The remaining hopefuls move on The voice gave it their all on the fifth and final night of the Battle Rounds.
Monday’s episode concluded the final Battles of the NBC singing competition with six faceoffs, as coaches Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé locked down their teams ahead of the knockouts. With more talented singers leaving stage right, McEntire and Bublé used their final ‘steals’ to replenish each of their final squads of nine.
Of The voice As the competition enters a new phase next week, find out which musical acts made their way into the final spots ahead of Team Reba, Team Gwen, Team Snoop and Team Bublé – and which eliminated singers kept their places Vote hope alive.
Standout battle of the episode
The first Battle of the evening between J. Paul and Kamila Kiehne of Team Bublé set the bar high for the talent that entered the market Vote podium to complete the round. Bublé performed a cover of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ and chose the song to showcase Paul and Kiehne’s skills with different music genres – he leaned more soul, she was more pop. Their unique harmonies and rhythmic choices delivered a compelling rendition of the 2004 pop hit, making the popular song their own.
Stefani praised Kiehne’s “incredible voice” and expressed amazement at the 17-year-old’s vocal abilities and excitement for her future. But she chose Paul as the winner of the Battle based solely on vocal performance. McEntire disagreed, preferring Kiehne’s freshness.
Bublé had the final say and made a point of telling both singers that this was “just a small part of their career and a stepping stone in their musical journeys.” In the end he went with Paul because he was the ‘quintessential singer’ singer.”
An honorable mention goes to Team Reba’s Battle between the a cappella trio 323 and country singer Katie O. They performed a beautiful cover of “Lonesome Loser” by Little River Band, one of McEntire’s favorite songs. It’s rare that groups go far The voiceso it was a special treat to hear the four-part harmony as seamless and effortless as this. Even though McEntire pushed Katie O through to the knockouts, 323 was also worth staying in the competition.
The last ‘steals’
Team Reba’s Tanner Frick came up short in his Country Music Battle against Tate Renner, but Bublé wasn’t about to let a talent like him go. Just as Frick gave Snoop a goodbye hug, Bublé chose that moment to press his button and steal Frick away.
“[Getting Tanner] was a huge victory for me,” Bublé said after welcoming him to the team. “That’s a former turn of four chairs and a piece of the puzzle that I didn’t have. I needed that country singer, and now I feel like I’m completely in the game.”
McEntire chose to use her theft on indie folk singer Cassidy Lee after losing her Team Bublé Battle with R&B crooner Cameron Wright. McEntire explained that Lee’s emotional rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero” impressed her.
“Sometimes when you sing with someone who has an active, acrobatic voice, you tend to join in, but they don’t. She held her own,” she said Happy’s place star said of Lee while referencing Wright’s vocal abilities. “She knew her strengths and stayed on her path, and that’s what I admired about her.”
Quote of the evening
“I quit!” Bublé joked as he struggled to pick a winner between singers J. Paul and Kamila Kiehne. The coach’s irritated comment prompted host Carson Daly to mention a former name Vote coach: ‘Don’t make me call Blake [Shelton]!”
A look ahead to next week
The triple knockout rounds begin! The competition becomes fierce as each team nominates three singers to compete against each other. The participants have the option to choose the songs they want to perform, but it is up to their respective coaches to choose the winner who will advance to the Playoffs. Coaches can use one steal and one save during knockouts.
Vote alum Jennifer Hudson, who coached in seasons 13 and 15, returns as a mega-mentor for Sting, who is making his debut on the program. Hudson will advise Team Bublé and Team Reba, while Sting will guide Team Gwen and Team Snoop. On to the next phase of the competition…
The voice kicks off the Knockout Rounds on Monday, November 11 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on NBC.
