Gwen Stefani had a big decision on her hands on Tuesday’s (November 19) episode of The Voice, which marked the start of the Playoffs.
Team Gwen’s top five acts — Jose Luis, Jake Tankersley, Gabrielle Zabosky, Jan Dan, and Sydney Sterlace — took to the stage to sing their hearts out. However, Stefani could only pick two of them to advance to the live shows.
Luis was up first, performing a stunning rendition of Mary J. Blige‘s “No More Drama.’ The young singer commanded the stage like never before, delivering a thrilling performance that put him in contention for one of Stefani’s two picks.
Next up was Tankersley, who performed a pitch-perfect rendition of Cody Johnson‘s “The Painter.” While his vocals were on point, he lacked the stage presence of Luis. Afterward, he admitted to being emotional as he was thinking of his wife.
Zabosky stepped up next for a raucous performance of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart,” showing off her vocal range and rock star presence.
After Zabosky, Jan Dan took to the stage to sing Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind,” bringing Stefani to tears with an emotional performance.
Finally, Sydney Sterlace continued to show off her potential with a heartfelt rendition of Taylor Swift‘s “Betty.” The performance earned high praise from the coaches, with Michael Bublé calling her a “superstar.”
As all five contestants were called back to the stage, Stefani was left with making the difficult decision of who to send home and who to bring with her to the live shows.
“I feel proud, and I feel honored that each one of you guys let me hang out with you and help you,” the “Hollerback Girl” singer said. “This is really, really difficult. One thing that saves me all the time is that we’re all going home, and this is just a moment in your life.”
“Whatever you do with this moment is going to be the next part of your life. That does give me comfort,” she continued. “I’m going by who I think I can coach and help grow into that identity that they already are showing me that they have.”
After telling the five acts she was “so proud” to be their coach, Stefani first picked Jan Dan to move on to the live shows. For her second pick, she went with “the one that really moves me and who I think I can coach,” and that was Sterlace.
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In an interview afterward, Stefani explained her choices, saying of Jan Dan, “He’s just, he’s too unique. He has so much taste and he has such a perspective that I just wanted to give him the opportunity to share that with America in the lives.”
As for Sterlace, Stefani added, “I had to go with Sydney. It was just a gut feeling. She moves me. She gets on that stage and I want to see more… I just can’t let her go home. These playoffs are just so emotional.”
Did Stefani make the right choices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Voice, Season 26, Mondays, 8 p.m. ET/PT, Tuesdays, 9 p.m. ET/PT, NBC (streaming next day on Peacock)
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