'The Voice' Battles conclude with Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton advancing 11 artists to Knockouts

The Voice wrapped its Season 18 Battle Round with coaches Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton determining eight Battle winners during Monday night's broadcast on NBC.


The eight artists who were shown winning their respective Battle duets were Thunderstorm Artis, a 24-year-old from Haleiwa, HI; Megan Danielle, a 17-year-old from Douglasville, GA; Zan Fiskum, a 23-year-old from Seattle, WA; Tayler Green, a 27-year-old from Franklin, NJ; Jacob Miller, a 29-year-old from Eden, WI; Arei Moon, a 28-year-old from Orlando, FL; Mandi Thomas, a 33-year-old from Memphis, TN; and Todd Tilghman, a 42-year-old from Meridian, MS.

The Battle Round featured pairs of team members duking it out for only one spot in the upcoming Knockout Round, and each coach was afforded one Steal and one Save. In seasons past, each coach had two Steals to use during this stage of the competition.

A coach could steal a losing Battle artist from another team and save one member from his or her own team who also lost a Battle.

Kelly saved Samantha Howell, a 19-year-old from Virginia Beach, VA, on Monday night's show.


Nick chose to steal Jon Mullins, a 32-year-old from Nashville, TN, from Blake's team, and Blake opted to steal Cedrice, a 28-year-old from San Diego, CA, from John's team.

In a The Voice first, the four saved artists from this season will eventually compete in a four-way Knockout in which only one artist will survive and move on to the next round.

The team advisors for this season's Battle Round were Bebe Rexha serving Blake's team, Ella Mai working with John, Dua Lipa advising "Team Kelly," and Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas working with their brother and "Team Nick."

The first Battle of the night featured Arei and Samuel Wilco, a 40-year-old from Fort Knox, KY, who sang on behalf of "Team Nick."

Samuel and Arei sang "Missing You" by John Waite.


Kelly thought it was a very "even-matched" Battle since they both have cool, big voices, and she said they both took advantage of every second of the song when it came to their vocals or expressions.

Blake said he loved that performance and that Samuel was quick in the pocket; however, he noted Arei showed off her runs and let her voice air out.

John could feel joy coming from both artists but gave "a slight edge" to Arei because he could hear more power coming from her voice and connected with her just a bit more.

Nick admitted he made a mistake by pairing these two together because he loved them both and found them fun and inspiring.

After acknowledging he had a hard decision to make, Nick announced, "The winner of this Battle is Arei."


Nick complimented Arei's energy, charisma and smile, and he said she gets better and better with every performance.

"Team Kelly" then matched  Megan with Samantha to sing "Top Of the World" by Dixie Chicks.

Blake said Kelly had handed the girls a sacred piece of music so it showed her confidence in the two of them. Blake added that Megan was "the shocker" of this Battle because her voice is "unbelievable."

"Kelly was the only person who turned around for you. Clearly I had gone to the bathroom or something. There's no way I wouldn't have hit my button for you!" Blake joked, adding that her tone is incredible and she sang with strength and power.

Kelly had used her Block on Blake to keep Samantha on her team, but Blake admitted he thought Megan had won the Battle because Samantha had a few pitch issues in the song.


John gushed about Samantha's clear voice as well as the grit and tone in Megan's voice.

Nick told Samantha that's she incredible but he could hear Megan's story and life through her vocals, so he recognized Kelly had a tough choice to make.

Kelly said the tone and purity of Samantha's voice is clear and pretty but Megan sounded raw and boasted a completely different tone. Kelly also called Megan a fighter, saying this was the best she had ever sounded on the song.

"The winner of this Battle is Megan," Kelly declared, advancing the singer to the Knockouts.

Kelly called Megan "the dark horse" of all the teams this season, telling the cameras Megan had "floored" her with her performance.


"I could see her in the finale," Kelly told the cameras.

However, Kelly opted to Save Samantha, yelling, "I love you!"

Next up was a Battle between Jon and Todd that represented "Team Blake." The guys performed "Ghost In This House" by Alison Krauss.

John loved the emotion both men put into the song and said he had felt a connection with the both of them. While John originally want Todd on his team, he expressed shock and disbelief he had never turned around for Jon in the Blinds.

Nick said it was "a really, really well executed performance" and Jon came out of nowhere and blew the coaches away with his performance. Nick revealed he'd choose Jon as the winner although Todd had been a standout in the Blind Auditions.

Kelly thought it was a pretty even Battle, so she advised Blake to pick whom he connected with more and predicted would last longer throughout the competition.


