The Voice concluded its Season 18 Knockout Round with coaches Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton advancing eight artists to the next round and the highly-anticipated and epic four-way Knockout during Monday night's two-hour broadcast on NBC.

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During the Knockout Round, two team members sand individual songs of their own choosing in the hope of impressing their coach and advancing in the competition.

The artists who won their respective Knockouts on Monday night were 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 Tokyo, Japan; Allegra Miles, a 17-year-old from St. John, USVI; and Arei Moon, a 28-year-old from Orlando, FL; and Mandi Thomas, a 33-year-old from Memphis, TN.

Kelly, John, Nick and Blake were each allowed one "Steal" in the Knockout Round, and singer and songwriter James Taylor mentored and advised all The Voice contestants during rehearsals.

The two competitors stolen on Monday night's show were Thunderstorm Artis, a 24-year-old from Haleiwa, HI, who went to "Team Nick," as well as Cedrice, a 28-year-old from San Diego, CA, who landed on Kelly's team.

The first Knockout pairing of the night was Mandi against Thunderstorm for "Team Legend."

Thunderstorm took the stage with "Preach" by his coach John, and Mandi performed "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King.

John said this Knockout was tough for him because he thought "the world" of both vocalists and said they have so much heart.

John complimented Thunderstorm on having one of the "coolest tones" he's ever heard and said he loved the version his team member chose to perform. Mandi, on the other hand, was "flawless," according to John, and he said he loved her vibrato and the "flutter" in her voice.

"This is genuinely tough for me," John announced. "The winner of this Knockout is Mandi."

Nick, however, opted to steal Thunderstorm for his own team, saying he had his eye on this artist from the beginning.

Next up was "Team Nick" members Arei and Jon Mullins, a 32-year-old from Nashville, TN, in a Knockout pairing.

Arei sang "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, and Jon performed "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran.

Nick admitted he was "in turmoil" over this Knockout. He appreciated Jon's willingness to dive in and take whatever challenge was thrown at him, but Nick also said Arei had delivered one of her best performances yet and really rose to the occasion.

Nick said Arei brought joy to the process and he was glad he had blocked Kelly to snag her for his team.

"I hate that I have to make this kind of decision," Nick said. "The winner of this Knockout is Arei."

Nick called Arei "a superstar" and predicted she'll make it very far in the competition this season.

For "Team Kelly," the coach paired Micah with Tayler Green, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles, CA.

Micah performed "Graveyard" by Halsey in attempt to stretch himself, and Tayler serenaded the audience with "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper.

Kelly told Micah that he executed a really hard song to sing and proved how imaginative he can be as a vocalist. She was impressed by his tone and range.

As for Tayler, Kelly said the artist made the song her own and she has a beautiful way to connect with others through music.

"I am so torn. I love both of you. Just one second [to let me think]. It's a really big deal so I want to make the right choice here. Oh my gosh, okay. You're so incredible, Micah," Kelly announced.

"In the Battles, I was like, 'Oh my God, you're going to be in the finale.' And then Tayler did that to me this time and I just didn't realize how incredibly difficult this decision would be. I'm going to go with a gut feeling. The winner of this Knockout is Micah."

Kelly clearly saw the potential in Micah, but Nick thought Tayler had given one of the best performances in the Knockouts thus far. Nick wished he had a steal left for her.

The Knockout Round then featured Allegra singing against Jacob Miller, a 29-year-old from Eden, WI.

Jacob put his own spin on "Better Now" by Post Malone, while Allegra performed "Chandelier" by Sia.

Nick told Jacob he had come out of his shell and was really fun and funny to be around. He also told Allegra her voice is effortless, magical and left him in a trance.

"I'm really frustrated with myself that I paired you together, but I do have to make a choice," Nick said. "The winner of this Knockout is Allegra."

Nick said Allegra has the ability to silence a room when she sings, adding, "You will see her in the finale."

As the night continued, Kelly was shown advancing Mandi Thomas after her performance of "My Church."

Blake then paired Toneisha with his previously-stolen artist Cedrice.

Toneisha sang "Diamonds" by Rihanna, and Cedrice belted out "Love on the Brain" by Rihanna.

Blake said the artists were different but equal in what they gave in their performances. Blake said Cedrice captured everyone under a spell but Toneisha had great vocal control.

"I don't enjoy this, but the winner of this Knockout is Toneisha," Blake declared, adding that she had been a frontrunner on his team since Day 1 and was very consistent.

But Kelly chose to steal Cedrice because she said there's no one else like her on the show. Kelly appreciated her passionate but peaceful nature, and the coach predicted Cedrice would be bold in the live shows.

(However, based on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it's assumed the upcoming performance shows will not be live or filmed in front of a large audience).

The episode then featured the highly-anticipated Knockout involving four talented contestants, which was a The Voice first.

"This season, for the first time ever, the artists that we saved in the Battles are going to compete in a four-way Knockout for America's votes," John explained.

"We're used to America voting, but not this early, so it's exciting to see what they decide."

John's saved team member, Nelson Cade III, a 27-year-old from Anaheim, CA, sang "Best Part" by Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R.

Blake's saved team member, Todd Michael Hall, a 50-year-old from Saginaw, MI, performed "Somebody To Love" by OneRepublic.

Kelly's saved artist, Samantha Howell, a 19-year-old from Virginia Beach, VA, belted out "Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson.

And Nick's saved team member, Michael Williams, an 18-year-old from Mason, OH, took the stage with "You Are the Reason" by Calum Scott.

Voting opened on NBC.com and The Voice official app for home viewers once the four artists began singing one by one.

Blake said Michael Todd's range is "stupid" good and he'd probably "blow up" the upcoming performance shows if he makes it that far. John said he watched Nelson share his powerful gift with the world and he'd love to continue working with the artist.

Nick gushed of Michael, "I'm coming out of my skin right now because that was the best you ever sounded. It was so perfect, and you have to continue on this competition. America, I beg of you to vote Michael through to the next round because he's a force."

But Kelly was inspired by Samantha's tone and said the artist showed America what she's capable of doing.

The voting took place over night, and host Carson Daly said the winner will be revealed at the start of the first performance show for Season 18.

Next Monday night's broadcast of The Voice, however, will be a special behind-the-scenes episodes of the coaches at work on the show on NBC.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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