The playoffs have begun Voice. Because there are no more “steals” or “savs,” the singers improved significantly on Night 1 of the Playoffs, showing the growth and progress they’ve made since the Blind Auditions. The lack of lifelines put a lot of pressure on the coaches, who have to end the dreams of more than half of their team members, to make the right decision before the top 8 live shows begin.
Tuesday’s episode focused exclusively on Team Gwen and her 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 completed their playoff performances. Emotions ran high for Stefani, who broke down in tears several times during the episode and faced the reality of saying goodbye to three of her singers before the Top 8 live shows.
How Team Gwen got along
José Luis took the stage first and performed 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. “It was some playoff singing at the highest level,” Snoop Dogg said, praising him for making Blige’s hit his song.
Jake Tankersley followed Luis’ performance with a rousing cover of Cody Johnson’s “The Painter.” At the end of the song, Tankersley was overcome with emotion and almost choked, impressing the coaches. Stefani said Tankersley’s strength was the authenticity that came through in his performance: “You could see it on stage.”
Gabrielle Zabosky she sang a piano version of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart” and during rehearsals MGK advised her to be more one with the song and less in her head. “Be absorbed in it; this is life or death,” he said. Even though Zabosky’s playoff performance was rocky, her nerves were getting the best of her, Reba McEntire believed in her future: “Once you take that voice of yours and what comes out of your eyes, you’re going to be unstoppable.”
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John the Dane chose Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” for his Playoff track, and his unconventional choice surprised everyone, including Stefani and MGK. It has that “super weird 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 take on the Kansas classic worked in his favor, and his performance moved 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: “She has all the control you need from a singer.” On the Playoff stage, Michael Bublé was “blown away [her] voice”, while Snoop continued to promote Sterlace, stating that she had “strong enough vocals to win the whole show”. Stefani credited Sterlace’s instincts, maturity and “what he brings under pressure, tells me he’s going to go far.”
Who made it to the live shows
Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace
“He’s too unique,” Stefani said of Dan’s move to live shows. “He has so much flair and perspective that I want to give him the opportunity to share that with America in [live shows].”
Stefani’s decision to keep Sterlace “was just a gut feeling,” she admitted, nearly crying over the choice. “He pushes me. He gets on stage and I want to see more.”
We look forward to next week
The play-off continues! We’re in for a wild ride and next up are Team Reba and Team Snoop. McEntire admitted she was already “terrified” of the experience after watching Stefani go through a rollercoaster of emotions. The Voice the journey continues and live performances are just around the corner.
Voice continues Monday, November 25 at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.