The Voice Season 30 Starts Battles and Changes Format

The Voice Season 30 entered its Battle Rounds on Monday, Oct. 12, as NBC began the next stage of the singing competition with coaches Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah and Riley Green selecting winners from team matchups.

According to syracuse.com and cleveland.com, the two-hour Battles Premiere aired at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with the second battle episode scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13. Episodes are also available the following day on Peacock.

The Battle Rounds pair artists from the same team in duet performances, with coaches choosing who advances. Each coach has one steal to save an eliminated artist from another team, according to cleveland.com.

The season introduces Cut Week after the Battles instead of the traditional Knockout Round. Yahoo reported that the show will feature a new elimination stage described as "the biggest elimination in Voice history."

During Cut Week, each coach will have seven artists, including six Battle winners and one stolen contestant. Coaches will send two artists from each team directly to the Live Shows, while the remaining performers compete for additional spots before viewers select the final contestant for the Top 13.

Executive producer Audrey Morrissey explained the Live Shows voting change to TV Insider, saying the competition will use same-night audience decisions rather than a separate results episode.

"It's real-time voting," said Audrey Morrissey, executive producer.

The Live Shows will air once weekly on Mondays for two hours, according to Yahoo. The format change means eliminations will happen during the performance episode instead of on a following Tuesday results show.

NBC's partnership with the NBA will also affect the schedule, with The Voice moving to Monday-only episodes beginning Oct. 20, according to Yahoo.

The Battles feature advisors who help contestants prepare, including Patti LaBelle for Team Queen, Carly Pearce for Team Riley, Alex Warren for Team Adam and Ariana DeBose for Team Kelly, according to syracuse.com and cleveland.com.

The first Battle was shown at the end of the Oct. 6 episode, when Riley Green paired Brandy Neelly against Ferryn & Brinkley. Ferryn & Brinkley advanced after performing Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart," while Neelly was eliminated without being stolen, according to cleveland.com.