'The Voice' recap: Reba McEntire maneuvers a 'steal' as INXS classic leaves coaches speechless in Battles round
Gwen Stefani had a tough decision to make after contestants Frankie Torres and Gabrielle Zabosky performed "Never Tear Us Apart."
Night 2 of Battles on The Voice brought more eliminations, a last-minute “steal” and lots of tears.
Tuesday’s episode was shorter than usual — 90 minutes instead of the typical two hours, due to the re-airing of coach Reba McEntire’s new NBC comedy, Happy’s Place, which served as a lead-in to The Voice. That meant there was less time devoted to all six competing duos taking the stage, with only four Battles (one from each team) getting the episode’s prime focus. Two head-to-head showdowns (one from Team Snoop, the other from Team Michael) were relegated to recap highlight status, which made the eliminations of Torion Sellers and Suede Lacy feel like afterthoughts.
Even so, each of the competing singers improved dramatically from their respective Blind Auditions — an observation that was consistently made throughout the episode — making the coaches’ decisions about 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, both of whom earned four-chair turns during the Blind Auditions, was easily the best of the evening. Covering a more soulful version of INXS’s rock classic “Never Tear Us Apart,” Torres and Zabosky blew the coaches and audience away with their powerful harmonies and lively stage presence. Gwen Stefani’s unconventional song choice paid off as they showcased their vocal abilities without being hindered by trying to match the original.
Torres, who leaned more toward rock, and Zabosky, who gravitated toward pop, were so mind-blowing with their Battle performance that the coaches were left speechless. They expressed how glad they were not to be in Stefani’s shoes, having to let one of them go. Michael Bublé praised the unique song arrangement, saying that it allowed each singer “to show the strength” of their voice as well as their range. McEntire lauded Torres’s 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 opted for Zabosky if the choice had been theirs.
But the decision was Stefani’s to make. After calling their duet “spectacular,” she visibly struggled to name a winner. After a few moments with her thoughts, Stefani made up her mind about who she wanted to move forward with: Zabosky. Her reasoning was simple. “[She] stepped it up and she’s super talented,” Stefani said, adding that the further she goes in the competition, the more confidence she’ll gain — and that can only help her in the future. Which leads us to...
A last-minute ‘steal’
The Voice sure loves to keep everyone on their toes. While saying her goodbyes to the coaches, Torres was stolen by McEntire, who at the last possible second used her “steal.” Stefani must have felt a sense of relief because soon after, she hugged McEntire and thanked her for keeping Torres in the competition.
However, McEntire had her own reveal.
“I did a little play there ’cause I did say Gabrielle so you would go with Gabrielle, so I could have Frankie,” the country singer said, referring to the coaches’ feedback session after their Battle finished. After hearing McEntire reveal her strategy, Bublé couldn’t contain his laughter. (There is a reason McEntire is the reigning Voice champion, after all.)
McEntire was dead set on having Torres on her team, no matter what it took. “Loved her tone, her stage presence. I just loved her voice, and that’s why I had to use my steal for Frankie,” she said. Welcome to Team Reba!
Tears, tears and more tears
We couldn’t finish this episode recap without mentioning the Battle between Team Snoop’s ChrisDeo and duo MisterMoon. Performing Amy Winehouse’s version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” the artists were paired so they could showcase their harmonies — and Snoop’s vision paid off on the Voice stage. Their three-part harmonization was near-perfect, with the rapper admitting he “caught chills on my body” during their performance.
It was McEntire and Stefani’s positive feedback 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 felt confident she could go far. “Once she gets that confidence, support,” he said, “she’s going to be all that she can be.”
A look ahead to next week
The Battles continue! Snoop is now the only coach who hasn’t successfully used one of his steals to snag a singer. That will be something to watch as the Battles get more intense and the spots start to fill up on each team. McEntire, Stefani and Bublé all have one remaining steal, while the rapper has both in his back pocket — something he could use later to his advantage.
The Voice returns Monday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
