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How “Insanely Good,” “Force of Nature” Christina Eagle Won Her “Redneck Woman” Battle
Two powerhouse country artists faced off in the first Battle of Season 26.
Christina Eagle and Gail Bliss came to The Voice through very different paths. Eagle is a 23-year-old aspiring singer who got a single chair turn from Coach Snoop Dogg in the last moments of her Blind Audition, while Bliss is a 61-year-old flight attendant trying to prove she still has what it takes to make it in the music business who made it through the Blinds thanks to Snoop's Coach Replay button.
What they have in common, of course, is that Eagle and Bliss can both wring maximum emotion out of a country song, which made Snoop pair them up for his first-ever Battle as a Coach on The Voice, which also turned out to be the first Battle of Season 26.
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"My overall approach to pairing the artists was basically finding out what vocals sounded best together, what genres would make sense, and what would be something different," Snoop said in a behind-the-scenes clip breaking down his first Battle selections. "I always want to bring something different to whatever I do."
To check all of those boxes, Snoop paired Eagle and Bliss for a cover of Gretchen Wilson's raucous country hit "Redneck Woman," and encouraged both vocalists to find a personal connection to the lyrics and to the song's larger message of being who you are no matter what. After what looked like a very fun rehearsal period, it was time to take the stage.
The Voice Season 26 Battles: Christina Eagle vs. Gail Bliss
The Season 26 Battles got off to a rowdy start thanks to Eagle and Bliss, who had the crowd clapping and dancing, had Coaches singing along, and raised the roof so much that Snoop couldn't be contained by his Coach's chair. The Coach ended up dancing around the studio for most of the song, and when it was over, Coach Reba McEntire led off by lavishing praise on both vocalists.
"I loved it," McEntire said. "Totally entertaining, you had Snoop dancin' up a storm. Way to bring the party to town."
McEntire continued, "Christina, you're a force of nature, your vocal was just really up there, and Gail you had more of the low-end going. You're almost like sisters singing up there, havin' fun, so...good luck there, Snoop."
Coach Gwen Stefani also praised both artists, but singled out Eagle as the clear favorite, and became the only Coach on the stage to highlight Eagle as the winner.
"I'm looking at Christina, and I can't believe you're not signed," Stefani said. "You're insanely good. You can't teach somebody personality, charisma, stage presence. That's just you being you."
Finally, it was up to Snoop to make the final decision, and in the process make the first cut to his team.
"Let me look at y'all in the eyes and tell you I truly love what y'all bring to the table," he told Eagle and Bliss. "The energy that y'all brought, the sisterhood, the things that y'all talked about, being there to make everything feel like it's one rather than 'I'm competing against you.' And I love y'all for that, and the decision I'm gonna have to make is gonna break my heart."
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In the end, as he so often emphasized during the Blind Auditions, Snoop leaned toward potential energy with his decision.
"My decision is based off of what I feel like could actually have the most potential on this show to grow," he said. "With that being said, the winner of this Battle is Christina Eagle."
So, Christina Eagle sticks around through the Knockout Rounds in Season 26, while Gail Bliss goes home without a Coach stepping up to steal her. It's just the start of The Voice Battles action this season, so keep watching for more exciting competition.
