What Happened to Jake Hoot on The Floor? The Voice Winner Is Already Out

The Floor Season 6 arrived with an unusual advantage built into its cast. Every contestant has already won something, meaning the premiere is filled with people accustomed to competing under pressure. Still, some names entered with considerably more television recognition than others, and Jake Hoot was near the top of that list.

Hoot won The Voice Season 17 in 2019 as a member of Kelly Clarkson’s team, completing an unlikely run that began with Clarkson being the only coach to turn for him during the Blind Auditions. His return to reality competition television on The Floor therefore looked like one of Season 6’s more intriguing crossover stories. It did not last nearly as long as many viewers might have expected.

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Why Was Jake Hoot Eliminated From The Floor?

Jake Hoot was eliminated after losing a Home Improvements duel against Ethan Greenberg during the Season 6 premiere. Ethan was selected by the randomizer late in the episode and immediately made it clear that Jake was not an accidental choice.

Looking over the neighboring categories available to him, Ethan had Latte Art, Christmas Ornaments, NBA and WNBA Logos, and Home Improvements among his options. He revealed that he had already told Jake he would challenge him if given the opportunity, so he followed through and selected Home Improvements.

The category was not completely foreign territory for Jake. Although Rob Lowe naturally introduced him through his music career and The Voice victory, Jake explained that he had built houses in the past before concentrating on country music. That gave him some real-world experience heading into a duel based on identifying rooms, fixtures and other parts of a home commonly involved in renovations. That experience was not enough to save him.

Ethan Greenberg Beats Jake in Home Improvements

The duel required Jake and Ethan to identify a rapid series of home improvement-related images while protecting the time on their respective clocks. The answers ranged across familiar renovation subjects such as countertops, cabinets, sinks, hardwood floors, skylights, decks, gutters, backsplashes, fences and electrical panels.

Both contestants moved through a substantial number of images, but Jake eventually ran out of time first. Ethan won the duel, absorbed Jake’s territory and remained in control of the game, while Jake’s Season 6 run ended in his first appearance at the podium.

There was no quit, withdrawal or twist involved in Jake’s departure. He simply lost the head-to-head duel under The Floor’s standard elimination rules, making him one of the eight contestants sent home during the premiere.

Jake Hoot Came to The Floor as a Former Voice Champion

Jake’s early exit stands out because Season 6 has been marketed as a “Season of Champions,” with several contestants arriving after winning nationally televised competitions. Fox’s Season 6 cast includes champions from The Amazing Race, Jeopardy!, Tough as Nails and other competition formats, while Jake was officially listed as the winner of The Voice Season 17.

His 2019 victory was particularly memorable because he began The Voice as a one-chair turn. Kelly Clarkson was the only coach who selected him during his audition, but Jake eventually defeated Ricky Duran, Katie Kadan and Rose Short in the finale and gave Clarkson another coaching victory.

The Floor presented a completely different challenge. Singing ability offered no direct advantage once Jake was standing in front of the screen trying to identify renovation-related images faster than Ethan.

Ethan’s Victory Quickly Backfires

Jake’s elimination also becomes more memorable because Ethan does not simply take the win and return safely to the Floor. With only one duel remaining, Rob Lowe gives him the option of stopping or continuing, and Ethan decides to stay aggressive.

That decision also guarantees the night’s $20,000 prize for Shawn Diddy, who was sitting on the largest territory after winning her earlier duel. Ethan then chooses Wellington Lyons and challenges him in Borrowed Words, a category built around identifying objects whose names originate in other languages.

This time, Ethan’s aggressive strategy fails. Wellington wins the final duel, eliminating Ethan only minutes after Ethan had eliminated Jake.

The sequence gives the premiere one of its neatest reversals. Jake Hoot’s run on The Floor ends much earlier than his past reality television success might have suggested, but the contestant responsible for sending The Voice champion home does not survive the episode either.