Kelly Clarkson’s Super Steal Became Her Secret Weapon for the “Best Battle” of The Voice

“I was never letting her go!” The Voice Coach yelled after quickly using her coveted Super Steal.

Well, that was quick! Throughout the Blind Auditions on The Voice: Battle of Champions, Coaches Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and John Legend competed not just for the best Artists but for the best track record getting those Artists. The Coach who won the most Triple Chair Turns was awarded a Super Steal in the Battles, and after a tie-breaker factored in 2-Chair Turns, that special advantage went to Clarkson.

How to Watch

Watch The Voice Mondays at 9/8c on NBC and next day on Peacock.

And the “Breakaway” singer wasted no time using her Super Steal on the first night of Battle performances, except, she didn’t use it to steal anyone! This season, the Coaches don’t have any Saves, meaning that if they let someone go from a Battle, there are no take-backs. But after Team Kelly’s Mikenley Brown and Liv Ciara battled it out on H.E.R.’s “Focus,” Clarkson wasn’t willing send either one home.

After Clarkson told Brown that she’d won the Battle, both Levine and Legend pressed their buttons to (regular) Steal Ciara… and that’s when Clarkson swooped in for the kill. Her Steal was Super, after all, meant to supersede Steals from any other Coaches, so she used it on the boys to steal her own Artist, and Ciara stayed on Team Kelly!

“I had to use my Super Steal on Liv. Liv reminds me of a young Mariah [Carey] when Mariah first hit the scene. At 16 years old, to be able to just float like that with all the range and confidence as a performer is really rare,” Clarkson said before yelling out to Levine and Legend, “I was never letting her go!”

Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown had one of “the best Battle rounds” in Voice history

Liv Ciara, Carson Daly, and Mikenley Brown during The Voice Season 29 Episode 4.

Photo: Griffin Nagel/NBC

For her first Battle of Season 29, Clarkson paired up her two youngest Artists, “pop princesses” Ciara and Brown. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to supervise their rehearsals in-person, but Jennifer Hudson, their Alumni Coach during the Battles, was a more than capable substitute. Advising them to “take it to the next level,” Hudson worked with the girls not just on their musicality but also their “interpretation” of the song.

“Both of you ladies sound like you are on the right track,” Hudson told the pair, adding to the camera, “Liv is a star. She is…16? And she also has a great look as well, so I think she’s a well-rounded package.” She later added, “It is tough with this matchup. Who is the true star? I’m so glad I don’t have to make those decisions. Kelly, good luck, girl.”

Good luck indeed. After the performance, all three Coaches couldn’t stop complimenting the pair.

“That was hot, that was hot, that was hot,” said Legend, continuing, “Y’all were silky smooth with those harmonies.”

Levine declared, “That is not something that happens all the time. In my opinion, in the million seasons I’ve been on this show, that’s the best Battle round I’ve ever heard.”

 Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown during The Voice Season 29 Episode 4.

Photo: Griffin Nagel/NBC

The Voice: Battle of Champions

The Voice Season 29 is shaking things up, premiering on Monday, February 23 at 9/8c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.

Officially titled The Voice: Battle of Champions, Season 29 features the show’s first-ever three-Coach lineup, putting The Voice OGs Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend back in the red chairs for an epic showdown.

The Voice Season 29 will also introduce fresh format updates such as the “Triple Turn Competition” and the “Super Steal.” You also won’t want to miss the exciting return of CeeLoo Green in a totally new role.

Clarkson praised the way they “nailed the individuality”  and “elevated each other instead of competing,” complaining, “This is gonna be really hard you guys. I’m really bummed about having to pick one of you over the other right now. Oh my god, you’re both teenagers, too, this is insane.”

After she chose Brown, the boys pitched themselves, hard, to Ciara, with Legend pointing out that he’d told Clarkson to choose her as the winner, while Levine noting that he, not Legend, turned his chair for her back in the Blinds.

Not that it mattered once Clarkson stole Ciara right back. It was an extra triumphant moment for the 16-year-old, who had previously auditioned for The Voice and gotten zero chair turns. Now she’s headed to the Knockouts!

See what happens next with these two Artists by watching new episodes of The Voice: Battle of Champions on Mondays at 9/8c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.