The Voice continued its Season 17 Battle Round with coaches Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and John Legend narrowing down their teams through a series of epic faceoffs during Monday night's episode on NBC.

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After a series of Battles, the coaches chose to advance the following Battle-winning artists to The Knockout Round: Will Breman, Ricky Duran, Jake Hoot, Royce Lovett, Joana Martinez, Kyndal Inskeep, Gracee Shriver, and Damali.

In addition, multiple artists were also either saved or stolen by the coaches!

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The Battle Round features two artists on the same team performing a duet in which the two artists in each faceoff attempt to blend their sound while also outshining their opponent.

Only one person moves forward in the competition unless the losing artist is stolen by another coach or saved by his or her original coach.

The first Battle pairing was between Will, a 25-year-old from Santa Barbara, CA, and Jared Herzog, a 21-year-old from Niceville, FL, on behalf of "Team Legend" for which Usher served as the team advisor.

Will and Jared performed a duet of "Treat You Better," and John was up out of his chair dancing to the music.

Gwen couldn't keep her eyes off Will but said Jared's opening verse was so pretty because he started the song in his lower register but maintained control. She added that Jared is gifted but Will brought a "crazy energy" and boldness to the stage.

Kelly thought the performance was sexy and the ladies were loving the two guys.

"I also find you both very sexy," Blake joked, before telling Jared that he nailed his low notes and did a great song. "The problem is Will -- it was unbelievable... I saw him do a karate move!"

John said both of his team members stepped up and delivered beyond what they were supposed to. Both Will and Jared apparently surmounted their challenges, and then John declared Will the winner of the Battle.

John said he preferred Will's vocal style and ability and couldn't ignore his charisma and starpower.

Jared was therefore eliminated from The Voice competition.

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The next Battle belonged to Ricky, a 29-year-old from Austin, TX, and Marina Chello, a 37-year-old from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for "Team Blake," whose advisor was Darius Rucker.

Ricky and Marina took the stage with "Valerie," and John called the duet "fantastic."

John was captivated by Ricky's tone and said he had something special about his voice that felt "extra magical." John would therefore pick Ricky as the winner, and Gwen agreed because he had "star quality and stage presence" as well as zero nerves.

Kelly, however, thought Marina sang to win and both artists brought out the best in each other.

Blake said Ricky and Marina gave their performance 150% and they're both way overdue for a break in the music industry. Blake was so proud they had delivered everything asked of them.

Blake called the decision he had to make "awful," but he chose to advance Ricky in the competition solely based on their delivery of that song.

Blake opted to use his only "Save" in the Battles on Marina, but Kelly also attempted to steal the female singer for her own team.

Blake said he believed in Marina and it was not time to start over with someone new. Kelly said they had a similar vibe and there was something "super special" about her.

"I'll stick to my guns again. I'm coming home; I'm going with Blake," Marina announced, returning to Blake's team.

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Blake thought it was "cute" Kelly tried to steal Marina from her and said the singer will shock people going forward.

"Team Kelly," who was advised by Fifth Harmony member Normani, then had a Battle between Jake, a 31-year-old from Cookeville, TN, and Steve Knill, a 37-year-old from San Francisco, CA.

Jake and Steve executed a performance of "Always On My Mind."

Blake said Jake had the perfect amount of nasal sound to be a country singer because he had character and seemed authentic. Blake also said Steve's head voice was beautiful but he'd probably pick Jake to advance.

John said the song felt right for Jake's voice and the artist impressed the coach more than Steve.

Gwen noted Steve's voice was warm, beautiful and "extraordinary," but the decision ultimately belonged to Kelly, who gushed about how their vocals were perfect.

Kelly explained her choice was strategic because she was trying to round out her team. With that being said, she declared Jake the winner of the Battle. Steve was therefore eliminated from the show.

On behalf of "Team Gwen" -- which was advised by Will.I.Am -- Royce, a 30-year-old from Tallahassee, FL, went up against Kiara Brown, a 22-year-old from Las Vegas, NV, in a Battle.

Royce and Kiara were asked to sing "Turn Your Lights Down Low."

Kelly thought the performance was so fun and said she loved Royce's rasp; however, Kelly admitted she had made a mistake by not turning around for Kiara in the Blinds because she really commanded the stage and shocked her.

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Blake said Royce and Kiara both made a terrible mistake for not choosing him as their coach, but he said he'd advance Royce because he's "hitting a groove" and deserves to remain on the show.

John noted that Kiara brought some real power, and Gwen said it was a joy to work with the both of them.

"I'm falling in love with you just because of how hard you worked, and you deserve to be here," Gwen said. "And Royce, you had the energy you needed... and were just incredible with your whole style."

Gwen hated choosing between her two team members, but she announced Royce had won the Battle.

However, Kelly chose to "Steal" Kiara, and then Gwen pressed her button to "Save" her.

Kelly admitted Kiara had tricked her in the Blinds because she didn't show everything she was capable of -- including her range. Kelly was even more floored by how Gwen spoke so highly of her.

Gwen confessed she had planned to save a different artist but felt the need to keep Kiara around. Although Gwen was really invested in her artist, Kiara chose to jump ship and join "Team Kelly."

The next Battle of the night belonged to Matthew McQueen, a 22-year-old from Georgetown, TX, and Joana, a 15-year-old from Miami, FL, on "Team Blake."

Matthew and Joana sang "High Hopes," and John appreciated their energy and chemistry onstage.

John told Joana she was poised and showed range and so he'd pick her as the winner. Gwen also leaned towards Joana but dubbed Matthew "super interesting."

Kelly was amazing Joana is only 15-years-old, but she said she couldn't take her eyes off Matthew because he commanded the stage and was "captivating."

Blake acknowledged the song was really hard to sing but Matthew locked in on his vocals. Blake was also impressed by Joana's skill and potential.

"This would've been a lot easier if one of you had sucked, but you were both great," Blake noted.

Blake named Joana the winner of the Battle, which sent Matthew packing from The Voice.

The final Battle pairing of the night was between "Team Gwen" members Kyndal Inskeep, a 22-year-old from Nashville, TN, and James Violet, a 20-year-old from Syracuse, UT.

The couple of artists took the stage with "I Could Use a Love Song" and Kelly gushed about how their voices sounded beautiful together.

Kelly said James was on-point with his style, voice and texture and that his performance was believable, but the coach said Kyndal doesn't sound like anyone else.

Blake suggested Kyndal had won the Battle, and John agreed because James had struggled to take ownership of the song.

Gwen was "super torn" between the two artists, but she declared Kyndal as the Battle's winner.

Gwen, however, attempted to "Save" James, as John also pressed his button to "Steal" the handsome young singer.

John heard the "magic" in James voice and said he wanted to make the most of his talent and super-cool vibe. But Gwen insisted James was always on her "I want to save him" list and the idea of losing him to John was awful.

"Come on, this coach loves you so much!" Gwen begged.

"She was ready to toss you to the garbage can!" John argued.

The episode ended on a cliffhanger, with James about to make his decision between the two coaches.

The broadcast also featured a montage of Battles. For "Team Kelly," Brennan Lassiter performed "Blue Ain't Your Color" against Gracee, and Kelly named Gracee the winner.

Kelly also paired Damali with Brooke Stephenson for a performance of "Set Fire To the Rain," and Kelly declared Damali the winner.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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