Battle Rounds began in Season 25 of The voice on Monday, and the first battle brought down the house!
Team Legend’s Bryan Olesen and Nathan Chester took the stage with an epic performance of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” which featured this season’s coaches – Reba McEntire, John Legend, Chance the Rapper It is Dan + Shay – totally divided on who was the winner.
“You two are really powerful vocalists,” praised Chance. “I think any of you could win, it was a great performance. That’s why everyone was screaming!”
“I’m impressed,” Dan agreed. “It was so locked in, so in sync, that the vibratos were happening at the same time. You guys were up there absolutely killing it.”
When none of his “useless” fellow coaches offered any help, John was forced to make a difficult decision.
“Obviously you two created this problem by being so amazing,” he told his team members. “You were also very committed to updating this song. This version sounded like no other.”
Ultimately, John names Nathan as the winner of the battle, but doesn’t even give the other coaches time to plead their case for stealing Bryan before he hits the button to hand out his Playoff Pass – meaning Bryan will skip the Elimination Round and go straight to the Playoffs!
“Bryan is such a professional vocalist, a superstar, but he didn’t get that big break that I think he deserves,” John said of his decision. “I think he could win The voiceHe’s so good.”
Watch the full battle below!
ET spoke to the season 25 coaches before the premiere, where they shared what it was like to receive The voicethe first pair of coaches in the history of the competition.
“They give great grades. They are very good”, praised Reba. “They know the business well, but they also have a lot of heart and that’s what they’re looking for.”
Dan + Shay say they’ve been fans of the show for years – they served as mentors to Blake Shelton team back in season 20 and even entered the scene guest coach Niall Horan’s team last season – but acting as a full-time coach for the first time was a whole new experience.
“It changed everything for us,” Shay admitted. “I really enjoy the process of working with these artists, and you really get attached. It’s painful when you have to let people go. But it’s been an amazing experience.”
Chance returns this season for the first time since Season 23 Voice debut, where he joined Blake, Niall and Kelly Clarkson. He told ET that it’s especially exciting to be back with a whole new roster of coaching talent.
“I’ve always looked up to John and he’s helped me in so many different ways,” he reflected. “Being working with him and then being around Reba, and Dan + Shay, and this amazing team… I miss Blake, but it’s really cool to be back in the building.”
Despite the good vibes, however, the coaches are still quite competitive. With Niall stepping aside this season after winning back-to-back titles, the Voice the trophy is up for grabs – and there’s a better than average chance that it could go to a first-time champion, as only John has won the competition before.
“It’s getting hot out there, for sure,” Shay revealed.
“That’s why we’re here,” Reba agreed.
The voice airs Mondays at 8pm PT/ET and Tuesdays at 9pm PT/ET on NBC.
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