'The Voice' Introduces New 'Knockout' & 'Steal' Twists For Fall
NBC's hit reality singing competition The Voice is about to premiere its third season and this time, it's going to be a knockout... literally.
The show, which features coaches Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, have hit ratings gold in the past but producers wanted to introduce a brand new feature to keep viewers during the less-than-exciting battle rounds. Executive producer Mark Burnett revealed the blind auditions and the live show are the heavy hitters, so with the singing show and the battle rounds they will incorporate a 'knockout' and 'steal' option the coaches can use.
"We all just wondered, what is it that we can do during the battles to keep the competitive element going," Burnett said during a news conference. "And this came out of a collective talking. Last weekend we taped it, and it was very exciting."
Coaches Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton
(Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NBCUniversal)
Here's how it works: once the two contestants battle it out, the coach will pick the singer they want to keep on their team just like in past seasons. This time, the other coaches can steal a singer that was voted off by a rival coach allowing their final team to reach 10, instead of 8. If two coaches want the same person, it reverts back to the contestants choice just like in the blind auditions.
Once each coach has decided to 'steal or not steal' their peer’s vocal talent, a new two-week 'knockout round' will begin, where the contestants will battle for one of five spots on the team that will make it to the live shows.
The changes aren't based entirely on the ratings. In the past two years, many talented people have walked off the stage without a single chance to come back. "We were losing talent that's so hard to get on these shows,” host Carson Daly added. This way, the uber-talented contestants have an extra shot to stay on the show.
With Adam Levine’s protege Javier Colon winning season 1 and Blake Shelton’s Jermaine Paul winning season 2, the competition is sure to heat up between the judges!
The Voice season three premieres on NBC on September 10 at 8pm ET.
-Jodi Phillips / The New 103.7
