Despite being a rookie Coach (or perhaps because of it), Michael Bublé has been putting on quite the show. He’s quick to make up a flattering lie, he’s got compliments for days, and he even pushes buttons with a certain panache. Take, for instance, the sly way he Saved one of his artists during the Knockout round of The Voice Season 26.
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The Team Bublé matchup was a two-person rather than a three-person Knockout, pitting Cameron Wright against Sloane Simon. Wright opted to sing “You’re All I Need to Get By, a classic duet by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Wright chose the song because it reminded them of their partner.
“He is a person who has opened me to so many new experiences that I probably wouldn’t have been as open to in the past. This is one of them,” Wright said. “I’m so excited about every phase of this competition and I’m so happy that I have a partner who saw the possibility in me when I didn’t. It is very rare that we get to see queer love expressed, and I want to show people possibilities.”
Simon, meanwhile, chose to sing Olivia Rodrigo’s “Can’t Catch Me Now.” The 19-year-old explained that she’s been going trough a very difficult time. Her father was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and she’d considered pulling out of the competition only for her father to tell her that there’s “no place he’d rather her be.”
“To see Sloane, to be brave enough considering what her family is going through, I think that’s going to help drive her through and even give her another place to sing from,” Mega Mentor Jennifer Hudson said.
During rehearsals, Hudson — an EGOT winner who knows something about performing live and on the screen — gave the pair of singers some advice about staging, telling them to play to the cameras and the millions watching at home.
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Watch Cameron Wright and Sloane Simon Perform in The Voice Season 26 Knockouts
“Cameron made it impossible not to consider them going through to the Playoffs,” said Bublé during rehearsals. “But, I think Sloane adds a real dominant presence when it comes to pop music. She could be the future winner of The Voice.”
Thanks to Bublé’s sneaky moves, both singers are still in the competition.
All the Coaches were wowed by both Artists. Snoop Dogg noted that Wright “chose a duet and did it by himself,” and said Simon “sounded like she was in a movie. One of those big budget things.”
Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani both praised the blocking of the performances (Hudson’s advice was good, it would seem). Although Stefani said she would’ve given Simon and her “singer-songwriter voice” the win, Bublé gave Wright the victory.
“I picked Cameron because their vocal performance was perfection,” Bublé said. “The show is called The Voice, and it wouldn’t be fair if they didn’t have a seat going forward.”
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But, he wasn’t going to let Simon down. As he got up to hug Simon — who at this point presumed her time on The Voice was over — Bublé ever so casually pressed the button to Save her. It has to be the sneakiest save in the history of The Voice.
“I Saved Sloane because she’s a star,” Bublé explained.
“I’m feeling very overwhelmed and very thankful,” Simon said. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
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