Members of Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend’s teams will go head-to-head on stage and perform the same song at the same time. Attempts to out-sing one another will result in one contestant being deemed the winner of the round, while the other will be forced to pack their bags.
Of course, not every singer to lose a battle round is necessarily subject to elimination. Each judge has one opportunity to save or steal the losing contestant after each performance. If last week’s competition is any indication, though, then artists should expect Gwen, Blake, Kelly and John to be very picky about the moments they decide to use their single steal and save.
On YouTube, NBC released a sneak peek of all the contestants expected to battle it out on Monday and Tuesday’s episode, and from the looks of it, the judges will have their work cut out for them. This is especially true for Blake, when two of his team members, Marian Chello and Ricky Duran, pair up for a cover of the hit song, “Valeri.”
In the clip, all of the judges shower compliments the singers, saying that both showcased stunning vocals and range, in addition to delivering confident and entertaining performances. John and Gwen say if they had to decide the singers’ fates, they would choose Ricky as the winner. Kelly went for Marina—and noted she’d be up to save either of them—leaving Blake sticky situation. The country star admitted both singers “did everything that a coach could ask you to do,” which made his job of choosing one of them even harder.
The Voice fans will have to wait until the episode airs to see which performers Blake chooses to keep on his team, but that didn’t stop viewers from sharing their predictions in the YouTube video’s comments section. Many believed Blake would pick Ricky. “He has a unique distinct soothing voice though she did a job too but can’t ignore his voice man. Blake pick Ricky Duran,” one user wrote.
All hope wasn’t lost for Marina either. “Ricky Duran wins the battle and Maria gets 2 steals and chooses Blake again,” one commenter predicted.
Considering Blake has the best track record for producing The Voice winners—he’s won six times so far—he will have a lot to contemplate this week. He’ll have not only have to decide on keeping Ricky or Marina, but Joana Martinez, Matthew McQueen, Cory Jackson or Zach Bridges, as well.
Meanwhile, Team Gwen members Jessie Lawrence, Rose Short, James Violet, Kyndal Inskeep, Kiara Brown and Royce Lovett are slated to perform in the second round along with Team Legend members Jared Herzog, Will Breman, Dane & Stephanie and Marybeth Byrd. As for Team Kelly, Brennan Lassiter is expected to compete again Gracee Shriver, while Jake Hoot battles Steve Knill.
The Voice airs on NBC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
