Kelly Clarkson apologizes for one of the 'meanest' moves ever on The Voice after using Playoff Pass
Tonight kicked off the second (and final) week of The Voice season 23 Battles (it went fast this season, no?). While things may be winding down, the episode was a great reminder of why the Battles just might be the best round of the series. The duet format pushes artists in new — and sometimes perspective-changing — ways while also providing us with some great covers.
This was certainly the case here. First of all, the middle of the episode is brimming with some standout all-female duets, especially Team Niall's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" duet with Kate Cosentino (the winner) and Tiana Goss (who got stolen by Chance the Rapper), which is a fun and quirky entry to the proceedings. And there's Team Chance's duet between Nariyella and Chloe Abbott on Snoh Aalegra's "I Want You Around," which Kelly Clarkson dubs "one of [her] favorite battles." But the episode is also book-ended by some headline-making performances — the final two Playoff Passes are doled out.
Trae Patton/NBC Kelly Clarkson uses her Playoff Pass on 'The Voice'
The episode kicked off with Team Kelly's ALI and D. Smooth, who Coach Clarkson paired together because they are "the most soulful on [her] team." Even in rehearsals, their version of Allen Stone's "Unaware" brought Kelly to tears. "I'm still wiping up on aisle five," she says before giving them some game-changing notes on the bridge of the song. Their performance earns a standing ovation from their own coach, as well as Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper. Blake Shelton notes that he's going to miss (he's leaving the show, have you heard?) the fact that he has "a front row seat to some of the best concerts anyone's ever seen" and tells ALI and D. Smooth that "that was one of them right there," before telling Kelly that he'd pick D. Smooth to win this one. Kelly calls both of her artists "world-class singers" but knows she has to make some sort of decision here. She declares ALI as the winner of the Battle. That's where things get interesting.
As D. Smooth begins thanking everyone for his time on the show, Chance the Rapper presses his button — he wants to steal him for Team Chance. But before Chance can even get a full sentence out, Kelly asks if she can "say something real quickly" — she's using her Playoff Pass. If you were paying attention when the Playoff Pass was first introduced last week, you might remember a passing sentence or two about how the Playoff Pass overrides the Steal. That means D. Smooth is sticking around on Team Kelly. "I kind of feel bad, because you might want to work with him but I just don't care, man," Kelly tells her artist half-jokingly. She was never letting this singer, who she calls one of her favorite artists she's ever had on Team Kelly, head off to another team. She thinks D. Smooth can go all the way. Blake even says that the move was "one of the meanest things [he's] ever seen."
NBC Kelly Clarkson on 'The Voice'
But that's not the only Playoff Pass of the evening. Niall Horan is the only coach with one of those golden tickets left by the end of the night, and wouldn't you know it, he gets the final Battle spot, with two artists that he's been dreading having to decide between. Niall pits four-chair turn teen Ryley Tate Wilson up against one-chair turn Michael B. and gives two of his more soulful singers Giveon's achingly sad "Heartbreak Anniversary." By the end of the performance, all of the coaches are impressed and Blake, Kelly, and Chance all seem to be in agreement that they really botched things when they didn't turn for Michael B. in the Blind Auditions. "You two should be in the finale," Kelly tells both singers. There are riffs and runs and great harmonies all over the place. In the end, Niall decides to hand the W to Michael B, but you know exactly what's coming. There's no way Niall's going to let a 15-year-old that good get away: Ryley Tate Wilson gets Team Niall's Playoff Pass. We have yet to see if skipping a round will help or hinder an artist (there's a whole "out of sight, out of mind" aspect that could come into play), but as it stands, four pretty great artists will be sitting and waiting to see which of their teammates will be joining them in the Playoff round.
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