Yahoo Lifestyle Gwen Stefani cuts a 'full package' on “The Voice”: 'That was hard'
The second night of the Knockouts round was the last for several contestants.
The Voice said goodbye Tuesday to a contestant whose performance earned rave reviews from all four coaches. It was brutal.
In the second night of the Knockouts, Felsmere, a 31-year-old from Los Angeles, performed Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man." coach Gwen Stefani told her, "Felsmere, you are a full package," complimenting both her vocals and her stage presence.
See the round in the video below:
"I really have to tell you, I feel like this was your best time doing it, right here," Stefani told her team member as she sat alongside fellow coaches Michael Bublé, Reba McEntire, and Snoop Dogg.
But the stellar performance wasn't enough.
Stefani chose Gabrielle Zabrosky, the 25-year-old from Oxford, Pa., who performed an especially emotional version of Miley Cyrus' "Used to Be Young." Each other coach advised Stefani to advance Zabrosky with Snoop saying that her performance gave him chills.
"That was hard," Stefani noted.
The No Doubt star's decision was somewhat surprising. When Felsmere rehearsed with Stefani and mega-mentor Sting, their feedback had been encouraging.
Tyler Golden/NBC
'The Voice' paired Sting with coach Gwen Stefani"I think all of the big singers in the world are instantly recognizable. It's important to develop that uniqueness that you have," Sting said. "And Felsmere has a pure, pure tone. I think she sold it extremely well."
Felsmere originally appeared on the NBC competition in 2011 as "Kelsey Rey" on CeeLo Green's team in the show's very first season.
Related: The Voice contestant Tanner Frick unexpectedly leaves the show ahead of the Knockouts
She was emotional before she even stepped onto the stage for Knockouts because of a loss she had experienced since.
"I grew up listening to this song because of my dad," she said of her Knockouts song choice. "He passed away eight years ago. I know he would love that I was doing this song. My dad was here for the very first season. He's always been my biggest fan. This was our dream together, so I just really wish he was here, but I'm not ready to go home. I really, really want to make it past this round so I can continue making him proud."
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The third contestant in the three-way showdown was Kay Sibal, a 24-year-old from Los Angeles, who sang her version of Ariana Grande's "One Last Time."
On the same episode, McEntire opted to bring 18-year-old Katie O., the country crooner from Jacksonville, Fla., to the Playoffs with Team Reba. She also stole Edward Preble — a 19-year-old Floridian — from Team Bublé. Bublé had gone with Shye's cover of Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away," instead of Preble's "Send in the Clowns" by Frank Sinatra or J. Paul's "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal.
The Voice Knockouts conclude Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
