A new season of The Voice premieres this month, and Season 29 features some big changes. The coaches opened up about the “tricky” season amid format changes. One coach admitted to being “nervous” about how it goes. Keep reading for all the details.
The Voice Makes Huge Change For Battle Of Champions
The Voice has been on the air for nearly 15 years. There have been minor changes over the years, most notably the rotating panel of four coaches. Season 29 breaks the mold immediately with just three coaches, all former champions. Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Adam Levine return for Battle of Champions. Longtime fans immediately blasted the show for not including Blake Shelton, who has won the most seasons of The Voice.
Season 29 was filmed at the same time as Season 28. Kelly Clarkson missed a few tapings after the unexpected death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. The new season of The Voice comes just weeks after she confirmed she’s leaving her popular daytime talk show.
The changes in Kelly Clarkson’s personal life aside, Season 29 has a few other surprising changes. The new season is shorter than the earlier seasons due to NBC’s sports coverage. Live shows where viewers at home can vote for their favorite are gone. Instead, the studio audience will vote for the Top 9 and the Top 4.
Kelly Clarkson opened up about the change during an interview with TV Insider. “It is cool to kind of get the live feedback,” she said. She added that the energy and sound are “different” live compared to at home.
Adam Levine agreed with Kelly Clarkson about that. “It doesn’t sound or feel the same when you’re at home,” he said. “I’m excited about that, but I’m also nervous about that,” Kelly Clarkson said about the change.
Returning Judges Talk ‘Tricky’ Season
Kelly Clarkson also admitted that it will be “tricky” for the studio audience to vote for the contestants. “That, I think, is going to change everything,” she said. John Legend noted that the show will figure it out as the season progresses.
Another change is the All-Star Showdown, which will give one coach an advantage. The coaches will each bring back two former contestants to compete in sing-offs. The coach with the winning former contestant gets an extra artist in the Finals. Former coach CeeLo Green returns to judge the showdowns.
Adam Levine’s returning contestants are Season 1 winner Javier Colon and Season 9 champ Jordan Smith. Girl Named Tom (Season 21) and Jake Hoot (Season 17) return for Kelly Clarkson. Team Legend winner Maelyn Jarmon (Season 16) returns, along with Season 27 third-place winner Renzo.
The Voice: Battle of Champions premieres on NBC on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 9 PM Eastern. Tell us in the comments what you think about the format changes.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
