The Voice Season 26 Crowns a New Winner
Out of five fabulous finalists, one has emerged victorious.
Sofronio Vasquez, who grew up in the Philippines without even a bed or indoor plumbing, has been crowned the season 26 winner of The Voiceafter a tough competition with fellow finalists Shye, Jeremy Beloate, Sydney Sterlaceand Danny Joseph.
Indeed, Michael Bublé earned the bragging rights of becoming the winning coach in his very first season—beating out Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntireand Snoop Dogg.
"My Filipino brother, you are the hope of so many people. Not just in the Philippines, but Asians everywhere truly are looking at you tonight,” the Grammy winner told Sofronio before he was named winner during the Dec. 10 finale. “You represent them so well and it has been such an unbelievable journey to be here with you.”
And this heartwarming pair has come a long way since the blind auditions. Since turning all four chairs and choosing Team Bublé on day one, Sofronio has shared a bond with the 40-year-old singer and received the most encouraging words of affirmation.
"I think if people understood the strength that you have and the fact that through all of this adversity, you walk out here on a night like tonight, when it probably matters more than anything has in your whole life career-wise," Michael said after the 32-year-old’s performance of Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream” in last week’s episode. "You walk out here in the moment and you take the brass ring and I'm just so happy for you."
But this unbreakable bond wasn’t the only one that formed this season. In fact, rumor has it Michael shared a very special bromance with Snoop.
“That’s my dog,” the “Young, Wild & Free” rapper told E! News before the finale. “He’s got a beautiful family and that’s what I connect with.”
Meanwhile, Reba couldn’t stop gushing over her fellow judges as they prepared to close out a legendary season.
“They’re so much fun, we’ve had a blast this season,” she told E! of the season 26 judges. “The camaraderie, the caring, the talking, the helping out each other.”
And she attributed some of the good vibes to the newcomers of the bunch.
“That’s what we hadn’t had in the past as much,” she added. “Snoop brought a different angle, Michael did, Gwen and I are just loving it.”
Nonetheless, being a judge on The Voiceis not for the weak. In fact, Ariana Grande—who coached season 21 in 2021—recently shared insight into her experience, revealing why she chose not to continue on the show.
"I got so emotionally attached to everyone," the Wickedactress told Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on a November episode of their Las Culturistas podcast. "That's my problem."
"I love everyone so much," she continued. "I love meeting people, and I felt so invested. And I still do, like I see them all on Instagram."
(E! and The Voice are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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