‘The Voice’ Coaches Spar Over Singer After All 4 Chairs Turn

It didn’t take long for The Voice to get its first four-chair battle of the evening. On Tuesday night’s episode, Shane Q got up on stage and did his rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey.” The performance was a jaw-dropper for all four judges, especially for country icon Blake Shelton. Right off the bat, Gwen Stefani looked directly at her boyfriend and even pointed to tell him to spin around first. Shane Q wound up winning over all of the judges and had a difficult choice to make.

While Stefani tried to urge Shelton to spin around first, it was in fact Stefani who made the first turn as Shelton hesitated in the beginning. Kelly Clarkson was the next to hit the button with Shelton following suit. John Legend eventually joined the battle to complete the four-chair performance.

“You’ve got a lot of gospel flavor in you,” Legend said. “You started hitting those high notes and runs. It was too much fun.”

Stefani led off her pitch by reminding Shane Q who turned first.

“Every time you thought your voice was one thing, you changed it until the very end where my eyes were back into my hair,” Stefani said. “That’s what wins this show, being able to surprise people. I would love to be your coach.”

Having taken a country song and adding a little of that gospel Legend alluded to, Shelton appeared to be the favorite to land the prized singer. Shelton also is the longest standing judge on the show and knows a thing or two about what it takes to win The Voice. Shelton has coached six winners in his career, including Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbury in back-to-back seasons.

“I’ve been doing this show a long time,” Shelton began, before referring to an article he read that listed all of his achievements on the show, including how he has the most winners and runner-ups of any coach.

At the end, it was Clarkson who made the most impactful to Shane Q, telling him she appreciated him “not characterizing himself” which is something she feels she’s very good at. She also added that she sees him going to the finals.

As a result, it was Clarkson who Shane Q picked in a surprise to Shelton and his peers.