Clearwater native Juliet Simms survived to sing another day on NBC's The Voice, defeating buttoned-down crooner Sarah Golden in a battle of the Rod Stewart clones.

In truth, the competition wasn't particularly fair, as Simms' smoky, bluesy voice was perfect for knocking a Stewart song out of the park, sounding a bit like a new school Janis Joplin.

At times like this, you can't help wondering if producers are showing a bit of favoritism; both Golden and Simms knew the minutes the battle song was chosen, that the Sunshine State native would have a serious advantage.

Still, Simms got teary eyed after the competition, noting she'd been trying to make her singing career happen for quite a while, at times not knowing where the next meal or next dollar was coming from.

Despite earning a deal with Sony as a teenager, leading her Tampa band Automatic Loveletter through three record labels and multiple appearances on the Warped Tour, Simms was below-the-radar enough to compete on NBC's show, which offers big album deals to the top finishers.

Her audition, shown on the Voice's post-Super Bowl show, was impressive enough to earn early attention from the judges.