NEED TO KNOW
As The Voice finale inches closer, coaches Niall Horan, Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé are narrowing down their teams.
On Monday, Nov. 24, the Knockouts came to a close — and three contestants were sent home.
The episode kicked off with Team Reba’s Austin Gilbert, who performed “Eight Second Ride,” and Peyton Kyle, who performed “I Don’t Wanna Be.”
After the performances, McEntire, 70, gave each of them feedback. She said that Gilbert “never disappoints” with his performances and she’s liked Kyle “from the beginning.”
When it came time for her to choose who would remain in the competition, she said she was “really torn.”
“Austin being a country singer, got my loyalties there,” McEntire said. “But Peyton you’ve just got the voice, which is what this TV show is called. Austin I’m terribly sorry, but the winner of this knockout is Peyton.”
She added, “Peyton’s got an amazing voice. I think you could throw the phonebook at him and he’d try to sing that and he’d do it very well.”
The next Knockout was Team Niall’s Kirbi, who sang “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” and Dustin Dale Gaspard, who sang “She Talks to Angels.”
Horan began his feedback by saying he felt he was going to “pass out.” Still, he told Gaspard he was an artist to his core — and Kirbi it was her best performance yet.
“I have to go with what I’ve seen in the room in the Knockout, and I think the winner of the Knockout is Kirbi,” he said. “I picked Kirbi simply down to the fact that what she did in her performance tonight was just undeniable. There was no way she could sing like that, gave the emotion that she gave and leave this competition. She absolutely deserves to be in my top four.”
The final Knockout round was for Team Snoop’s Yoshihanaa, who sang “You’re All I Need to Get By,” and Lauren Anderson, who sang “Try.”
Griffin Nagel/NBC via Getty; Casey Durkin/NBC via Getty; Griffin Nagel/NBC via Getty
Coach Snoop began his feedback by complimenting Anderson for getting “bigger and brighter” every time she stepped on the stage. With Yoshihanaa, he said he loved her “stage control” and the power of her voice.
“This is tough because we’ve become family. So it’s not like you want to send anybody off — you just want to keep somebody inspired. So with that being said, the winner of this knockout is Yoshihanaa,” he said.
After making his decision, Snoop also hit his mic drop button, meaning he was nominating her to sing in the upcoming Rose Parade.
“The reason why I gave Yoshihanaa the mic drop is because she did everything but drop the mic. So it was my job to mic drop on her behalf. She has that star quality that could actually win The Voice,” he said. “She represents Team Snoop to the fullest.”
The Voice will continue with the Playoffs on Monday, Dec. 1.
