Gwen Stefani 'walks off The Voice stage' after blunder as show is savaged by fans

Gwen Stefani was said to be extremely anxious before the show (Image: (Image: NBC))

In a cut scene from The Voice's Season 26 finale, Gwen Stefani walked off stage after fluffing lyrics during a performance. The seasoned singer, who has been performing for decades, appeared extremely nervous before messing up her song during filming for the finale of the hit NBC singing competition show, which some fans dubbed "underwhelming."

Stefani was also noticeably upset after having to stop her performance due to the blunder and even walked off stage for a minute to collect herself before they continued filming the episode.

Part one of the two-part finale, which aired Monday night, showcased the No Doubt singer's finalist, Sydney Sterlace, 16, who sang two numbers. While part two aired live on December 10, there were moments featured that were actually taped the previous day, a source at the studio told The U.S. Sun.

The 55 year old pre-taped a duet with Sydney to the Cat Stevens classic, Wild World. She wore a crystal-encrusted white and silver skirt and matching crop top with silver Christian Louboutin boots for the later cut performance, reports the Express US. 

The 55-year-old singer was said to say a prayer before the first take began (Image: (Image: NBC))

Though it was not live, Stefani appeared noticeably "nervous" as she paced on the stage and even seemed to say a little prayer before take one began, the eyewitness claimed. When she started performing, she allegedly needed to heavily rely on a teleprompter to sing the correct lyrics.

However, about 20 seconds into the song, Stefani stumbled with her timing and missed some of the lyrics.

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The singer was compelled to halt her performance, apologising to the team as they reset. Visibly agitated, Gwen took a moment to recompose before making her comeback on stage.

"Though it was relatively low-stakes given it's pre-recorded, Gwen was very on edge and shaky at first," an insider shared. "She looked really, really nervous before performing which most likely led to the mistake. She was able to recover well though."

In stark contrast, Sydney remained poised on stage, awaiting the return of her mentor, and their subsequent duet resonated with beauty during the retake. They even recorded the song a third time for good measure.

After completing the takes, an ecstatic Stefani embraced Sydney and the pair exited the stage together, with the less-than-perfect attempts obviously excluded from the finale's second segment. Yet, dissatisfaction was already brewing among fans before the airing; following part one's showing, many decried the performances as "underwhelming".

The online critiques were blunt, with some viewers stating that part one "sucked" due to "monotone" final performances. During Monday's episode, finalists Danny Joseph, Jeremy Beloate, Shye, Sydney Sterlace, and Sofronio Vasquez gave it their all in their last bid for the $100,000 prize and recording deal, delivering both a ballad and an uptempo track.

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Viewers were left less than thrilled with the song choices in the finale performances, sparking a flurry of online commentary. A Reddit user initiated a discussion, expressing: "Just my opinion, but I'm really underwhelmed with the singers that are left as well as the song choices for the finale."

This sentiment was echoed by another fan who commented: "The lineup itself is great, it's just that none of them performed up to their usual standard except Shye and Sofronio."

Another chimed in with: "Same, nobody really wowed me tonight," while a different viewer 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, previously known as Twitter, critiques continued as one user posted: "#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 yet another lamented: "The voice is so cringe now ... these finalists are extremly underwhelming #TheVoice."

Gwen Stefani 'walks off The Voice stage' after blunder as show is savaged by fans

Gwen Stefani 'walks off The Voice stage' after blunder as show is savaged by fans

Gwen Stefani 'walks off The Voice stage' after blunder as show is savaged by fans

Gwen Stefani 'walks off The Voice stage' after blunder as show is savaged by fans

Gwen Stefani 'walks off The Voice stage' after blunder as show is savaged by fans