Night 2 of the fighting continues The voice brought more eliminations, a last-minute “steal” and plenty of tears.
Tuesday’s episode was shorter than usual: 90 minutes instead of the usual two hours, due to the rebroadcast of coach Reba McEntire’s new NBC comedy, Happy’s place, which served as a start The voice. That meant less time was spent on all six competing duos taking the stage, with only four Battles (one from each team) receiving the main focus of the episode. Two head-to-head matchups (one from Team Snoop, the other from Team Michael) were relegated to highlight status, making the eliminations of Torion Sellers and Suede Lacy seem like afterthoughts.
Still, each of the competing singers improved dramatically on their respective Blind Auditions – an observation made consistently throughout the episode – making the coaches’ decisions on who to eliminate even more difficult. Find out which Battle stood out the most from Tuesday’s episode, who got a second chance and which singer was moved to tears.
Standout battle of the episode
The battle between Team Gwen’s Frankie Torres and Gabrielle Zabosky, who both earned four chair turns during the blind auditions, was by far the best of the night. Torres and Zabosky covered a more soulful version of INXS’ rock classic “Never Tear Us Apart” and blew the coaches and audience away with their powerful harmonies and vibrant stage presence. Gwen Stefani’s unconventional song choice paid off as they showcased their vocal skills without being hampered by trying to match the original.
Torres, who leaned more toward rock, and Zabosky, who leaned toward pop, were so stunning with their Battle performance that the coaches were left speechless. They expressed how happy they were not to be in Stefani’s shoes and have to let one of them go. Michael Bublé praised the unique song arrangement, saying it allowed each singer to “show the power” of their voice and range. McEntire praised Torres’ tone and Zabosky’s “high parts,” while Snoop Dogg appreciated that the pair didn’t try to “outdo” each other. Bublé and McEntire would have chosen Zabosky if they had the choice.
But the decision was Stefani’s. After calling their duet “spectacular,” she visibly struggled to pick a winner. After thinking for a few moments, Stefani decided who she wanted to move on with: Zabosky. Her reasoning was simple. “[She] stepped it up and she’s super talented,” said Stefani, adding that the further she goes in the competition, the more confident she will become – and that can only help her in the future. What brings us to…
A last-minute ‘steal’
The voice certainly likes to keep everyone on their toes. While saying goodbye to the coaches, Torres was stolen at the end by McEntire possible secondly, she used her ‘stealing’. Stefani must have felt a sense of relief because shortly afterwards she hugged McEntire and thanked her for keeping Torres in the competition.
McEntire, however, had her own revelation.
“I played there a little bit, because I said Gabrielle, so you would go with Gabrielle, so I could get Frankie,” the country singer said, referring to the coaches’ feedback session after their Battle ended. After hearing McEntire reveal her strategy, Bublé couldn’t contain his laughter. (There is a reason why McEntire rules Vote champion, after all.)
McEntire was determined to have Torres on her team, whatever it took. “I loved her tone, her stage presence. I just loved her voice, and that’s why I had to use my money for Frankie,” she said. Welcome to team Reba!
Tears, tears and more tears
We can’t finish this episode recap without mentioning the battle between Team Snoop’s ChrisDeo and the duo MisterMoon. Performing Amy Winehouse’s version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” the artists were paired together so they could show off their harmonies — and Snoop’s vision paid off on the Vote phase. Their three-part harmonization was near perfect, with the rapper admitting that they “got chills down my body” during their performance.
It was the positive feedback from McEntire and Stefani that brought ChrisDeo to tears. “Super, super impressed with you tonight,” Stefani said. In the end, Snoop chose ChrisDeo as the winner. He saw enough “untapped” talent in the 17-year-old singer, who celebrated her birthday during rehearsals for the Battles round, that he was confident she could go far. “Once she gets that trust and support,” he said, “she will be all she can be.”
A look ahead to next week
The fighting continues! Snoop is now the only coach who has failed to use one of his steals to get a singer. That will be something to watch as the battles intensify and the spots for each team fill up. McEntire, Stefani and Bublé all have one steal left, while the rapper has both in his back pocket – something he could use to his advantage later.
The voice returns Monday, October 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.
