I didn’t think I was] back in the show, but maybe I [could] at least go on stage and give it another crack, or whatever it was… I was confused but excited.”
After Ronan used his final save on Hunter, it took him a long time to believe he deserved a spot in the competition. However, it’s made him a lot hungrier to win The Voice Australia 2025.
“I didn’t think I was worthy of it, because I knew that [it] was the last save… I got really emotional, because I was just so grateful for him, especially using the last save of all four coaches,” Hunter spills.
“For this next performance, I’ve got to give it all, all I have really. I’ve been given my last shot on this show, I’m on a bit of thin ice. If I can give this next performance my all [and] leave it all on the table, then I’m happy with myself.”
If Hunter takes out the win, this would be The Voice Australia’s best redemption story yet. We’ll have to see how the competition shakes out.
The Voice Australia continues 7pm on Sundays on Channel Seven and 7plus.
Want to CHATTR with us? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more entertainment news.
