The Voice continued its Season 18 Battle Round with coaches Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton determining six Battle winners during Monday night's broadcast on NBC.
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The six artists who were shown winning their respective Battle performances were Tate Brusa, a 16-year-old from Salt Lake City, UT; Mandi Castillo, a 23-year-old from San Antonio, TX; Toneisha Harris, a 44-year-old from Roswell, GA; Micah Iverson, a 26-year-old from Atlanta, GA; Darious Lyles, a 30-year-old from Chicago, IL; and Cam Spinks, a 30-year-old from Alabaster, AL.
In the Battle Round, which features pairs of team members duking it out for only one spot in the Knockout Round, each coach is afforded one Steal and one Save. In seasons past, each coach had two Steals to use.
A coach may steal a losing Battle artist from another team and save one member from his or her own team who also loses a Battle.
Kelly used her Steal during this episode to snag original "Team Legend" member Cammwess, a 22-year-old from Blythewood, SC, for her own team.
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And Nelson Cade III, a 27-year-old from Anaheim, CA, was saved by his coach, John.
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 are 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 belonged to "Team Blake," and he paired Toneisha with Jacob Daniel Murphy, a 27-year-old from Elk Grove, CA, for a performance of "Good As Hell" by Lizzo.
John complimented Toneisha and Jacob on doing so well "despite having Blake as their coach."
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John couldn't believe Jacob was a one-chair turn in the Blind Auditions, but he praised Toneisha for her level of skill vocally and reminded viewers she was a four-chair turn.
Nick could tell Jacob truly battled it out, but he expressed how he felt joy upon hearing Toneisha sing again.
Kelly had been up on her feet dancing from the very beginning and dubbed Jacob "a firecracker" who managed to go toe-to-toe with Toneisha. She called it one of her favorite Battles yet.
"This is horrible because it was so great. First of all, the connection you two have made is what makes this such a great musical moment. Toneisha... you truly are phenomenal," Blake explained.
"Jacob, the way you controlled the stage and the way you controlled the audience is why this was such a great Battle... I have to go with what I have to do here. The winner of this Battle is Toneisha."
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Jacob was therefore unfortunately eliminated from The Voice, but Blake predicted Toneisha could become a finalist this season.
Kelly's team was up next with a Battle between Micah and Gigi Hess, a 22-year-old from Lovington, NM.
Kelly asked the pair to sing "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi.
The audience went wild and Blake said just as he thought he knew the winner of the Battle, someone else would have "a big moment." Blake said Gigi hit notes that soared and she had incredible pitch, but Micah would counter.
Blake thought Gigi had the edge in the Battle because he didn't expect so much from her, and then John pointed out the performance was "heartfelt" and the duo had great chemistry together.
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John said the song was best for Micah's range and so he'd lean towards Micah winning.
Nick acknowledged the song was tough to sing and they're both really talented with a lot of potential, but because Micah seemed a bit more confident and sure of himself, the coach would name Michah the winner.
Kelly, however, had the final decision. She gushed about Gigi's beautiful "brokenness," saying everything bleeds through her voice, while she also loves Micah's falsetto.
"I'm just going to say this one is the hardest because you both have beautiful chemistry. I almost want you to be a duo, but I'm going to go with Micah on this one," Kelly announced.
Kelly later added, "I would be shocked if Micah is not in the finale this season. He's got talent for days."
On behalf of "Team Legend," Mandi battled Cammwess with a performance of "Senorita" by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes.
Nick said it was a fantastic performance and he was really impressed. Nick admitted he was blown away by Cammwess' performance although he's also a believer in Mandi.
Kelly admitted she had "a musical crush" on Mandi, but she told Cammwess he had done a "stellar" job.
Blake expected Mandi to come out and kill it, and the coach acknowledged she did just that with her "effortless" voice. And Blake added that Cammwess was super cool and he was sold on the artist by the end of the song.
John told Mandi that she has a really great voice for pop music, which was exciting for him, while Cammwess reminded him of himself because of his runs and similar phrasing.
"I truly am back and forth about who to pick. Both of you are really fantastic," John noted of the bilingual singer with the ability to sing different genres of music. "It is a tough decision for me. I have decided to go with Mandi."
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Kelly, however, swooped in and chose to steal Cammwess because she was surprised by him and found him "very intriguing."
Cam was then paired with Kailey Abel, a 19-year-old from Verdigris, OK, for a Battle representing Blake's team. The duo sang "What ifs" by Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina.
John said Kailey was "on fire" on the stage and her energy was "captivating," but he leaned a little bit more towards Cam as a vocalist.
Nick was impressed by Kailey for keeping the pace, but he said Cam kept coming from behind and delivering. However, Nick was taken with Kailey's passion and predicted it would take her very far in this competition.
Kelly said Kailey's choices vocally were very interesting but she likes a cowboy. She could tell this song was an unusual pick for Cam but he nailed it. Kelly was a fan with Cam and would've declared him the winner of the Battle.
Blake acknowledged his song selection was a bit odd for Cam and Kailey but they both stepped up to the plate and put the work in.
"The winner of this Battle is Cam," Blake revealed, adding that Cam had to dig down deep in order to find comfort singing that song.
The next Battle was between "Team Nick" members Tate and Anders Drerup, a 36-year-old from Austin, TX. The guys took the stage with "Circles" by Post Malone.
Kelly noted Anders has "a big old voice" with so much power, but she gushed about how cute Tate is and how she wouldn't worry about him in the finale. She said their voices were so different but solid in their own right, and she said she leaned more towards Tate.
Blake said Anders' voice is so clear and strong that it cuts through, but he loved the rawness of Tate's voice. Blake therefore gave Tate the edge.
John explained both artists were really excellent, but he believed Anders was "a more gifted vocalist" with power and clarity and so he probably deserved the win. On the other hand, however, John could appreciate Tate's tone despite his "more limited range."
Nick thought both artists were great although they're not meant to be a duo. Nick could tell the song was uncomfortable for Anders but he "did his thing" with it, while Tate is a phenomenal singer.
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Nick could see a bit of himself in Tate, saying that the artist's care for his craft was obvious.
"I have to make a tough decision here. The winner of this Battle is Tate," Nick declared, adding that Tate has what it takes to learn, get better and stand out.
The final Battle of the night was on behalf of "Team Legend." Darious was asked to sing "Come Together" by The Beatles against Nelson.
Nick called it "a phenomenal performance," saying they both lit the stage on fire. Nick had turned his chair for Nelson, but he said both men had blown him away and he'd turn his chair for both guys if he could turn back time.
Kelly said Darious made it interesting and fun, adding that he moved people and sang "on point." However, she preferred Nelson because of his performance in the Blinds.
Blake told John that he'd probably pick Darious as the winner since he has the potential to make it to the finale, but John had the final say.
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John was so proud of both of his team members and thought the duet was so entertaining. He said they embraced the iconic song and didn't shrink from it.
"It is really difficult for me. Part of it is me thinking about styles and tones and what I think has the most potential going forward, and I think I've made a decision. The winner of this Battle is Darious," John said.
John said Darious took command of the song and every note he sang had intention and gravity to it.