'The Voice': Season 23's First Battle Between Sorelle and Manasseh Simone Leaves the Coaches Stunned

Alex Whalen has left the building!

Blake Shelton hit his first major stumbling block on season 23 of on Tuesday, when one of his team members had to drop out of the competition.Host Carson Daly first made the announcement during the final night of the Battle Rounds, sharing with the crowd, «Team Blake's Alex Whalen could not be with us tonight, so in this case, his Battle partner will be singing solo.»That left Neil Salsich onstage by himself, but it didn't seem to faze him. He impressed Blake and fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper with his energetic rendition of Marvin Gaye's «I Heard It Through the Grapevine.»«Alex had personal reasons that he had to bow out of the competition,» Blake shared.

Blake Shelton is leaving this year after 23 seasons on the singing competition — but he'll always have his memories with his best frenemy, Adam Levine.Blake gave the former coach a teasing shout-out during Tuesday's Battle Rounds when a contestant was faced with a unique situation. Neil Salsich had to perform his Battle solo, after Team Blake competitor Adam Whalen dropped out of the competition for personal reasons.«I told him backstage, if you lose this Battle, it will be the worst fail in history,» Blake said of his advice for Neil before his solo performance.

on the “American Idol” winner’s daytime talk show. Damon then explained how he set up a super-intense group in which players compete in Wordle, Quordle and Octordle, before combining their scores.“So there’s Octordle, which is the eight words, and then Quordle, which is the four words, and then Wordle, which is the one. So we play all three and you add up your score,” the “Bourne Identity” actor enthused.

Kelly Clarkson is in her ninth season of coaching  — but she's still able to be surprised by her team's incredible performances!The returning coach paired up Katie Beth Forakis and Holly Brand for Monday's Battle Round performance — and immediately knew she had something special on her hands.«This is my favorite rehearsal I think I've ever experienced on,» she told the cameras, before emotionally explaining to the singers how she picked their Battle song, Ingrid Andress' «Lady Like.»«I love this song,» Kelly shared. «I love the idea of powerful women singing a powerful message. I think it's undeniably cool.»The pair took the stage with their rendition of the song, a soaring duet that had their coach reaching for the tissues.

has been all about Blake Shelton.As the country star prepares to hang it up after 23 seasons on the singing competition, the show has been looking back at all the singers, celebrity mentors and advisors that he's worked with over the years.And, of course, Blake's been milking the nostalgia for all it's worth, making fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper roll their eyes every time he tries to sway a singer to his last-ever Team Blake.On Tuesday's show, Blake shared what he'll miss most about the show — following a stunning performance of  Allen Stone's «Unaware» by Team Kelly singers ALI and D. Smooth.«That was just great music,» he praised.

coaches, but on Monday, Niall Horan might be ready to throw in the towel!The rookie coach dooms himself in a new sneak peek at a Team Niall Battle between Michael B. and Ryley Tate Wilson, who take the stage with a stunning rendition of Giveon's «Heartbreak Anniversary» that blows all four coaches away.«That was one of the best performances we've seen in the Battle Rounds,» Chance the Rapper praises. «Michael, I don't know how you weren't a four-chair turn,» Kelly Clarkson marvels, to which Blake Shelton replies, «I don't think I was here that day.»However, when it comes to their coach, who has to pick a winner and loser of the Battle — or will he use his Playoff Pass? — Niall is hurting.«If they ask me to come back, I'm not coming back,» he laments.

One last spin! Blake Shelton shocked fans of The Voice — and his fellow coaches — after announcing that season 23 would be his last.

coaches, but on Monday, Niall Horan might be ready to throw in the towel!The rookie coach dooms himself in a new sneak peek at a Team Niall Battle between Michael B. and Ryley Tate Wilson, who take the stage with a stunning rendition of Giveon's «Heartbreak Anniversary» that blows all four coaches away.«That was one of the best performances we've seen in the Battle Rounds,» Chance the Rapper praises. «Michael, I don't know how you weren't a four-chair turn,» Kelly Clarkson marvels, to which Blake Shelton replies, «I don't think I was here that day.»However, when it comes to their coach, who has to pick a winner and loser of the Battle — or will he use his Playoff Pass? — Niall is hurting.«If they ask me to come back, I'm not coming back,» he laments.

Kelly Clarkson is back on, but she's also gearing up to share her own!The singer and talk show host announced this week that her new album,, is coming out «soon.» Apart from Kelly's holiday album,  in 2021 and 2022's  EP, she has not put out an album of all-new material since 2017's .So, will fans get to hear some of the new music first?«My hope is that yes, we are going to be debuting some new stuff on ,» she shared backstage at the singing competition this week. «I've been working on the record for a bit, but I'm now ready to release it.»Kelly's album release will also coincide with her upcoming Vegas residency of the same name. On Monday, she announced a limited, 10-show residency at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, which opens Friday, July 28.But for now, she's thrilled to be back and celebrating the final season of her best on-screen frenemy, Blake Shelton.

Blake Shelton has a tough call on Tuesday's !It's night two of the Battle Rounds, and in NBC's sneak peek, fans get a look at a Team Blake pairing that leaves their coach «dreading» the decision he has to make.The country star teams up two of his youngest team members, Kylee Dayne and Mary Kate Conner, for a cover of Taylor Swift's «Anti-Hero» that impresses all four of the coaches.«It's not easy to come out and sing a current song that's huge,» Niall Horan marvels, calling the Battle one of his favorites so far. «You've made it completely your own.»«It seems like y'all grew up together, it was so in sync,» Chance the Rapper agrees.Kelly Clarkson praises Mary Kate's passion, and tells Kylee that she has «this thing that all singers get jealous of.

