‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ Episode 2 Live Recap: Blind Auditions Continue

In case you missed it, The Voice is officially back for another season, and—just like the famous chairs the coaches sit in—the program is promising plenty of twists and turns.

Season 29 of the beloved NBC singing competition premiered on Monday, Feb. 23, kicking off with the first round of “Blind Auditions.” However, things were a little different this time, with the inaugural episode adopting the new Battle of Champions format and several rule changes along with it.

And this week, we’re recapping Episode 2 live so you don’t miss a single second of the seat-turning action!

What are the new rules for Battle of Champions?

Those already familiar with The Voice know the show typically has celebrity “coaches” with strong backgrounds in the music industry on a panel, whose task is to build a winning team of singers. For the first few episodes, the aforementioned “Blind Auditions,” the coaches are seated with their backs to the singers, in chairs that only allow them to turn around if they hit a big red button on their seat, declaring they want said singer on their squad.

While the general format remains the same, this season is different in that the panel of coaches is made up exclusively of three celebs who’ve won the show in the past—hence the whole “Battle of Champions” thing—Kelly Clarkson (a four-time winner), Adam Levine (a three-time winner) and John Legend (the Season 16 winner). According to NBC’s official website, the rules will also change a bit throughout this season, the outlet stating that “each of the competition’s four rounds will deliver a first-ever element, so there’s something to love for fans old and new. ”

These changes could be seen as early as the first Blind Audition episode, with the competition introducing the “Triple Turn competition,” in which the coaches will “attempt to score the most 3-Chair Turns, with the winner gaining a special advantage in the next round ... Coaches will end the Blind Auditions with 10 artists each. ”

What happened on the premiere episode?

The first episode of the season introduced us to 11 new singers, with the coaches eager to lay the groundwork for their 10-person teams. When all was said (or should we say, sung) and done, 10 of the 11 singers cemented their spots, and the three coaches ended the night with multiple new team members apiece.

Going into the second Blind Audition episode, the teams were as follows (we’ve also included which coaches hit their button for which singer):

Team Kelly

Julia Golden (Clarkson and Legend)
Abigayle Oakley (Triple turn: first point for Clarkson)
Jonah Mayor (Clarkson and Levine)
Liv Ciara (Clarkson and Levine)
Aaron LaVigne (Clarkson and Legend)

Team Levine

Alexia Jayy (Triple turn: first point for Levine)
Bay Simpson (Levine)
Jeremy Keith (Triple turn: second point for Levine)

Team Legend

Lucas West (Legend and Levine)
AJ Robinson (Legend)

J.W. Griffin

The first to the stage was Griffin, a 25-year-old bread delivery driver from Georgia who sang “Long Haired Country Boy” by the Charlie Daniels Band for the coaches.

Clarkson was quick to hit her button, followed shortly by Legend, then Levine—kicking the show off with yet another triple turn. Levine said Griffin’s voice was “one of his favorites he’d heard on the show,” while Clarkson applauded his storytelling ability with the song. Meanwhile, Legend loved Griffin’s tone, touting his own CMT Award as a reason to choose him.

After an energetic battle, Griffin ultimately chose Clarkson to be his coach, giving the singer her second triple turn point and tying her with Levine.

Nicolette Capua

Next up was 23-year-old Capua from Staten Island, who noted her preferred genre was “straight up pop.” With this in mind, she chose to perform “you broke me first” by Tate McRae.

While Capua did a fantastic job with the song, and the audience was behind her, none of the coaches hit their button. Still, Clarkson complimented Capua, calling her a “talented singer.” Levine also commended her performance, but gave her notes on her song choice, suggesting that, should she return in the future, she pick a different song.

Tia Durant

32-year-old Durant, a South Carolina resident and former banker with big dreams of being on the stage, followed Capua with a performance of “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & the Pips.

Clarkson and Levine pushed their buttons quickly at almost the same moment, while Legend stepped back and allowed the two to fight over Durant. After Clarkson and Levine poked fun at Legend for missing out, they made their cases to convince Durant to join their team.

In the end, Durant also chose Clarkson to be her coach.

Kendra Remedios

Self-described as “a dental hygienist by day and a country singer-songwriter by night,” the 31-year-old Texan honored her father in her preroll footage, calling him her hidden “fourth coach.” For her song, Remedios selected Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” highlighting her country roots.