With that being said, Blake confessed he had made "a huge, monumental mistake" by pairing these guys together because Jon really stepped up to the plate and made this "an impossible decision" for him because "it was such an epic performance."

"I kind of have a gut feeling here. I'm going to make this decision. The winner of this Battle is Todd," Blake announced.

Blake expressed how Todd was more consistent in the competition and he couldn't ignore that.

However, Nick chose to use his Steal on Jon and said he was "so thankful" to have that chance. Nick said Jon deeply connected to the emotion of the song and that's something that cannot be taught.

A Battle then followed on behalf of "Team Legend." The coach paired Brittney Allen, a 28-year-old from Columbus, GA, with Zan to sing "Closer To Fine" by Indigo Girls.

Nick explained the girls allowed each other to shine and it was enjoyable to watch them work together and create a beautiful moment for everyone sitting in the room.


Kelly called the performance "effortless and beautiful," and she said they seamlessly weaved a beautiful and effortless moment. Kelly was so disappointed she didn't have a Steal yet.

Blake told Brittney her voice is pointed, clear and almost rigid, which he liked a lot. However, Zan had "overall a better performance, technically," so he gave Zan the edge.

But John had the final decision. John told Brittney that she made the song her own and it was very powerful, soulful and perfected, while Zan has "a very magical tone" along with precision.

"I thought both of you were unique in your approach to the song. I think it's the best performance we've seen today, [but] I am biased," John shared.

"The winner of this Battle is Zan."

Zan reminded John of Maelyn Jarmon and could picture her doing well on the show as a result.


"Team Kelly" was up next, and she asked Mandi to perform against Sara Collins, an 18-year-old from Dandridge, TN.

The girls took the stage with a performance of "My Baby Loves Me" by Martina McBride.

Blake said Sara went for a couple notes at the end of the song that didn't quite make it and maybe it was nerves playing a role -- because she definitely has the talent. Blake told Mandi she definitely sounded good and he'd pick her on that song.

John noted Sara's voice is piercing and cuts through well, which is a good recording voice, and she sounded like more of a country singer than Mandi.

Nick told Sarah she's got a great voice but it's a little thinner than Mandi's voice, while Mandi sold the performance for him and she has a lot of variety in her voice.

Kelly explained Mandi's background helps her to blend well while she loves Sara's sound.


"This one is hard for me because you both are really different. I'm going to have to go with the one who I feel like is consistent and steady. The winner of this Battle is Mandi," Kelly revealed.

Kelly later told the cameras she picked Mandi because she can give the artist any genre of music to perform and she has a really cool gift.

A brief montage of two Battles was then shown.

Tayler performed "Water Under the Bridge" against Jules, a 15-year-old from Atlanta, GA, for "Team Kelly," and Kelly named Tayler the winner because she could best navigate this show.

For "Team Nick," Jacob and Kevin Farris, a 33-year-old from Arlington Heights, IL, belted out a duet of "Lights Up," and Nick declared Jacob the winner.

The final Battle for the season belonged to Thunderstorm and Cedrice. The duo took the stage on behalf of "Team Legend," and they performed "Stay" by Kelly Rida.


Nick said he had been looking forward to this Battle the most and it was "out of this world" and "so incredibly intimate."

Nick told Cedrice that she never stepped out of her comfort zone to compete with Thunderstorm and her vocals were effortless and he was blown away.

Nick said Thunderstorm sang his butt off and it was "unbelievable," and he gave Thunderstorm the edge.

Kelly noted she couldn't keep her eyes off Cedrice because she's so confident and comfortable in her own skin, which was "captivating," but Thunderstorm wowed with his tone and range.

After Kelly pointed out Thunderstorm's performance was "moving," Blake called Cedrice "magical" and "super talented." Blake, however, said Thunderstorm lives up to his name and he could dominate the music industry.

Blake thought Thunderstorm should win, but John felt inspired by both artists' presence and artistry.


John told Cedrice she belongs on the stage as a supermodel, singer, actress or whatever, but he dubbed Thunderstorm's voice very special, raspy and rugged. John felt the duet's longing and sensuality, and he congratulated both team members on being "amazing."

"The winner of this Battle is Thunderstorm," John announced, adding that he "could win this show."

But Blake chose to steal Cedrice, and the other coaches loved him for it. Blake called Cedrice "the moment" he had been waiting for. Although they're an odd pairing, Blake suggested they could make history together on The Voice.

The Voice's Season 18 Knockout Round begins next week on NBC.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski