‘The Voice: Battle of Champions’ Episode 4 Live Recap: Time for the Battle Rounds

Mondays, am I right? Well, at least another Monday means another episode of The Voice: Battle of Champions!

This week, the popular NBC singing competition got fully underway, as the Blind Auditions officially wrapped up during the last episode, cementing the celebrity-led squads who will battle to prove they’re the ultimate champions. With three teams of 10, a total of 30 singers have moved forward alongside their subsequent celebrity coaches, and this week, they’ll go head-to-head to show viewers precisely why they earned their place on the program.

Finalizing the teams & crowning a Triple Turn winner

Last week’s episode marked the final Blind Audition round, with the three coaches officially finalizing their aforementioned teams of 10 apiece. Things got a little heated as the three champion-level coaches—Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and John Legend—fought to round out their respective squads with the best of the best, resulting in a unique array of singers across multiple genres, including pop, rock, country, and more.

Clarkson went into the final Blind Audition round with an already stacked team and only two spots left open. Meanwhile, Levine had more wiggle room, with seven team members selected and three spots remaining. Legend had the most open space on his team, with five spots filled and five open, allowing him to make the most of the remaining selection of singers.

Clarkson’s team was filled first, which simultaneously ended the show’s first Triple Turn Competition; however, there was a tie. Clarkson and Levine both had three points, while Legend was close behind with two. They used whoever won the most double turns as their tie-breaker, which ultimately gave the win and subsequent “steal” advantage to Clarkson.

You can read our full live recap of last week’s episode here.

The official teams

As a quick recap, the following list shows where each team stands going into the first Battle Round episode of the season tonight, March 16.

Team Kelly

Julia Golden
Abigayle Oakley
Jonah Mayor
Liv Ciara
Aaron LaVigne
J.W. Griffin
Tia Durant
Blaire Elbert
Houston Kelly
Mikenley Brown

Team Adam

Alexia Jayy
Bay Simpson
Jeremy Keith
Bijou Belle
Jaali Boyd
Moses G.
Hunter Jordan
Aziz Guerra
Drew Russell
Jared Shoemaker

Team John

Lucas West
AJ Robinson
Kendra Remedios
Mike Steele
Adi Arora
K.J. Willis
Ashley Marina
Grace Humphries
Natasha Blaine
Syd Millevoi

The rules & guest coaches

As noted at the top of the show, the coaches have no “steals” this episode, but each has one “save.” The exception was Clarkson, who also had an edge, as her Triple Turn win resulted in her earning the “Super Steal.” As explained by the hosts, Clarkson can use this reward to either steal a member of an opposing team or save a member of her own.

Jennifer Hudson was the guest coach/advisor for Team Kelly, Benji Madden was the guest coach/advisor for Team Adam and Muni Long was the guest coach/advisor for Team Legend.

Battle Round

Liv Ciara vs. Mikenley Brown

The show opened with Hudson coaching the two Team Kelly members, helping them find their voices and individual styles without Clarkson present to instruct. The two sang a dreamy, dueling duet of “Focus” by H.E.R.

The coaches loved the performance, with Legend calling the vocals “silky smooth.” Levine took things a step further, calling the duet the “best” Battle Round he’d heard. Meanwhile, Clarkson loved how their voices blended and how she never felt like they were “competing” with each other for the song. It made for a tough decision for Clarkson, but she ultimately had to choose her winner.

WINNER: Mikenley Brown

STEAL(S): Both Legend and Levine immediately hit their buzzers, preparing to steal Ciara; however, Clarkson snuck in, using her only “Super Steal” to take Ciara back, exclaiming that she’d “never let her go” from her team. This meant the advantage was now out of play, leveling the playing field for the three coaches.

Bay Simpson vs. Hunter Jordan

Guest coach Madden advised the aspiring singers on their song, noting that he hoped to “guide” the two through their performance. In the practice footage, Levine stated that he “didn’t” necessarily want to put these two together, but selected “I’m the Problem” by Morgan Wallen—a former Team Levine member—for the pair to try.

Legend loved how different the two singers approached the song, with Jordan taking a country angle and Simpson taking a more rock n’ roll route. Clarkson applauded Jordan’s performance, calling him a “sure thing,” while Simpson had a more “sultry” voice. Levine joked that he wanted to quit the show, given the difficulty of his decision between the two.

WINNER: Bay Simpson

AJ Robinson vs. Lucas West

Team Legend was up next, with Long acting as his guest coach/advisor. They had Robinson and West face off for the first Battle Round, singing “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes to merge their country and soul styles.

Clarkson said she “couldn’t get over” how “cute” Robinson was, also applauding his vocal range. Meanwhile, Levine loved West’s tone, noting that he’s definitely “there.” Legend called Robinson’s tone “perfect,” but loved the “texture” and “soul” of West’s take on the song.

WINNER: Lucas West

Bijou Belle vs. Jaali Boyd

The dynamic duo was assigned “Die for You” by The Weeknd, with Madden excited to see how willing Belle was to “go after it” and how Boyd’s voice had moments of “athletic singing.” Still, Levine and Madden both noted that their feedback might’ve made the singers more nervous, urging them to get out of their heads for the live performance.

Legend loved Belle’s connection to the song, also sharing that he was “impressed” with Boyd’s control. Levine stated that he was “proud” of the singers before making his final decision.

WINNER: Jaali Boyd

Blaire Elbert vs. JW Griffin

Hudson advised Elbert and Griffin, assigning them “Never Again (Again)” by Lee Ann Womack while calling them the country “powerhouse” duo—though she was concerned about Griffin’s nervousness. Still, once they began singing, Hudson was impressed by their vocals, joking that Clarkson made the decision “difficult” for herself.

Levine loved the “power” in Elbert’s voice, but added that he “wanted to buy the records [Griffin] hasn’t recorded yet.” Legend seconded the sentiment, joking that he and Levine were clearly still “jealous” of Clarkson’s team.

WINNER: JW Griffin

Adi Arora vs. Grace Humphries

The penultimate pair sang a “stripped-down” version of “Just Give Me a Reason” by P!nk and Nate Ruess, with the two tackling the tune as a traditional duet. Similar to others in the first Battle Round, Legend and Long both expressed concerns around their nervousness heading into the face-off, hoping the two could get out of their own heads.

Clarkson loved the “beautiful” performance, saying that Legend “can’t go wrong” with whoever he picks. Levine seconded Clarkson’s passion, refusing to pick a favorite between them, leaving Legend to decide without their input.

WINNER: Grace Humphries

Alexia Jayy vs. Moses G.

Jayy and Moses G. were the last singers to take on the Battle Round, singing a rendition of “Nightshift” by the Commodores. Both Levine and Madden loved their practice session, with the former noting he “smiled” for the entire song.

The coaches gave the groovy performance a standing ovation, applauding their sensational voices. Legend loved their “contagious” energy, with Clarkson applauding the “ache” in Jayy’s tone. Levine called his decision “impossible,” given how fantastic both singers were.

WINNER: Alexia Jayy

STEAL(S): Legend used his steal to save Moses G. at the very end of the episode, noting that he had the “star power” necessary to succeed and that he was happy to coach him in the upcoming Knockout Round.

When is the next episode?

The next episode of The Voice airs on NBC on Monday, March 23, at 9 p.m. ET, and we’ll be right back here to recap everything live for you!