Why Reba “Crushed” Chance’s Dreams by Using Her Playoff Pass on “Mesmerizing” L. Rodgers

Chance came so close to making the steal… But Team Reba is playing for keeps!

Want to see some extra intrigue as The Voice heads deeper into the heart of Season 25? Then look no further than the Playoff Pass, which is quickly becoming the Coaches’ sneaky ace in the hole for upending their eager competitors’ Artist-stealing hopes.

Thanks to a super-smooth strategic move from Reba McEntire, the Playoff Pass all but broke Chance the Rapper after he made a play to steal powerhouse vocalist L. Rodgers away from Team Reba this week. “Reba crushed my dreams!” Chance confessed, after watching his hopes dashed against the Playoff Pass trump card that ended up overriding his attempt at the steal.

Chance the Rapper Fights for L. Rodgers on The Voice Season 25 Battles

Rodgers and eventual Team Reba winner Tae Lewis teamed up for their Battles duet on a killer cover version of “We Don’t Fight Anymore” by Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton. Locking hands onstage while raising each of their unique voices to the rafters, the duo turned in the kind of performance that left every Coach rooting for the chance (so to speak) of keeping their voices on the show.

“After that performance, you really can’t imagine either of you going home,” said an amazed John Legend. “You’re both just fantastic vocalists! L., your tone is more dramatic and big, and it has like, this ‘space’ to it — it was gorgeous. And then Tae, your tone is a little more crisp and precise and cuts through in a really cool way. And your range is crazy!”

L. Rodgers and Tae Lewis appear in Season 25 Episode 7 of The Voice Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

Though Reba picked Tae outright as the winner of the night’s Battles round, she had no intention of sending Rodgers packing just yet — or, for that matter, of letting any other Coach scoop up all that top-shelf talent.

Just as Chance made his play to steal Rodgers over to his side, the Queen of Country cashed in her Playoff Pass, leaving Team Chance empty-handed while Team Reba shored up one of the brightest lights in its star-studded roster.

Needless to say, it was a tough defeat for Chance, who was equally blown away by both Artists. “Tae, your pitch and control was so, like, ‘there’ the whole time that I just felt like you were leading the song,” he said of Lewis’ performance. “But L., you were like right there with these responding lines — I was just mesmerized!”

Chance walked away truly disappointed with how all the drama played out, giving Reba her due for playing her Playoff Pass gambit to perfection. “The fact that the Playoff Pass trumps the steal makes for fun,” Chance admitted — though he obviously couldn’t be too happy about how it all turned out: “Reba crushed my dreams!”