Yahoo Lifestyle “The Voice” season 26 winner revealed — and a rookie coach takes it this time
Coaches Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire, and Gwen Stefani each had one team member in the finals. Michael Bublé had two.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the season 26 finale of The Voice.
The Voice audience has spoken, and the winner is Sofronio Vasquez, one of the two members that rookie coach Michael Bublé took into the final round.
The contestant Bublé had fondly dubbed "The Filipino Phenom" was astounded and fell to his knees in tears.
Trae Patton/NBC
'The Voice' season 26 coaches Gwen Stefani, Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, and Reba McEntireThe announcement was made at the end of the two-hour concert, featuring performances by stars such as former coach Kelly Clarkson debuting her holiday single, "You for Christmas"; former Voice coaches Dan + Shay; and Mega Mentor Sting and coach Snoop Dogg, who presented their new song "Another Part of Me."
Related: Night 1 of The Voice finale ends with some standout performances and Snoop Dogg tears
Bublé, who was the only coach to bring two contestants into the finale, was guaranteed a win after the fifth, fourth, and third place winners were named: Team Snoop's Jeremy Beloate, Team Reba McEntire's Danny Joseph, and Team Gwen Stefani's Sydney Sterlace, respectively. Vasquez's win meant Team Bublé contestant Shye came in second.
Leading up to the big reveal, as coaches performed with their finalists, Vasquez and Bublé sang "Who's Lovin' You" by the Miracles. The "Home" artist told the 32-year-old from Utica, N.Y., how much he loved him as an artist before they even took the stage.
Like the rest of the final five contestants, Vasquez turned all four chairs during the Blind Auditions. His song choice in that first appearance was a gorgeous version of Mary J. Blige's "I'm Goin' Down," and he showed his range by later performing songs as different as "Crying" by Roy Orbison and "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion. His final performances before voting began Monday were "A Million Dreams" from the movie The Greatest Showman and "Unstoppable" by Sia.
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The latter prompted McEntire to say that Vasquez was "unstoppable today and forever on."
Bublé quipped that he was "gonna have to go suck on lemons" to stop smiling.
While the night was all about the unveiling of the winner, it featured several more performances, including those by ’80s British pop band Tears for Fears and former Voice winners Huntley (Team Niall Horan in 2023) and Asher HaVon (Team Reba in season 25). HaVon gave an emotional performance of an original ballad called "Thank You" that he dedicated to McEntire, who was clearly touched by the gesture.
The triumphant Bublé will return to coach next season, while the other three will take a break. Their chairs will be taken by first-timer Kelsea Ballerini and veterans John Legend and Adam Levine. The Voice returns with season 27 on Monday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. Central.
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