‘The Voice’ Season 29: New rule changes spark concern among the coaches.

‘The Voice’ Coaches Tease Season 29 Format Change and New Voting Details

‘The Voice’ Season 29 Coaches Explain Why They’re ‘Nervous’ About Major Format Change

Preview

Art Streiber/NBC

What To Know

The Voice will have in-house voting for the first time in Season 29, with super fans and former contestants deciding who will win the show.
Coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Adam Levine admitted they’re nervous about the change.
The coaches also teased the new All-Star Showdown round, in which they’ll bring back past contestants to win an advantage.

The Voice returns on Monday, February 23, for a sure-to-be epic 29th season, which is being branded as a Battle of Champions. For the first time ever, all the celebrity coaches on the show — Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend — are former winners (Clarkson’s won four times, Levine three, and Legend once).

With a shortened schedule this season due to NBC adding the NBA back to its primetime lineup, there are going to be some big changes in the competition. One of those is that there will be no more live shows where America can vote for their favorite singers. Instead, the decisions in the Semifinals (Top 9) and Finals (Top 4) will be made by an in-house audience of super fans and former contestants.

“It is cool to kind of get the live feedback,” Clarkson said in a roundtable interview with TV Insider and other media outlets. “It’s different on TV than when you’re in the room, which I tell my mother every time because she doesn’t understand a lot of my decisions. I have to tell her the energy in the room is different, it sounds different. It’s a different thing when you watch someone live and you’re listening to them on a record. So I’m excited about that, but I’m also nervous about that.”

Legend pointed out that he and his fellow coaches “have no idea how it’s going to play out” with the voting happening in person. Meanwhile, Levine agreed with Clarkson, adding, “It doesn’t sound or feel the same when you’re at home. As we all know as artists and singers, it doesn’t sound quite as good. When you’re in the room, nothing replaces that.”

Clarkson reiterated that this season is going to be “tricky” because of the unknowns that will come with in-house voting. “That, I think, is going to change everything,” she admitted. Legend referred to the new addition as a “scientific experiment” that they’ll be “figuring out how [it] goes.”

Another new addition for Season 29 is the All-Star Showdown, during which the coaches will bring back some of their former artists to help them try and win an advantage in the competition. Each coach will have two past contestants compete in sing-offs, and whichever coach has the most sing-off wins will get an extra artist in the Finals. Original coach CeeLo Green will return to judge the sing-offs.

Levine revealed that his returnees are champions Jordan Smith and Season 1 winner Javier Colon. Clarkson is bringing back two winners, as well: Girl Named Tom and Jake Hoot. Legend’s past winner, Maelyn Jarmon, will also return, along with Renzo, who finished Season 27 in third place.

The Voice, Season 29 Premiere, Monday, February 23, 9/8c, NBC