Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Voice’ Season 26 Episode 11.

With only a few steals left, the final Battles of The Voice Season 26 are here. It’s a given that exceptional talent will fall to the wayside while solidifying the perfect roster before the live shows. In a season where veterans and rookies are utilizing different strategies, they’re all united in the fact that this game is hard. But The Voice is all about the coaches. The singers are just the pawns in their game.

Reba McEntire and Michael Bublé each have a steal available to use. Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg have run dry. But what’s not in short supply is talent. And it’s very possible the season’s winner might be present in this group of artists.The Voice, in general, can feel like whiplash. Incredible peaks. Unfortunate valleys. But when the artists are allowed to be the stars, the singing competition reminds us why it’s still going strong.

Obvious Song Selections Lead to Safe Performances

Team Gwen’s first Battle of the night sees two young artists bringing their twang out in “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves. Rowdy Shea is a modern country soul. Camryn Brooks has a crossover appeal. They seem to have a brother-sister relationship — which is a far cry from Brooks’ comparison of being mini Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. Definitely not siblings. As Brooks tries to be country, Shea is adapting to the West Coast by learning the “LA lingo,” now using words like “slay” and “period.” It’s important to see this fun side of both of them together as it is a precursor to the performance they give. The advantage for this track leans toward Shea as it is a tried and true country track, but Stefani sees Brooks as the song’s featured artist. Like Musgraves, she can toe the line between country and pop. During their coaching session, Brooks drops a bomb that she recently developed heart disease, which has affected her ability to breathe properly while she sings. She shares that she’s worked through it as Gwen literally just tells her, “Just accept that this is where you’re at.”

Now, to the performance. They sound like two separate artists singing a singular song; there is very little vocal chemistry. Brooks infuses her pop sound into the song, but Rowdy Shea is a country boy. He just lacks the emotion that the lyrics innately have. While neither truly dominates the performance, this selection comes down to who has the potential to win. Camryn Brooks is the more complete package, while Rowdy Shea can be a country star in today’s country scene. Gwen ultimately selects Camryn Brooks, losing her sole male country artist this season.

The D-O-Double-G has a tough battle ahead as he pits Michael Alexandersson against Mary McAvoy. Alexandersson is a crooner. McAvoy has soul. The Venn diagram overlaps, but is that enough? Snoop selects The Flamingo’s “I Only Have Eyes For You” because he feels it is a great duet if a male and female sing it to each other. Given the nature of the song, the advantage already sways toward Michael Alexandersson. McAvoy is essentially forced to not only jump out of her genre box but find a way to blend with her stage partner’s intense vibrato. When McAvoy has her solo moments, she proves why she is an exceptional artist. She can reach into that Diana Krall essence.

For Alexandersson to achieve a victory, he has to go above and beyond. He does not. McAvoy’s approach to the song shows she has bigger potential in this competition. Snoop really wanted to “ship” this pair as a couple, but he ultimately has to split them up. He selects Mary McAvoy as the winner of the battle. Like Stefani, the singer who should be the winner doesn’t win because their performance is too safe. Pushing beyond their wheelhouse proves beneficial when searching for versatility.

Reba McEntire Continues To Stack Her Team

Reba McEntire has two country singers battle for the country slot on her team. It’s the battle of Tennessee as Tanner Frick takes on Tate Renner — two dudes with guitars. One sports a trucker hat, the other wears a cowboy hat. And yet, they both represent modern male country music today. It’s the Tate and Tanner Show. The Queen of Country is excited to provide a modern country track, “Need a Favor” by Jelly Roll, for her country boys. They both have grit and gravel in their tone, which makes it quite interesting when they sing as one. Harmony? Not quite, as it’s not clean. They’re both lead vocalists. If you close your eyes, it may be a bit hard to decipher who is who. Renner’s voice is a bit cleaner, thanks to his vocal training. Frick is radio ready. Reba told them during their coaching that she wanted whoever she didn’t pick to get stolen. It’s a risky ask because it means, should they both make it to the voting rounds, they will once again be vying for the same votes. After Reba selects Tate Renner, she gets her wish as Michael Bublé steals Tanner Frick, adding a country singer to his roster.

