The third and final night of Knockouts had everything you could want to see The voice: compelling battles, electrifying performances, emotional eliminations, a flurry of steals and saves – and, after the unexpected early departure of one contestant, another sudden departure.
Monday’s two-hour episode concluded a rollercoaster knockout round by highlighting the five remaining faceoffs, and The voice may have saved the best and most competitive matches for last. Find out which singers advanced to the Playoffs, who got a second chance and why coach Snoop Dogg was moved to tears again.
Knockout battle of the episode
In an episode with the strongest performances of season 26, Team Gwen’s knockout battle between Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace is our pick. Why was their sing-off just a duel? Coach Gwen Stefani revealed during rehearsals that Mor Ilderton, who she stole from Team Bublé, “had to go home early” and thus forfeited his spot in the competition.
Still, with the help of her mega-mentor Sting, Stefani moved on from the match. Dan put an R&B spin on Miley Cyrus’ pop song “Angels Like You,” while Sterlace sang a cover of Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises.” Both of their performances brought the coaches and audience to their feet, with Sterlace demonstrating her vocal prowess in her version of the emotional ballad and Dan showing off his “smooth” voice, as coach Reba McEntire described it.
Jan Dan, Sting and Gwen Stefani on ‘The Voice’. (Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty Images)
Snoop even went so far as to declare early on that Sterlace could “win the show.” Coaches Michael Bublé and McEntire also praised the 15-year-old for having a voice with a level of “maturity” that is rare at her young age.
It all came down to Stefani’s decision. After some deliberation, she chose Sterlace as the winner of the knockout battle because “age just goes out the window [when she performs].” Stefani agreed with Snoop’s comment that Sterlace had a real chance to “get to the finals.” “She really knows how to build a song and be emotional,” said the No Doubt frontwoman.
An emotional elimination
ChrisDeo, Mikaela Ayira and Torre Blake in ‘The Voice’. (Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty Images)
If you’ve looked The voice this season, you know Snoop is the coach most likely to cry or get emotional. The rapper was struck by his feelings again when ChrisDeo, Mikaela Ayira and Torre Blake took the stage, whom he described as his daughters. The trio’s battle was one of the most intense, as his tears began to flow soon after the first performance began.
“I’m torn because I can’t take you all with me and I’m hurt, and I gotta be strong right now,” Snoop explained as tears continued to stream down his face during the criticism. “I’m supposed to make you all strong, but this is how you influenced me.”
Ultimately, Snoop selected Ayira – who performed Alessia Cara’s ‘Scars to Your Beautiful’ – to advance to the Playoffs, leaving ChrisDeo and Blake to give up The voice‘s most moving farewell speeches of the season. A tearful ChrisDeo thanked Snoop for giving her confidence. Blake promised that the elimination “wasn’t the end for me, this is just the beginning.”
The latest saves and steals
It was the last chance for the coaches to use their last saves and steals before the Playoffs. McEntire and Stefani saved two of their favorites, while Snoop used his steals against an unexpected contender.
After McEntire crowned Lauren-Michael Sellers the winner of her knockout fight following a spine-tingling rendition of Lauren Daigle’s “Hold On to Me,” the country star wasted no time in hitting her save button to put Danny Joseph in the to hold competition. His impressive high notes and lively cover of Susan Tedeschi’s “It Hurt So Bad” wowed the coaches. McEntire’s quick decision surprised Snoop, who planned to steal Joseph. “You still have time, but I don’t think you have a chance, Snoop!” she said.
Stefani hit her save button to keep R&B crooner Jan Dan on her team after he lost his knockout match against Sterlace. “I couldn’t see him go home, and I know there’s so much I can do with him,” Stefani said. “He has such a great way of being tasteful and using his superpower at the right time.”
In the final bout of the knockout round, Bublé tapped Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez as the winner of his three-way showdown, meaning Jeremy Beloate and Kiara Vega could be stolen. Snoop came in to “steal” Beloate after his operatic performance of JVKE’s “Golden Hour.”
“I’m looking forward to finding the best record that can highlight his singing – the way he can have a big moment, a subtle moment, something tender, things that can really put him over the top,” Snoop said.
A preview of the next episode
With the knockouts in mind, the Playoffs officially begin! Each team enters the Playoffs with five singers, which the coaches must reduce to two at the end of the round.
Here are the team breakdowns heading into the next round:
Team Reba: Edward Preble, Adam Bohanan, Lauren-Michael Sellers, Danny Joseph, Katie O
TeamGwen: Jake Tankersley, Jose Luis, Gabrielle Zabosky, Sydney Sterlace, Jan Dan
Team Snoop: Aliyah Khaylyn, Mikaela Ayira, Austyns Stancil, Christina Eagle, Jeremy Beloate
Team Buble: Cameron Wright, Jaukeem Fortson, Sloane Simon, Shye, Sofronio Vasquez
Who are the lucky singers representing Team Reba, Team Gwen, Team Snoop and Team Bublé in the semi-finals? Join us on our journey as The voice is getting closer to crowning a new winner!
The voice returns on November 19 at 9pm ET on NBC.
