Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Voice’ Episode 7.After filling the rosters comes the hard part. For the judges, that is. We still get to sit back, watch, and criticize the decisions the judges make in the Season 26 Battle Rounds. Like Game of Thrones, don’t get too attached to your favorites. They may see an unfortunate demise. It’s the first time newbies Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé will partake in the next round of The Voice. For Gwen Stefani and Reba McEntire, this is old hat. Will they go easy on them?

With the stage set up like a boxing ring, each coach will select two of their artists to battle it out in the same song. At the end of each round, they’ll have to make the emotional decision of whom to send home. Of course, it’s not necessarily the end of the line for the eliminated contestant, as the judges can still steal them. It’s time for the strategy to kick in!

Snoop Dogg Learns Saying Goodbye Is Hard

To kick off The Voice Season 26 Battles, Snoop Dogg sits down with Clyde Lieberman, the Co-Executive Producer, who helps the rookie figure out the best way to pair his singers. His game plan is to pair artists who will sound good together, which is risky as it may end up pairing two artists who you may not want to see leave. The D-O-Double G goes country for his first pairing. It’s a veteran against a youngster — a similar story to this season’s coaches. Snoop has Gail Bliss battle Christina Eagle in a show-stopping rendition of “Red Neck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson. Gail Bliss previously earned the Coach Replay and hopes to continue her journey on The Voice. For Christina Eagle, she wanted to be like the person in the lyrics. Bliss has a natural power and grounded strength in the classic track. Eagle doesn’t quite have the dynamic that Bliss brings, but she has a charisma and stage presence that is ripe for the music industry today. Their performance gives off a mother-daughter vibe where the mother doesn’t want to be shown up. Snoop says his decision is based on who has the most potential to grow in the competition and gives the win to Christina Eagle.

Snoop’s second battle pits Eliza Pryor against Mikaela Ayira. We see that before their performance, the two young singers clicked, even making videos together before the big night. With their different styles, Snoop wants to hear their renditions of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” Sure, he is a new coach, but his song selections thus far are a tad basic and uninspiring. Both tracks have been worn out on reality competition shows, making it a bit of a disservice for his artists to reach their full potential. Regardless, both Pryor and Ayira’s vocals have a sweetness. Eliza Pryor matches the spirit of the song a bit better than Mikaela Ayria, who is essentially forced to pull back. Based on the Blind Auditions, Mikaela Ayria is the stronger vocalist, but Eliza Pryor’s battle performance was more cohesive. Snoop makes a smart call and decides to name Mikaela the winner of the battle.

Gwen Stefani Makes a Shocking Choice

Gwen Stefani begins her round with a battle between two stylistically sweet teen pop singers, Sloane Simon and Sydney Sterlace. While they may not match the image of Billie Eilish, they have the vocal chops to match as they sing “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish. Stefani pairs them because they are similar in their artistry, and they bring a big sister-little sister energy to their performance. Both girls dress in a teen pop star sensibility and have the most cohesion when they harmonize. Individually, Sloane Simon’s age and experience have the edge over Sydney Sterlace. Gwen “moms out” over her two singers, but she decides that she will shockingly keep Sydney Sterlace. With Sloane Simon available, the other three coaches jump at the opportunity to steal Sloane Simon. Now, she has the power to pick a new coach and moves from Team Stefani to Team Bublé after he says that he thinks Simon can win the whole show. Now it’s time to mold her into that star.

For her second battle, in perhaps the oddest and most uncomfortable pairing of the night, Gwen has Jan Dan take on Jaylen Dunham. Between the giant age gap of both artists and the level of maturity in their voices, this is easily the most lopsided combo. As much as Gwen attempts to justify her decision, it feels as if they are leftover singers who don’t fit well into another matchup. Gwen picks “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder as the song they will sing. Again, lopsided. It’s a selection to hear their range rather than for both artists to connect with the lyrics. Jan Dan fits the track; Jaylen Dunham has a beautiful tone, but it’s not a song for him. Their performance is special to watch and even moves Reba to tears, needing three tissues. Jaylen Dunham was Stefani’s Coach Replay Button recipient, but she feels Jan Dan is ready to continue. As it so happened, Jan Dan’s wife was in labor when this magical moment happened, so he rushed out of the studio to be by her side!

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Musical Hindrances Force Artists To Push Harder

For Reba McEntire’s first battle of the season, she pairs two country acts for a male-female duet to “Bring On the Rain” by Jo Dee Messina and Tim McGraw. She has Kendall Eugene, who was Reba’s Coach Replay Button winner, take on Alison Elena, the last singer to fill her team. It’s a beautifully melodic performance where each singer has the opportunity to bring in their aura while they provide a classic country duet. Eugene, with his guitar stuck behind a microphone, feels as if he’s the supporting act for Elena, who is free from any barriers between herself and the coaches. Eugene has more power in his voice compared to the purity in Elena’s. While they sound good as a duo, Reba values the gravel in Kendall Eugene’s voice, making him the winner of the Battle.

When it finally becomes time for Michael Bublé to enter the arena, he goes full Gladiator mode; shield, sword, and all. This is what he lives for, to coach. He decides to do an age-appropriate pairing of Mor Ilderton and Kiara Vega. Though, his song selection, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, couldn’t be further away from these young singers. With the song being out of their lane, they both have to push against their styles to fight to remain. During their coaching session, Ilderton and Vega seek direction from their coach. Ilderton is new to performing and has never harmonized before, while this song is far from the Latin music Vega is used to. Their battle is a bit over-hyped. The melodic nature of the song prevents either from showcasing their strengths. Ilderton finds his stride by the end of the song, and, once again, Reba is moved to tears. Michael Bublé decides to give Kiara Vega the win due to her potential, though he offers his number to Mor to help him on his musical journey. But he doesn’t need it, as Gwen Stefani makes a shocking steal before he walks offstage.

With six high-stakes performances and two steals already, The Voice Season 26 is proof that anything can and will happen. Now, with two steals out of contention, some other strong artists are likely going to fall to the wayside. The first Battle Round of Season 26 shows that it’s still anyone’s game to win. While Snoop Dogg made some odd choices in music selection, he is a smart coach. No matter what, this part of the game is hard.

The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.

The Battle Rounds prove that the coaches may play favorites!ProsThe emotions are high from the coaches as they find it hard to say goodbye.Two strong singers remain thanks to smart Coaches’ save. ConsSnoop Dogg shows his rookie side with some odd song choices for his singers.The coaches let some strong artists go in some shocking decisions.

Four famous musicians search for the best voices in America and will mentor these singers to become artists. America will decide which singer will be worthy of the grand prize.Release Date April 26, 2011 Seasons 25 Studio NBC Creator(s) John de Mol

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