As Nicholas David would say, "Holy buckets!"

It was another long, drawn-out elimination process on NBC's The Voice, as Eagan's Nicholas David (who we know as Nick "The Feelin" Mrozinski) performed as one of three final contestants. But as the last minutes of the season ticked by, host Carson Daly revealed that our homeboy placed third, finishing the show behind contestants Terry McDermott (who placed second) and champion Cassadee Pope.

Pope's victory is unsurprising, from a reality TV angle. One of the driving forces behind The Voice is iTunes sales, and Pope's inoffensive mall-pop vocal stylings and ever-so-slightly-edgy appearance make her an easily accessible candidate, especially for the download-hungry tween and teen market. Mrozinski, on the other hand, appealed to older generations of music fans with his soulful take on classics by Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye.

With the final public voting period closed and the bulk of the eliminations behind them, all of Tuesday night's performers seemed much more relaxed and natural than on the previous night. This was especially true for Mrozinski, who sweated and high-kicked his way through a stage-dominating medley of "Great Balls of Fire" and Hendrix's "Fire" during Monday's last gasp, and took a significantly more low-key approach to his big duet with Smokey Robinson on "Cruisin'" in the final show.

So what's next for Mrozinski? Time will tell. He did take home a new car as part of Tuesday's closing ceremonies, and he's probably looking forward to returning home from L.A. and preparing for the birth of his third child. Personally, I'm hoping he still holds down a regular gig somewhere in town -- though I'm guessing the turnout will be a lot bigger following his success on this season The Voice.

You can revisit all of Mrozinski's performances on The Voice in his video archive here.

Related:

• Nicholas David talks about competing on The Voice, meeting Bill Withers