Niall Horan has officially coached his first Battle on season 23 of — and it was a doozy!The Battle Rounds kicked off on Monday, and Team Niall immediately had an emotional pairing that left the coaches all in their feels. The rookie coach matched up young performers Gina Miles and Kala Banham on a cover of Bon Iver's «Skinny Love» that brought tears to Kelly Clarkson's eyes almost immediately.Kelly praised both singers' impressive tone, but admitted she was «gravitating» toward Kala — in part, because Niall blocked her from landing the singer during the Blind Auditions.«I love your voice,» she praised.

 -- and that means the introduction of the franchise's first-ever Playoff Pass!The Battles kicked off Monday night, and Chance the Rapper faced some tough decisions with his very first pairings. This season, the coaches don't have Saves during the Battle Rounds, rather, each coach has one Playoff Pass apiece, which allows them to send a singer — one who they do not pick as the winner of their Battle — past the Knockout Round and straight to the live shows.Chance's second Battle of the night was an interesting group, as he pitted Manasseh Samone against sister trio Sorelle on Adele's «Someone Like You» — but it turns out the first-time coach has more than few tricks up his sleeve.From start to finish, the coaches are blown away by the entire collaboration, from Manasseh's impressive runs to Sorelle's super-tight, pitch-perfect harmonies.«No one's heard that song like that,» Kelly Clarkson marvels, the first of the coaches to praise Chance's impressive vocal arrangement.

Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper are honing their teams on season 23 of !The Battle Rounds kicked off this week, as each coach sought to trim down their team roster after impressive duets — leaving plenty of talent to take them all the way to the finale.From powerful soul singers to old-school country crooners, to talented young stars, this season has a little bit of everything, and the coaches are ready to do battle to make sure the best performers get to make their mark on  stage.ET spoke with the season 23 coaches ahead of the premiere, who all shared how excited they were to be on the show for Blake's final season.«I texted him,» Kelly shared. «If he was gonna do a last season, I wanted to make sure I was there.»However, the talk show host insisted that she won't be letting nostalgia affect her competitive nature.«If [Blake] wins, I am very happy for him, because that is super cool to win on the last season and he's literally the show, from its conception,» she conceded.

Blake Shelton said he wasn't going to get emotional about his last season of — but he surprised even himself by getting «shook up» over the last night of Blind Auditions.Tuesday's episode of the NBC singing competition was the final night of the Blinds, which meant it was time for Blake to press his button one last time and select Team Blake's final performer.And it was a serendipitous selection, as 19-year-old Grace West took the stage with a perfect rendition of Pam Tillis' «Maybe It Was Memphis» that had both Blake and his doppelganger for the night, Niall Horan, turning their chairs for the impressive performance.Grace's decision seemed to be an easy one from the beginning, with even Blake's best frenemy, Kelly Clarkson, throwing down a super-rare endorsement of The Cowboy.«He’s the guy that really does help artists out,» she admitted. «That is my gift to Blake Shelton!»And it did pay off, as Grace became the last-ever singer to join Team Blake, which made the country star more emotional than he expected.«I gotta tell you, I’m sitting here talking about Grace right now, but my heart swells up, thinking about my journey on this show,” Blake told the cameras backstage after the selection.

Blake Shelton and Niall Horan's bromance may have ended on Monday's episode of The pair have been tight all season as Niall joined the show as a first-time coach and Blake prepares to sign off after his last season on the NBC singing competition — even joking about their «father-son» dynamic — but that all changed during the latest round of Blind Auditions.Niall was going up against Kelly Clarkson for soft-spoken but mega-talented singer Gina Miles, when Blake passed him a note written on his notepad.«Kelly can't coach nerves, she admits it,» Niall read aloud, but that was a major faux pas for Shelton.«I am never helping you again!» he exclaimed. «I wrote [that] down on the pad in privacy.»«I don't know if in Ireland it's common practice to be passed a note about somebody and then read the note aloud to the person,» he added to the cameras, shaking his head.Later, backstage, Blake told Chance the Rapper that he was his new heir apparent. «Forget him, remember you,» he joked with the rapper. A SHOCKING amount of talent is coming from Gina Miles pic.twitter.com/juPsWpSj4nET spoke with the season 23 coaches ahead of the premiere, who all shared how excited they were to be on the show for The Cowboy's last go-round.«I texted him,» Kelly shared.

Niall Horan visited the White House for Saint Patrick’s Day, taking the time to celebrate the occasion with President Joe Biden.Horan was at the White House for a Saint Patrick’s Day performance on March 17, later sharing a Reel of himself with the president on his Instagram. In the video, Horan sends his well-wishes to his fans for the occasion before panning over to Biden, who puts and arm over Horan and proclaims, “I’m glad he’s here.”Horan’s performance was teased a day prior by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, with Horan retweeting the announcement with the caption: “It’s an honour to be invited and represent my country.

Niall Horan gave a flawless performance as part of the White House’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, admitting to the crowd of dignitaries that he was nervous and “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”

, you might need a little help when it comes to picking your coach!Such is the case for Cait Martin in a new sneak peek at Monday's season 23 Blind Auditions, which NBC shared on Friday. Cait wows all four coaches with her stripped-down, soulful performance of Harry Styles' «As It Was,» earning chair turns from Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton.«I knew you were gonna go big and powerful, but I didn't know how big your range was,» Kelly marvels.

Scroll To See More Images