'The Voice' recap: Contestant's Rod Stewart rendition leaves judges speechless, Michael Bublé gets ribbing for fibbing

It’s a double dose of The Voice this week with the return of back-to-back episodes. If there was any concern that the extra helping of NBC’s singing competition show would mean a drop-off in talent for Part 4 of Blind Auditions, those worries were quelled in Tuesday’s episode.

The latest two-hour installment featured the strongest collection of singers so far in Season 26, with 11 more hopefuls pulling out all the stops in the hope of gaining a spot on Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg or Michael Bublé’s teams. Two more four-chair turns, surprising auditions and the emerging storyline of Bublé’s tendency to tell harmless lies to lure artists to pick him as their coach made the episode more entertaining than usual.

As each of the coaches’ teams begins to fill up, find out which singers from Tuesday’s episode are worthy of another look.

Surprise performances of the episode

One of the joys of Blind Auditions is the potential for the coaches (and viewers) to be shocked by a singer’s performance. Kevin James Graham’s unique rendition of Rod Stewart’s classic rock song “Stay With Me” fit the bill. His high singing voice left McEntire stunned when she turned her chair around, and the rest of the coaches were equally speechless as they admitted that they thought a woman was singing.

“This is why I’m mad. I am looking for a male singer, and I didn’t push the button because I thought you was a damn woman! You fooled me, man!” Snoop said after Graham’s audition. The country singer found the rocker she was looking for as he became the newest member of Team Reba. McEntire praised Graham’s “wailing” and pitch-perfect runs. “I turned around and he’s a guy! I was like, seriously?”

Graham wasn’t the only performer who surprised the coaches this episode. R&B singer J. Paul (Team Michael) sang Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near),” showcasing his soprano vocal abilities, but his low speaking voice threw them all for a loop. Oldies crooner Michael Alexandersson (Team Snoop), who covered “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” by Dean Martin and Nelson Riddle, hardly matched the image the coaches had of him. While they were expecting a much older contestant, Alexandersson, 26, surprised them with his youth. “This voice does not go with this face, this body, this hair,” Stefani said.

Who turns our chair

Shye’s emotional performance of Five for Fighting’s “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” closed out the episode, earning a four-chair turn with Stefani pressing her button within the first few notes. The singer captivated the coaches to the point where Stefani, who described Shye’s voice as “honest and genuine,” made one of her grandest statements this season: “I’ve not been this excited so far this season for an artist.”

McEntire also praised her “rich and creamy” voice, saying there was a “powerfulness” that’s not often found, while Bublé celebrated her “wonderful [vocal] range” and “adorable” personality. It appeared everything was lining up for Stefani to gain her newest team member, but in the end, Shye chose Team Michael, surprising even the “Home” singer. “Happily shocked she picked me,” he reacted. “There was so much goodness pouring out of her, I was taken aback.”

Ones to watch

Christina Eagle, a 23-year-old singer from North Carolina, had a tragic childhood, losing both of her biological parents to separate car accidents when she was barely a year old. When she grew up, Eagle learned her biological mother was also a singer. Taken in by her maternal grandparents, who she calls mom and dad, Eagle performed country singer Lainey Wilson’s “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” and it was enough for Snoop to push his button and welcome her onto his team. “I don’t want perfection,” Snoop told Eagle. “I want what you are.”

Another singer who struck an emotional chord was Sloane Simon, whose mother has cancer and whose father was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma. Her unconventional cover of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield had sentimental meaning — it was a song she and her dad sang together in the car — and pulled at Stefani and Bublé’s heartstrings. Simon’s audition wasn’t perfect but she showed promise, which Stefani saw when she praised her “angelic voice.” Simon chose Team Gwen.

Calling out Michael Bublé’s ‘lies’

It’s been a running gag that Bublé will say anything — and we mean anything — to win over artists he badly wants on his team. From telling a contestant it was his wedding anniversary (it wasn’t) to saying he was once part of a ska band (he wasn’t), Bublé showed just how willing he was to lay it all out on the, ahem, lie-ne. Tuesday’s episode was the first time it became a central storyline on The Voice.

In one instance, McEntire had had enough, pressing a custom “You lie” button after Bublé jokingly quipped that he once experienced something that sounded awfully similar to the plot of Titanic in order to gain favor with contestant Gabrielle Zabosky, who earned a four-chair turn but ended up choosing Team Gwen.

Snoop joined in on the Bublé callout, throwing a yellow flag and exclaiming, “Flag on the play: Impersonating Leonardo DiCaprio!” Stefani even coined a new nickname for the crooner, “Bublie,” for his constant leg-pulling.

A look ahead at next week

We’re nearing the end of Blind Auditions. With a handful of spots left on each team, the coaches will be more selective and strategic before pressing their buttons. Bublé still has the Coach Replay power in play, which he’ll have to use before the round is over. Which singers will round out Team Reba, Team Gwen, Team Snoop and Team Michael?

The Voice returns for another round of Blind Auditions on Monday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.