The Playoffs have started The voice. With no more steals or saves, the singers took a big step forward during Night 1 of the Playoffs, showing the growth and progress they’ve made since the Blind Auditions. The lack of lifelines meant there was immense pressure on the coaches, who had to end the dreams of more than half of their team members, to make the right decision before the Top 8 live shows kicked off.
Tuesday’s episode focused exclusively on Team Gwen and its five singers: Jose Luis, Jake Tankersley, Gabrielle Zabosky, Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace. Coach Gwen Stefani recruited MGK (aka Machine Gun Kelly) to advise her team as the five contenders put the finishing touches on their Playoff performances. Emotions were running high for Stefani, who broke down in tears several times over the course of the episode as she faced the reality of having to say goodbye to three of her singers ahead of the Top 8 live shows.
How Team Gwen fit together
Jose Luis took the stage first with a different version of “No More Drama” by Mary J. Blige. His unique, gospel-inspired rendition, with incredible runs and high notes, impressed all the coaches. “That was a playoff chant at the highest level,” Snoop Dogg said, praising him for making Blige’s hit his song.
Jake Tankersley followed Luis’ performance with a moving cover of Cody Johnson’s “The Painter.” By the end of the song, Tankersley was filled with emotion and almost choked up – which impressed the coaches. Stefani said Tankersley’s strength was the authenticity that came through in his performance: “You could see it on stage.”
Gabrielle Zabosky sang a piano version of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart”, and during rehearsals MGK advised her to be more at one with the song and less in her head. “Let this consume you; this is life or death,” he said. Although Zabosky’s Playoff performance was rocky and her nerves got the better of her, Reba McEntire was hopeful about her future: “Once you marry that voice of yours and what comes out of your eyes, there’s no stopping you.”
Jan Dan selected Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” for its Playoff song, and its unconventional selection surprised everyone, including Stefani and MGK. He has that “super strange recipe that you wouldn’t think would go together,” MGK noted during rehearsals. “It’s like jalapeños and ice cream, but he makes it work. It’s weird.” His R&B version of the Kansas classic worked in his favor, and his performance brought Stefani to tears. “He’s a painter with his voice,” she said of Dan, whom she called her “wild card.”
Last but not least, Sydney Sterlace took the stage to perform “Betty” by Taylor Swift. Even though Sterlace is 15 years old, MGK was visibly impressed with her vocal abilities in the run-through: “She has all the controls of what you need in a singer.” On the Playoff podium, Michael Bublé was “blown away by [her] “voice,” as Snoop continued to hype Sterlace, declaring that she had “strong enough vocals to win the entire show.” Stefani praised Sterlace’s instincts, maturity and “what she puts under pressure tells me she’s going to go far.”
Who made it to the live shows?
Sydney Sterlace, 15, impressed both Stefani and Snoop in the first Playoffs episode. (Photo: Griffin Nagel/NBC)
Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace
“He’s too unique,” Stefani said of Dan’s move to the live shows. “He has such taste and he has such perspective that I want to give him the opportunity to share that with America in the future. [live shows].”
Stefani’s decision to keep Sterlace “was just a gut feeling,” she admitted, after almost crying while making her choice. “She moves me. She gets on that stage and I want to see more.
Looking ahead to next week
The Playoffs continue! We’re in for a wild ride, with Team Reba and Team Snoop next. McEntire confessed that she already “dreaded” the experience after watching Stefani go through a rollercoaster of emotions. The Vote the journey continues, with the live shows just around the corner.
The voice continues Monday, November 25 at 8pm ET on NBC.