Legend was quick to turn early in the performance. While Clarkson and Levine enjoyed the song, they remained unturned, with Clarkson outright saying she didn’t turn solely because her “team is filling up,” leaving Remedios to join Legend’s by default.

Mike Steele

28-year-old Steele, hailing from a small town in Mississippi, took centerstage next, impressing the coaches with his vibrant version of “For Tonight” by Giveon.

Legend and Levine hit their buttons quickly, with Clarkson joining after hearing a few more lyrics. The coaches did their best to win over Steele, sharing their love of his “deep, rich” baritone voice. Legend and Levine also noted that—if Steele joined one of their respective teams—they’d want to steer him down a path similar to his current genre, whereas Clarkson said she’d want to push him outside of his comfort zone if he chose her.

The debate got a bit heated, but Steele ultimately selected Legend as his coach, scoring the singer-songwriter his first triple turn point of the season.

Bijou Belle

17-year-old South Dakota resident Belle took to the stage after Steele, noting she’d been performing in a band with her siblings for years, marking this as her first real solo performance. She selected “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish for her song.

Levine hit his button almost immediately, turning his chair within the first few moments of the performance. Clarkson and Legend applauded the teen’s song choice and powerful performance, but both noted they felt Belle had more time to grow, leaving her to join Levine’s team by default.

Jaali Boyd

Boyd, a 25-year-old from Maryland, was up next, telling the camera she was feeling “excited, confident, but kind of nervous.” A cleaner on weekdays and a singer on weekends, Boyd opted to sing “No Air” by Jordin Sparks.

Clarkson was the first to turn, with Levine following shortly after. Both applauded the artist for where she was at, but noted that she had plenty of room to grow. Clarkson reminded Boyd that she was the first to turn, poking fun at Levine for coming after.

While Clarkson made a strong case for her team, Boyd ultimately chose Levine to be her coach.

Blaire Elbert

Elbert, a 28-year-old musician from Texas who has been in the music industry since her childhood, embraced her southern sound by performing a country classic: “Wide Rollin’ Plains” by Rosalie Allen.

Elbert performed a good chunk of the song, reaching the famous yodeling bridge when Clarkson hit her button. While Legend and Levine didn’t turn, joking that there was “a lot” going on for them, and agreeing that she belonged on Clarkson’s team.

Adi Arora

At a little over the halfway point, New Jersey resident and Cornell University student Arora hit the stage with his rendition of “It Will Rain” by Bruno Mars.

Legend hit his button within seconds of Arora’s performance, with Clarkson turning to follow as the song hit the chorus. Levine remained unturned, but candidly noted he “wished” he hadn’t gotten “hung up” on his issues with Arora’s pitch, as he had a strong voice overall.

Things got playfully ugly between Legend and Clarkson as they fought for Arora, but he ultimately chose Legend to be his coach.

Moses G.

Growing up in Harlem, N.Y., 31-year-old Moses G.’s passion for music was palpable. The musician shared a touching moment with his mother in the preroll footage before making his way onto the stage to perform “Forever Young” by Rod Stewart.

The crowd was behind Moses G. from the start, and Levine turned moments before the song ended. Clarkson and Legend complimented the performer’s talent, but ultimately didn’t push their buttons, leaving Moses G. on Levine’s team by default.

Chezzarai

31-year-old Los Angeles resident Chezzarai had been performing for years, even having a residency in Las Vegas. She opted to sing one of the songs she regularly performs at her show, Chaka Khan’s high-energy classic, “I’m Every Woman,” for the coaches.

While the audience loved the rendition and all three coaches had wonderful things to say, none of the coaches hit their button, stating the song was too “wild” to showcase Chezzarai’s voice. Still, they encouraged her to return down the road with another song choice.

Hunter Jordan

The final performance of the episode came from 22-year-old Jordan, hailing from a small town in Kentucky. Jordan noted that country music was his speciality, selecting “Let Me Down Easy” by Billy Currington for his song.

Levine and Legend turned at the same time, with Clarkson hitting her button at the start of the chorus—much to her fellow coaches’ dismay—resulting in another triple turn. The performer received a standing ovation from the audience, with Levine immediately making his case.

While all of the coaches fought for him, Jordan decided to shake things up, choosing Levine as his coach and earning the musician another triple turn point.

When is the next episode?

The next episode of The Voice airs on NBC on Monday, March 9, at 9 p.m. ET, and we’ll be right back here to recap everything live for you!