The rapper revealed his strategy after Austyns Stancil, Christina Eagle and Jake Tankersley opened Knockouts.

The Voice has entered the next round of the competition: the Knockouts. Monday’s episode introduced mega mentors Sting and Jennifer Hudson, who guided coaches Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé as their singers prepared for the three-way battles. Sting will advise Team Snoop and Team Gwen, while Hudson, who was previously a Voice coach on Seasons 13 and 15, will assist Team Reba and Team Bublé.

The Knockouts are a unique part of The Voice competition in that the matchups — three hopefuls from the same team face off, and then their coach picks who moves on to the Playoffs — often creates an interesting mix of music genres and singing styles. This season, each Voice contestant has the power to choose the song they want to battle with, making the showdowns even more unpredictable.

Night 1 of Knockouts showcased three different three-way battles and one duel, creating a frenzy of coaches “steals” and “saves” as McEntire, Stefani, Snoop and Bublé looked to gain the upper hand.

Knockout battle of the episode

Team Snoop’s three-way battle between Austyns Stancil (R&B), Christina Eagle (country) and Jake Tankersley (country) opened the Knockout round — and their stellar performances set a high bar for the acts that followed.

Stancil chose Luther Vandross’s classic ballad “Dance With My Father” to honor his dad, who died one year earlier. (Stancil’s practice run was so heart-wrenching it made Snoop cry during rehearsals.) Eagle picked “My Church” by Maren Morris for its message about finding sanctuary, and Tankersley went with “Going, Going, Gone” by Luke Combs for his song choice.

When they each individually took the stage to perform, the three Team Snoop members accomplished what they hoped to do during the Knockouts — and the coaches took notice.

Stancil was praised by McEntire for his emotional, “powerful” rendition, while Bublé said it took a “special” talent to tackle a song by Vandross. Stefani couldn’t help but express her enthusiasm for Eagle, which she’s consistently done all season, telling her, “I can’t believe you’re not signed.”

McEntire was a fan of Tankersley’s version of the Combs’s song, lauding him for highlighting his “big voice.”

Snoop ultimately had the last word. The hip-hop icon, who got emotional during Stancil’s cover (as did McEntire), said it was the R&B crooner’s personal touch that elevated his overall performance. “By bringing that spirit to the stage, we felt you,” he said. Snoop was equally positive toward Eagle, telling her that he can feel what she sings every time she steps onstage. He also credited Tankersley for putting his own stamp on his performance. Because all three singers brought something different to the table, choosing a winner wasn’t easy.

In the end, Snoop pushed Stancil through to the Playoffs “based off of spirit, personality and how he composed himself to hold in all that pain and all of that loss to give us a great performance.”

A mad dash of ‘steals’ and ‘saves’

During Knockouts, each coach has one “save,” which they can use to keep one of their eliminated singers safe, and one “steal,” which allows them to take an available singer from another team.

Even though Eagle and Tankersley came up short in the Knockout round, their sudden availability kick-started a frenzy of coaches’ “steals” and “saves” that continued the rest of the episode.

From the moment Eagle was up for grabs, the other coaches pressed their “steal” button. But Snoop wasn’t done with her either, pressing his only “save” button to keep her on his team. Turns out, it was his plan the entire time.

When Eagle chose to stay on Team Snoop, the rapper revealed his sneaky strategy, proving the other coaches never had a chance at stealing her away. “She had my ‘save’ the moment she stepped onstage,” he said.

Tankersley’s time on The Voice also wasn’t over. McEntire and Stefani pressed their “steal” buttons. History played in Stefani’s favor; during the Blinds, she used her only block on McEntire to have a better shot at snagging him. (Tankersley, of course, chose Team Snoop.) This time, he picked Stefani as his new coach because of that earlier decision.

“What I like about Jake is he feels genuine in all that you want in a country singer,” Stefani said. “But also, somebody who would take such a risk and pick me over Reba is maybe meant to be.”

Later in the episode, Team Reba’s 14-year-old vocal phenom, Jaukeem Fortson, became available after he lost his Knockout battle to Adam Bohanan.

Bublé pressed his “steal” button because he connected with Fortson’s journey and was reminded of everyone who gave him a shot when he was younger. “I love that I could do this for Jaukeem. I think he earned it today,” Bublé said of Fortson’s cover of “God Only Knows” by For King & Country.

The final battle of the night was a duel between Team Bublé’s Sloane Simon and Cameron Wright, which Wright won. In a fake-out, Bublé got up from his red chair to bid farewell to Simon while simultaneously pressing his “save” button. The nonchalant move shocked Simon, who was rendered speechless.

“I saved Sloane because she’s a star,” Bublé said.

A look ahead to the next episode

The Knockouts continue! Bublé has already used up his “save” and “steal” for this round, while Snoop has a “steal” left and Stefani has a “save” remaining. McEntire has more options at her disposal, as both of her powers are intact heading into Night 2 of the Knockouts round.