When it comes to an interesting pairing, Reba has Katie O take on the season’s trio, 323. Reba loves harmonies, so she has them tackle Little River Band. And not only because they performed at her 50th birthday celebration. Katie O is a young country singer who has the ability to be a superstar. 323 is literal music to your ears. “Lonesome Loser” provides both artists the ability to have fun and let loose on stage. Was this just the launch of a future collaboration between 323 and Katie O? It’s very possible! When all four artists sing as one, 323 dominates as this is what they already do. Yet, when Katie O has her solo moment, she seems like the superstar singing with the contestants on finale night. The winner is Katie O, which could be a phrase you also hear on finale night.

Michael Bublé Is the “Mad Scientist of Music

Even though there won’t be a winner until the end, Michael Bublé is the winner of the night. He starts off strong with the Team Bublé pairing of J. Paul against Kamila Kiehne. Kamila Kiehne may be 17, but she has a spirit and aura that are larger than her years. She knows she’s up against a powerhouse in J. Paul. During the coaching session, J. Paul reveals that he sang in the background choir for his coach back in 2004. That’s pretty cool! And a great reason as to why he shouldn’t get rid of him. Michael Bublé pairs them because he knows that their versatility is unmatched. With an ability to transcend styles, the Canadian crooner selects the classic Britney Spears track, “Toxic,” as their Battle Round song.

Thanks to Michael Bublé utilizing his skills as the “Mad Scientist of Music” to turn this arrangement into something exceptional, he allows both of his artists to slay the stage. It’s the Princess of Team Bublé against the King. Let’s just say it’s good to be the King. The polish in his vocals should be the sole reason why he continues in this competition. Kamila Kiehne brings a vibe that is unlike the original track, which allows her to stand out, but her stage presence does not compare to her competitor’s. She does a lot of arm flapping, and it feels like she’s still finding her wings. Regardless, the coaches celebrate her youth in a manner that feels as if they’re giving her a pass. Bublé wants to quit as he knows it’s going to be a hard decision, but he selects the better vocalist, J. Paul. He makes the right decision.

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Michael Bublé is left with another interesting pairing. It’s a “Big Bublé Battle.” This time he has Cameron Wright versus Cassidy Lee. He sees them both as powerful and versatile artists. And what better way than to give them the biggest vocal track from the Mariah Carey songbook: “Hero.” Just from the announcement of the song, it was beyond clear that Cameron Wright would slaughter this song. They are a vocal powerhouse. For Cassidy Lee, she taps into a personal story, relating the song to her mom after Cassidy’s father passed away. With an emotional connection to the song, both Wright and Lee offer something special — it’s quite an emotional performance. While Michael Bublé says he’s a winner for working with both of them, he selects Cameron Wright to remain on his team. With one steal still in play, Reba McEntire steals Cassidy Lee. This could be the right pairing to help Lee soar through the rest of the season.

Unlike the Coach Replay Button and auditioning in the last couple of nights of the Blind Auditions, having the ability to utilize the steal in the final round of the Battle Rounds proves beneficial. With the coaches knowing who is still to come, they can save their steal for the right person, so going later on can be of benefit to the artists. The mechanic of the steal gives hope until that final battle. For the sake of these artists on the show though, being on the final night of Battle Rounds can be a detriment to viewers who may have fatigue and just want to get to the Knockouts. It’s unfortunate, as the winner could easily come from this evening.

The Battle Rounds end as potential winners emerge and the Knockout Rounds loom.ProsMichael Bublé has his best showing thus far this season.True winner potential came out of the last night of the Battle Rounds. ConsThe coaches put singers at a disadvantage with certain song choices.The fatigue of the Battle Rounds is real.

With the exception of this week, The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC in the U.S. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.

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