Judges Jennifer Hudson and Blake Shelton both hit the buzzers and spun around for Esera Tuaolo who sang 'Rise Up. A third judge, singer and actor Adam Levine, described himself as a "total moron" for not turning.

Tuaolo played NFL throughout the '90s including playing for the (losing) Atlanta Falcons in the 1998 Superbowl. He once sang the National Anthem before a game against the Chicago Bears and immediately afterwards took the field to play.

He retired in 2002 and announced to the public that he is gay, coming out on HBO's Real Sports. This made him the third former NFL player to come out after David Kopay and Roy Simmons.

He published his autobiography, 'Alone in the Trenches: My Life As a Gay Man in the NFL', in 2006. As well as advocacy and singing, he does philanthropic work, cooks professionally, and runs Hate in Any Form is Wrong, an anti-bullying programme.