Simone Biles Flips the Script as Reba Calls the Shots

Yee haw! With no more steals or saves, Reba McEntire and Snoop Dogg are in the hot seat as they dwindle their team down from five to two. On paper, the decisions should be obvious, but with this duo in focus, nothing is ever certain. It’s a rookie versus veteran matchup on the second night of The Voice Season 26’s Playoffs. Now, after Gwen Stefani brought in MGK to be her team’s mentor, the expectations are high for Team Snoop and Team Reba with their mentors.

For Snoop Dogg, he opts for someone who knows how to put on a show: US gymnastics legend Simone Biles. Over with Reba McEntire, she welcomes a modern country chart climber in Lainey Wilson. They’re two very drastic individuals, but they are present for different purposes. Time to see if they can help bring a victory to one of their new mentees.

Lainey Wilson Is a Great Spectator

Team Reba kicks off the night as Reba welcomes Lainey Wilson to her team. She is a big fan of hers and her career has erupted. Wilson shares that she used to watch the show, dreaming of being on it one day. She even reveals she auditioned seven times for The Voice. Fortunately for her, she didn’t need a show like this to make it to the big time. Regardless of her trajectory, Wilson is eager to help her friend earn back-to-back victories on the show. We were reminded of Wilson’s appearance last season when Reba officially welcomed her to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Perhaps part of the deal to be an Opry member was to have Lainey Wilson return as her mega mentor. Unlike MGK the previous week, Lainey Wilson is better at being a spectator on The Voice rather than a mentor. She does provide some solid advice, but not nearly at the level of what we’ve now come to expect.

Adam Bohanan is the first to arrive, where he reveals that he is, once again, going off script, proving any genre is in his wheelhouse. He sings “Think I’m in Love With You” by Chris Stapleton. His goal with the song was to give it an Al Green-type spin, allowing it to be his own rendition. Lainey Wilson wants him to rope the audience in with his performance, and he does. It’s a silky smooth performance that is ripe for a coffee shop playlist. Looking at Bohanan’s trajectory in the season, it’s a slightly safe performance, yet still one of the strongest of his team.

Reba is still excited to have a crooner on her team. Edward Preble was stolen from Team Bublé, and now he is back to performing a Frank Sinatra track that Michael Bublé previously covered. Singing “All of Me” keeps Prebele in his lane. He’s passionate about the genre. He has charisma. Which is all well and good, but in a game about the vocals, Preble is out of his league compared to his fellow competitors. He has worn out his welcome, but we must appreciate his passion for instructing the next generation of the Great American Songbook.

Katie O walks into her coaching sessions and shares that she’s died and has gone to country music heaven. The young country singer has an affinity for the genre and is about to take on a Lainey Wilson song with the artist helping her along. She sings “Hang Tight Honey” almost as if she’s giving her best Lainey Wilson impression. There is a genuine love for the genre, but it doesn’t quite make her pop as an original artist. She has superstar potential, but simply based on this performance, it may not have been enough.

Heart Versus Soul

Reba has an affinity for Lauren-Michael Sellers. Although she is an exceptional vocalist, her connection with the singer has kept her alive in the competition. Speaking of connections, Sellers reveals that she has struggled with mental health issues, so her decision to sing Jelly Roll‘s “I’m Not Okay” is her opportunity to express how she’s feeling. She sees this song as her therapy, bringing out the emotion of the message. Reba is adamant that Lauren-Michael Sellers is the voice of The Voice.

It’s time to rock out with Danny Joseph. The UK is important is Reba’s dark horse this season. His ability to bring a classic rock aura into a modern-day sensibility is unmatched. For his Playoff performance, Joseph gives Marvin Gaye‘s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” an edge it’s never had before. The decades of grinding paid off with this performance. He leaves it all on the stage. He wails. He shreds. He’s a showman. The Voice has never had an artist quite like him. His ease on stage is enigmatic, yet alluring.

The Dogg and The Goat Unite

As Snoop Dogg states, he is not here to bring in someone who is regular, usual, or expected. This is the D-O-Double G after all. His journey thus far on The Voice has been against the grain, and thus far, it’s worked out for him. To the massive Olympic fan, Simone Biles is gold. He wants someone who can assist his artists in the preparation aspect of this game. Biles, and her goat necklace, is a huge music fan. While she may not be present to critique technique, her perspective as someone who watches and listens daily is uniquely valuable.

