Who’s ready to croon? Tonight marks the final Blind Auditions episode of The Voice giving our intrepid coaches’ panel one last chance to lock in their teams for Season 28. Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire, and Niall Horan have heard so many wonderful musicians during the process that it takes a special singer to make one of them do a chair turn before they reach the chorus of their song. That is exactly what happened with Elias Gomez, aka the Cuban Cowboy.
Our exclusive clip from tonight’s all-new episode has Gomez, decked out in a black leather jacket and playing an electric guitar, beginning his rockin’ cover of Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops.” Entranced by Gomez’s soaring vocals and upbeat tempo, Bublé quickly hits his button to turn his chair around and begins to sing along to the classic song. As soon as Gomez finishes the chorus, Horan also hits his button to watch Gomez work the crowd and jam out on stage.
Backstage, Gomez’s very excited parents dance to their son’s performance, inspiring two more of the judges to turn their chairs around. After listening to a little more of Gomez’s expert cover, Snoop also hits his button, not wanting to miss out on the party. Only McEntire remains with her back to Gomez, but she has a good reason…her team is already full!
As Gomez finishes his song, Bublé immediately gets down to business as the applause dies down. “What’s your name? Where you from?” asks Bublé eagerly. “My name is Elias Gomez. I’m originally from Havana, Cuba, and I’m staying in Cincinnati, Ohio right now,” answers Gomez.
“Is it possible for me to introduce you to a young gentleman who I’m so proud of ?” begins Bublé. “Who happened to be my Season 26 champion, a guy I’m producing right now, Mr. Sofronio Vasquez, ladies and gentleman.” Gomez smiles and nods at Vasquez as the crowd cheers. “Sofronio was just like, ‘mmm-hmm,'” says Bublé as he impersonates Vasquez giving him the thumbs-up for Gomez’s performance.
“I got one spot left and I was like, ‘let this last space be for the king, for the star,'” says Bublé. “Then I hear a dude take a Jackie Wilson song and crush it.” As Gomez graciously accepts his praise, Bublé lets it all out on the line. “My name is Michael Bublé, and I would love for you to join my team.”
Not to be outdone, Snoop speaks next. “I know that record, but I’ve never heard it done in that style, and you were really good at doing it.” Gomez thanks him for his compliment. “I just wanted to see what you looked like ’cause I heard what you sound like, and you’re the complete package,” continues Snoop. “No matter what team you end up on, I think you’re gonna be in great hands.”
Finally, it’s Horan’s turn. “We don’t hear a lot of that yodel-y wail that you were doing,” says Horan to Gomez. “Snoop’s right. It was sung completely different in your way, and I got the feeling you can sing anything and make it sound so good.” “Thank you so much,” replies Gomez.”
“I’d love to have you on my team. I’ve only got a spot left, but I would love that,” says Horan earnestly. McEntire then speaks up. “Okay, so the big question is: who would you like to pick for your coach?”
Tune in to The Voice tonight at 8/7c on NBC to find out who Gomez picks!