More artists were on the chopping block going into the brutal three-way knockouts on The Voice on Monday night (Nov. 7), and the only coach who had a “steal” left was John Legend.

That meant Blake Shelton was faced with keeping only one of his hopefuls for his team. He had to be strategic when he paired his contenders to battle for a spot in the live shows. The 46-year-old country superstar grouped the youngest people on his team, which included Brayden Lape, Eva Ullmann and Austin Montgomery.

“I just wanna see which one of them is most ready for the lives,” Shelton told viewers in a pre-recorded clip ahead of rehearsals.

Lape, emerging victorious after the round, crooned a cover of Brett Young’s “Mercy” from the singer’s eponymous debut studio album. Onstage, Lape, sporting a bomber jacket and skinny jeans, melted hearts with his touching rendition of the song. And, while he’s only 16 years old, his take on the ballad had people believing his every word.

Gwen Stefani couldn’t help but sing along as Lape belted out the song’s chorus, which includes the lyrics, “So if you're gonna break my heart, just break it / And if you're gonna take your shot, then take it / Take it.”

“Oh my god!” Stefani said, “I love him! He’s just so sweet.”

While he was handpicked to advance to the next phase of the reality TV singing competition, Lape’s opponents also dazzled coaches during their final performances. Montgomery, who took the stage first, belted out a tender-hearted version of George Strait’s “You Look So Good in Love,” while Ullmann treated the panel with her version of Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.”

“Every one of you had your hands full with the song that you chose,” Shelton told the trio of talents before revealing the winner of the knockout. “Eva, you put in the work. You did a great job. Brayden, you chose a song where there was nowhere to hide. That’s scary. You get in the zone and it’s so good. Everything was spot-on. And Austin has this old-school sound in country music where he has that older fast vibrato. You definitely had people freaking out back here. So good job.”

After that, he chose Lape, saying, “He’s so good. He’s got an incredible tone. Every time he gets on stage, he is taking huge steps.” Shelton also noted he believes Lape has “everything it takes to be a star.”

Of course, only time will tell whether or not Lape wins it all. Fans can keep up with The Voice Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.

Blake Shelton's Winners From 'The Voice': Where Are They Now?

How many of the eight Team Blake winners from The Voice can you name? Blake Shelton is the show's winningest coach, and several have had hits at country radio and beyond. Several more have shifted genres, changed their name or just flat-out gone missing. Here is the latest on every Team Blake winner from The Voice.

Famous Singers from The Voice, Then + Now

Ten years (and counting) made a huge difference for many of the most popular singers and stars of The VoiceBlake Shelton looks noticeably different, but so do some of country music's most memorable performers.

Winners like Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery wore baby faces when they auditioned during their respective seasons. The same can be said for Morgan Wallen, a forgotten castmember from the show who's transformed more than anyone else on this list of The Voice stars then and now.

More From 104.3 Wow Country