'The Voice' Recap: One Battles Performance Lands Reba McEntire on the Floor

The second round of battles waged on Monday night on The Voice, with another dozen contestants taking to the stage to earn a spot on their teams during the upcoming knockouts.

The pairings varied from those who obviously belonged together to those who had very little in common until they got to this point, but each case an interesting exercise in this duet-centric stage of the game. One battle even landed Reba McEntire on the floor.

Team Gwen Stefani: Bias vs. Jacquie Roar

Song: "Need a Favor" by JellyRoll

Coach Gwen paired these country crooners together, despite their vocal differences, due to their shared "sparkle" on the stage. With Bias' throaty tones almost broached rock territory, while Jacquie's floor-rubbing low tones were thick with the country influences until she, too, embraced the growl.

Both of these singers had some pitchiness at points, especially when they swung for the fences with bold notes. Jacquie's vocal control was just a bit stronger, if relatively standard, while Bias' energy and personality set him apart.

John praised Bias' interactive performance style, and Niall leaned in his direction as well, while Reba enjoyed Jacquie's vocal veracity. It was up to Gwen in the end, though, and while Jacquie's confidence and versatility earned Gwen's respect, she was more captivated by Bias' improvement since the blinds.

Fortunately for Jacquie, though, Reba was delighted to get second dibs on a four-chair-turner with her steal.

Winner: Bias

Steal: Jacquie Roar to Team Reba McEntire

Team Reba McEntire: Angelina Nazarian vs. Alison Albrecht

Song: "You Say" by Lauren Daigle

While preparing for this performance, Reba's acting chops came into play in a big way as she encouraged the contestants to tap into the emotional lows of the story in this song. To Reba, Angelina's attachment to the lyric was quicker, while Alison managed to touch her heart as well.

In the actual battle, Angelina came through with a very cautious introductory verse that stretches her lower range, while Alison started with a bit of the shakes. But it didn't take either of them long to settle into the power of the ballad.

Niall, too, noticed the initial nerves that both had on display but praised them for tapping into the truth after shaking it off, and he advised Reba that he'd pick Alison as the winner. Gwen also leaned toward Alison for her decisions with certain notes and runs, and John liked what they both did with the emotional resonance of the song. For her part, Reba was most taken by Alison's ability to match the soul of the song.

Winner: Alison Albrecht

Team Niall Horan: Julia Roome vs. Olivia Eden

Song: "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer

Before these two were paired to perform this folky pop song, the two had become friends, and their collaborative spirit was so strong that Niall even suggested they compete again as a duo. Going into their battle, he wanted to see which of the two had the most fun.

While Julia's presence was more commanding of the stage, and she had a fearlessness in her note reaches, Olivia's uniquely crystalline tones certainly made her a standout.

John was taken with Olivia's tone but picked Julia for her accuracy, and Reba coached them each to stay in the moment of their song. Niall, who didn't want to "break up the duo," decided to go with the singer who displayed the most confidence during the performance.

Winner: Julia Roome

Team John Legend: Stee vs. Willie Gomez

Song: "Tacones Rojos" by John Legend and Sebastian Yatra

These two were both four-chair-turners thanks to their take-notice pop tones, and John wanted to re-create a song moment he had with Spanish-language singer Sebastian Yatra.

Stee managed to keep his soulful tones strong despite having a higher tempo than he might be used to, while Willie's vocals matched the vibrant energy of the beat right away — even if he got a little bit breathy at times. The real takeaway was the partnership of the performance, as they both gave each other room to shine and harmonized without too much showboating in the shared moments.

Reba recognized the camaraderie of the duet here and touted Willie's stage presence as a winner. Niall was impressed with both of their achievements but also leaned towards Willie for the full-package appeal. Gwen, meanwhile, was taken with Stee's control and pitch perfection. In the end, it was up to John, who was truly torn about who to choose; however, given Stee's note choices and connection with the crowd, John had to choose him.

Winner: Stee

Team Gwen Stefani: Juliette Ojeda vs. Kristen Brown

Song: "That's the Way It Is" by Celine Dion

Gwen chose to pair these two, despite them each having such different sounds — Kristen's a country singer, while Juliette is a Spanish-language pop singer — in hopes of seeing who could attach to the storytelling element of the genre-bending song and make it their own.

Kristen's low-note approach made for a solid sound, with some impressive note stretches; the only trouble was, she was just a bit behind on the tempo. Meanwhile, Juliette was a bit more confident and on time, with a small, brassy tone that offered something entirely new to the song.

John gave props to Juliette's power but thought Kristen was more polished, and while Niall enjoyed the purity of Juliette's voice, he also enjoyed Kristen's dynamism. Reba also quite liked the harmonies the two managed to pull together in the chorus and did not choose a favorite. For Gwen, what won the day was Kristen's comprehensive performance of the number.

Winner: Kristen Brown

Team Reba McEntire: CORii vs. Ms. Monét

Song: "New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle

Reba wanted to put these two to the test with an up-tempo tune, and during the rehearsal, both of these women went for the roof — for better and for worse — with their note reaches, to the point that Reba landed on the floor.

CORii, who wasn't as confident about her blind audition, came in with something to prove, while Ms. Monét just needed to embrace her energy. While both certainly matched the name of this number in their stage presence, there were moments where they tried to sing together a bit too often. But once they broke away, they both proved, again, how elastic their upper ranges were.

While no coach hit the floor during this portion of the performance, John and Gwen hit their feet, along with Reba. Niall was left wondering why he didn't turn for CORii during the blinds — praising her for smoothing out whatever pitch issues existed before — while Gwen was drawn to Ms. Monét's self-confidence. John was impressed with CORii's powerful voice and Ms. Monét's consistency. For Reba, what won the day was Ms. Monét's utter professionalism and power.

It wasn't all bad news for CORii, though, as she became the subject of a double steal effort by both Niall and Gwen. Ultimately, the fact that Niall didn't turn for her before made the decision of which team to hop to a little bit easier.

Winner: Ms. Monét

Steal: CORii to Team Gwen Stefani

Previous episode recaps:

Team Standings:

Team John Legend

Team Gwen Stefani

Team Niall Horan

Team Reba McEntire

The Voice Season 24 airs on NBC on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The episodes stream the next day on Peacock.

‘The Voice’ Recap: One Battles Performance Lands Reba McEntire on the Floor

Plus, this is what happens when two four-chair-turners go head to head