In a deleted scene from The Voice’s Season 26 finale, Gwen Stefani was seen walking off stage after struggling with the lyrics during a performance. The experienced singer, who has been performing for decades, appeared visibly nervous before making the mistake during filming for the finale of the popular NBC singing competition show, which some fans described as “underwhelming.”
Stefani was noticeably upset after having to stop her performance due to the error and even took a minute to collect herself off stage before filming resumed.
The first part of the two-part finale, which aired on Monday night, featured Stefani’s finalist, 16 year old Sydney Sterlace, performing two songs. While the second part aired live on December 10, some segments, including Stefani’s duet with Sydney, were pre-recorded the previous day, according to a studio source.
For the pre-recorded performance, Stefani wore a crystal-encrusted white and silver outfit and silver Christian Louboutin boots. Despite it not being a live performance, Stefani appeared “nervous” as she paced the stage and seemed to say a quick prayer before starting, according to an eyewitness.
When she began singing, she reportedly relied heavily on a teleprompter to get the lyrics right. However, about 20 seconds into the song, Stefani faltered with her timing and missed some of the lyrics, reports the Express US.
She halted the performance and apologised to the crew, requiring a reset of lighting and staging. The singer seemed agitated as she paused to compose herself before re-emerging on stage.
“Though it was relatively low-stakes given it’s pre-recorded, Gwen was very on edge and shaky at first.”
“She looked really, really nervous before performing which most likely led to the mistake. She was able to recover well though,” added an insider. Sydney managed to keep her cool on stage while waiting for her mentor.
On the second attempt, the duo performed beautifully, even opting for a third recording to ensure perfection. Following the takes, an elated Stefani embraced Sydney before they exited the stage together.
Although the two flawed attempts were not broadcasted in the finale’s second part, fans had already expressed disappointment with the first segment’s “underwhelming” performances. Some viewers passionately criticised the finalists’ “monotone” renditions online, describing it as having “sucked”.
For the finale on Monday night, Danny Joseph, Jeremy Beloate, Shye, Sydney Sterlace, and Sofronio Vasquez gave their final stage performances, each hoping their song choice would secure them the $100,000 prize and a recording contract. Two songs apiece were rendered by the artists—a ballad and an uptempo piece.
Some viewers were left unimpressed by the artists’ song choices during the finale performances. On Reddit, a new thread emerged with one user commenting: “Just my opinion, but I’m really underwhelmed with the singers that are left as well as the song choices for the finale.”
A fan replied: “The lineup itself is great, it’s just that none of them performed up to their usual standard except Shye and Sofronio.”
Another concurred: “Same, nobody really wowed me tonight,” while another remarked: “I’ve only been loosely keeping up with this season but every time I’m watching I’m like ‘This is what we’re left with? ‘” Over on X, formerly known as Twitter, critiques continued as part one of the season finale aired.
One viewer expressed: “#TheVoice What is going on? Everyone sounds so weak tonight. Honestly, Shye ruined that song. Her voice was so monotone and weak. This season’s final sucks so far.”
Another shared: “Everyone has not done well! ! ! ! ! Love Sofronio though. He’s doing great,” and a third voiced: “The voice is so cringe now … these finalists are extremly underwhelming #TheVoice.”