Up first is Christina Eagle, who is brought to tears meeting Simone Biles. She resonates with her story as she, too, was raised by her grandparents. Watching the connection between Christina Eagle and Simone Biles shows that Snoop is onto something, bringing the Goat in as his mega mentor. Biles reminds Christina Eagle that it’s OK to be OK, raising awareness about the importance of mental health in any industry. The story of Christina Eagle is authenticity. And nothing is more authentic than proving you’re willing to shoot for the sky by singing arguably one of the biggest country music songs by someone who is sitting mere feet away. Eagle takes on “Fancy” by Reba McEntire. It’s a tall order, but her rockier rendition of the track sets her up for massive success as a potential superstar. This performance was worthy of an award show slot paying homage to the Queen of Country. Listen, when you get the original artist to partake in the call and response, you know you’ve won already.

Aliyah Khaylyn is about to be challenged as her coach decides that she needs to tackle Whitney Houston. Snoop Dogg wants the world to see and hear what he does from Khaylyn. By giving her “I Have Nothing,” it’s a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. That being said, when it comes to singing competition shows, this song has been performed to death and always forces a comparison to the original artist. She has an emotional and spiritual connection to the song, owning the song. She looks like a superstar standing in front of the coaches in her two-way sequin gown. It takes her some time to build into the vocal, but she soars by the end. She does everything she needs to prove to her coach that she can win in the end. The other coaches may have been in shock, but Snoop Dogg knows what Khaylyn can do.

The Right Decisions Are Made

Austyns Stancil is overjoyed to see one of the greatest athletes of all time. As the father of four girls, the “girl dad” is excited to share with his daughters that he worked with such an inspiring woman. Hoping to showcase his falsetto, Stancil sings “Adore” by Prince. His performance shows a refreshing side of his instrument. He stays true to his artistry, but the song traps him in as it prevents him from showing anything but his falsetto. It’s effortless and something his fellow teammates cannot achieve, but the performance stays stagnant. When he does leave his upper register at the end of the track, it feels more like he ran out of steam than dropping in on purpose.

To say that Mikaela Ayira was gagged about seeing Simone Biles is an understatement. Ayira is tested with a big song in “Love” by Keyshia Cole. It’s a mature song for a young artist. As bubbly as Ayira is, Snoop’s decision to give her this track allows her to let it flow. Simone Biles tells her to channel her inner Jennifer Hudson, which ultimately allows her to provide a solid vocal performance. Sadly, this performance is not up to par with some of her past performances.

After stealing Jeremy Beloate, it’s his final chance to leave a lasting impression on his coach. For his Playoff performance, Beloate is taking on Josh Groban’s rendition of “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” from The Man of La Mancha. As any Broadway fan knows, this song has showstopper potential. He sings it as an honor to his brothers who lost their battle with addiction. Beloate says that they didn’t have the opportunity to chase their dreams, so making it to the Lives is his chance to fulfill his. Snoop Dogg tells him that music heals and this is his chance to heal himself and everyone watching. Beloate proves he is a sensational vocalist with his emotional performance. Even with passion behind him, Beloate waits until the glory note to unleash his full potential. The performance makes Gwen Stefani giddy and gets Snoop Dogg on his feet. Oh, and Reba, who wants to see him on Broadway, is moved to tears.

The rough part of the night is here. Who will Reba McEntire and Snoop Dogg cut, and who will represent their teams in the Live Semi-Finals? Based solely on this evening’s festivities, the winners should be Adam Bohanan and Danny Josephs for Team Reba and Christina Eagle and Jeremy Beloate for Team Snoop. Reba McEntire ends up selecting Adam Bohanan and Danny Josephs as her champions. For Snoop Dogg, he gives the victories to Jeremy Beloate and Christina Eagle. For once this season, Reba and Snoop made the right decisions. All four artists have a strong chance of victory. It now comes down to winning over America.

The Voice airs Mondays at 8:00 pm EST and Tuesdays at 9:00 pm EST on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.

‘The Voice’ finally has a perfect night of decisions.

Pros

• Snoop Dogg and Reba McEntire made the right decisions to help them win Season 26
• Simone Biles proves to be a shockingly interesting mentor for Team Snoop.
• Diversity in music genres finally get a moment to shine.

Cons

• Lainey Wilson didn’t add too much as a mentor.

Stream on Peacock