The four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice” returns with the strongest vocalists from across the country invited to compete in the show’s newest season, which returns Sept. 25.
Queen of Country Reba McEntire claims her red chair alongside last season’s champ, Niall Horan, and returning superstar coaches John Legend and Gwen Stefani as they vie to discover and coach the next singing phenomenon.
The show’s innovative format features five stages of competition: Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and Live Performance Shows.
During the Blind Auditions, the decisions from the coaches are based solely on voice and not looks. The coaches hear the artists perform but they don’t get to see them, thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by the artist’s voice, they push a button to select the artist for their team. At this point, the coach’s chair will swivel so that they can face the artist they selected. If more than one coach pushes the button, the power then shifts to the artists to choose which coach they want to work with. If no one pushes their button, the artist is eliminated from the competition. The artists’ family and friends watch their Blind Auditions from side stage with host Carson Daly, cheering on their loved ones and hoping for a coveted chair turn.
Also returning this season is the block, which adds another layer of coach competition during the Blind Auditions. The coach chairs each have an extra set of buttons with the other three coaches’ names on them, which prevents a coach from adding a new artist to his or her team. The coaches can only use their block buttons on one artist for the entire first round of the competition. The blocked coach only discovers they’re blocked if they press their button and though their chair will still turn, their lane lights up with “BLOCKED.” If the coach doesn’t press their button, the block is still available for another audition.
Once the teams are set, the battle is on. The coaches dedicate themselves to developing their team of artists, giving them advice and sharing the secrets of their success. During the Battle Rounds, the coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together. The artists are vying for their coach’s confidence and decision to take them to the next round. After each vocal battle, the coach must choose which of his or her artists will advance to the next round of competition.
This season during Battles, each coach will have two steals to use. With the steals in play, a losing artist is available for the other coaches to save and bring onto their own team. Artists who won their battle or were stolen by another coach will advance to the Knockouts.
The three-way Knockouts are back, where the artists will be paired against two other teammates. This time, however, they will select their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. The coaches will choose one winner out of the three, and the artists not selected will be available to be stolen by another coach. The coaches each have a save available as well. To prepare for this high-pressure competition, the coaches enlist a legendary Mega Mentor to advise all of the artists competing in the Knockouts.
Artists who survive the Knockouts will advance to the Playoffs, where they will hold nothing back. Tough decisions are made when each coach can only advance three artists to the live shows. The stakes are even higher for the artists because there are no steals available.
Once the Live Performance shows begin, the top artists will compete against each other weekly during a live broadcast. This time the television audience will vote to save their favorite artists. The artists with the lowest number of votes will be eligible for the Instant Save and will each perform a new song to prove why they should continue in the competition. America will then have the opportunity to save their favorite performer by voting on “The Voice” Official App or NBC.com. Those with the lowest number of votes will be sent home. In the end, one artist will be named “The Voice” and will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.
“The Voice” is a presentation of MGM Television, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, and ITV Studios The Voice USA, Inc. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as an executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson and Adam H. Sher.
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