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Adam Levine: 'I hate this country' remark roils fans

Adam Levine: 'I hate this country' was caught on a hot mic during Tuesday's episode of 'The Voice.' Levine explained his remark, sort of, in several tweets.

UPDATED: 6:40 p.m. Wednesday

Coach Adam Levine was shocked and disturbed that two of his three remaining singers were voted off the 'The Voice' Tuesday night.

The Maroon 5 singer muttered, "I hate this country."

He apparently meant the folks who didn't vote for his contestants, Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons. But that isn't what he said.

So, the Twitterverse ignited.

"Does @adamlevine get deported for saying "I hate this country" on the voice tonight? lol hey US we'll trade you for Bieber!" tweeted David DK Kelly @SeaDogsDK

 Ryan Cooney @Rcooney13 wrote: "Adam Levine just said "I hate this country" on TV... Not a smart move dude, not smart at all. #america"

But most Adam Levine fans were forgiving.

 Richard Pyle @pyle27  wrote: "@ImGregRunge @TheVoice_TF1 Adam clearly meant to say "I hate country (music)""

For "The Voice" fans, Levine wasn't alone in feeling shocked. Judith Hill was considered one of the most talented and most polished performers among the Top 8 remaining contestants. But as The Hartford Courant's Amy Reiter wrote, that might have actually hurt her chances with American voters:

 "...it could also have been that Hill was almost too polished, too much of a pro. She'd sung a duet with Michael Jackson. Her parents were well-connected musicians. She already had the bearing of a superstar -- seemed already to have arrived.  What did she need us for?"

And what's Adam Levine's response to the furor over his 'I hate this country' comment?

He issued a series of early morning tweets taken directly from the dictionary:

joke-noun1.something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or prankish act

hu·mor·less (hymr-ls) adj. 1. Lacking a sense of humor. 2. Said or done without humor

light·heart·ed Function: adjective 1 : free from care, anxiety, or seriousness : happy-go-lucky 2 : cheerfully optimistic

mis·un·der·stand Pronunciation: \(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand\ Date: 13th century 1 : to fail to understand 2 : to interpret incorrectly

Later on Wednesday, Levine issued this statement:

"I obviously love my country very much and my comments last night were made purely out of frustration. Being a part of The Voice, I am passionately invested in my team and want to see my artists succeed. Last night's elimination of Judith and Sarah was confusing and downright emotional for me and my comments were made based on my personal dissatisfaction with the results. I am very connected to my artists and know they have long careers ahead, regardless of their outcome on the show."

For those still tracking the results of 'The Voice' voting, Levine, Usher, and Shakira each have one remaining contestant. Blake Shelton, who has coached the winner in the last two seasons, has three remaining contestants.  Clearly, Shelton has figured out how to play this game.

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