‘The Voice’ recap: Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé vie to steal contestant after near-perfect performance

Some performances had the coaches acting as if it was the Blind Auditions all over again.

Reba McEntire and Snoop Dogg on “The Voice.” (Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty Images)

Night 3 of The Voice Battle Rounds featured six head-to-head showdowns, two coach “steals” and one very unexpected cliffhanger.

Twelve talented Voice hopefuls faced off on Monday’s episode, hoping to out-battle their respective duel-mates to move onto the next round in the competition, the Knockouts, which are just around the corner. It was an episode filled with close calls and tough decisions, as coaches Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé grappled with whose dreams to keep alive and whose to end prematurely.

Now that The Voice is approaching the season midpoint, there’s no question that the level of talent continues to rise. Find out which singers stood out from the latest Battle episode, who got another shot and who left the coaches — and the viewers — on the edge of their seats.

Standout Battle of the episode

The Battle between Team Reba’s Creigh Reipe and Lauren-Michael Sellers may not have been the flashiest — there were arguably more exciting duels on Monday’s episode — but their emotional cover of “You Will Be Found,” an original ballad from the Dear Evan Hansen Broadway musical, won us over. The ingredients were in place from the start. During rehearsals, their blended harmonies and expressive performance struck a chord with McEntire, who was visibly verklempt after their practice run-through.

When it was time for the duo to battle it out, their duet surpassed expectations. After the performance, Stefani struggled to identify a winner because Reipe and Sellers were so evenly matched. “I kept bouncing back and forth between who’s winning and I didn’t get anywhere by the end,” she said.

Reluctantly, she chose Reipe as her pick. Bublé was equally impressed, declaring that “on a show called The Voice, they each have the voice.” Snoop leaned toward Sellers because he felt “her voice was more controlled.”

It all came down to McEntire. The country star commended Sellers for having “ferocious ferocity” and for having the mindset of, “I know where I’m going and that’s where I’m going to land [the performance].” She had more succinct praise for Reipe, saying he “could’ve been a Beach Boy.”

Ultimately, McEntire chose Sellers as the Battle winner. “You want to hear somebody who gives you joy,” she explained, adding that “the women watching will really fall in love with her.”

Had McEntire gone the other way and picked Reipe — it was that close of a call — Bublé was ready to use his “steal” to snag Sellers.

“I was going to save her,” he admitted to a surprised McEntire.

Two ‘steals’ (and a cliffhanger)

The episode’s opening Battle resulted in the evening’s first “steal.” After Team Reba’s R&B crooner Deon Jones was eliminated in favor of rock ‘n’ roll singer Danny Joseph following their rendition of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” he was quickly snatched up by Stefani, keeping his Voice hopes alive.

“I had to steal Deon, I couldn’t let him go home,” Stefani said. “Seems like he can do almost anything with his voice. He’s not only just a good singer, but he’s a great performer.”

He wasn’t the only contestant to get another opportunity. The final Battle of the episode between Team Stefani’s four-chair turns Austyns Stancil and Jose Luis was a near-perfect performance. After going back and forth about who to keep, she chose youth over experience, going with Luis as the Battle winner.

The other coaches weren’t about to let Stancil go, pressing their buttons the moment they got the chance. It was like the Blind Auditions all over again, with McEntire, Snoop and Bublé trying to win Stancil over. Snoop had the quippiest argument when he stated, “I wanted you the first time but I didn’t get you. I wanted you the second time and I’m gonna get you.”

If you thought we’d learn who Stancil’s new coach was by the end of the episode, The Voice had other plans, leaving his decision as an unexpected cliffhanger.

A look ahead to the next episode

Fans will find out who will be Stancil’s new coach. Though it would be anyone’s gain, vocally and musically, Bublé may be a better fit, but this season of The Voice has proven more unpredictable than usual.

We’re going into Night 4 of the Battle Rounds, so, aside from that unanswered question, expect more dreams dashed and more “steals” as the coaches lock down their teams.

The Voice continues Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.