'The Voice': Team Blake's Adam Whalen Drops Out Before Battle Round Performance, Neil Salsich Performs Solo

An ongoing bond. Kelly Clarkson and Reba shared a sweet moment after reuniting on season 23 of The Voice.

Reba McEntire is 's season 23 Mega Mentor, and she brought all the emotions as the Knockout Rounds kicked off on Monday.The country music legend — back again after mentoring Team Blake in the competition show's very first season back in 2011 — joined coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper and their teams to help bring some big feelings, onstage and off.It was a Team Blake singer who first brought Reba to tears, as Kylee Dayne wowed the star with her powerhouse rendition of Celine Dion's version of «All by Myself.»«You really touched my heart,» Reba told Kylee after her rehearsal. «That's the biggest thing, is to capture somebody in the audience, to where they're sobbing, or laughing.

Blake Shelton's last season on, and he's taking it back to where it all began!The Knockout Rounds kicked off on Monday's all-new episode, and the season 23 Mega Mentor, Reba McEntire, was on hand to complete a full-circle moment for Blake. Reba was the Team Blake mentor on the very first season of, back in April 2011 — and 12 years later, she's back again and happy to help out her old pal.«You brought me into this, and now you're taking me out,» Blake teased as the pair kicked off the episode.However, in a rare moment of honest nostalgia, the country star shared what their relationship has meant to him throughout the years, revealing, «Reba was the person that I looked to the most as I was trying to make it in country music.»As for Reba, she was thrilled to be back helping the coaches with their teams and offering tips to the singers who can only hope to have a career half as legendary as her own.«It's always fun to give advice,» she shared, «because I study people when they perform, and I wanna be touched when they're singing to me.»Later in the show, Blake and Reba watched some flashback footage from season 1, recalling the artists they worked with and marveling at how long it's been since the early episodes.«Look at us, we look like babies!» Reba exclaimed.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 Clarkson shared.

Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper are honing their teams on season 23 of !The Knockout Rounds this week, as each coach sought to trim down their team roster after impressive duets — with the help of Mega Mentor Reba McEntire — 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.

Kelly Clarkson has a tough call to make as the Knockout Rounds kick off Monday on !In a sneak peek shared on Friday, the coach tees up the first Knockout performances of season 23, pitting Cait Martin and Kala Banham against one another for the chance to represent Team Kelly in the live playoffs.Cait takes on a tall task, performing Whitney Houston's «All the Man That I Need,» while Kala delivers an emotional rendition of The Goo Goo Dolls' «Iris» that leaves their coach dreading the decision she has to make.«I'm so angry, you both did such a great job!» Kelly bemoans, hiding behind her hands.«I'll throw in my two cents, which is not going to matter to Kelly,» Blake Shelton begins, saying that he heard some sharp notes in Cait's performance, and praising Kala's «passionate performance.»Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper both praise Cait for tackling a Whitney song, and while Niall is leaning toward Kala, Chance insists, «I just wanna emphasize that Cait just smashed that. That was spot-on Whitney.

Bowing out. After impressing the coaches — and the viewers at home — Alex Whalen, Cody Ray Raymond and more contestants on The Voice have exited the competition series over the years.

Alex Whalen has left the building!

Another abrupt singing competition exit. Musician Alex Whalen has left season 23 of The Voice due to “personal reasons.”

— and Niall Horan's team had more than a few surprises up their sleeves!The rookie coach's first pairing of the night was Jerome Godwin III and Talia Smith, who took the stage with a soulful rendition of Sam Smith's «Like I Can.» The coaches praised Jerome for stepping up to the moment while marveling at Talia's range throughout the complex track.Niall agonized over his decision, but ultimately decided to name Jerome the winner of the battle, who will be moving on to the season 23 Knockout Rounds — which kick off next week.Talia was nothing but gracious in defeat, and even shared some happy news of her own before she went home.«This whole journey started with a sad story and now I'm standing here and my life has changed, so I'm just grateful,» she told the coaches and the crowd. «Thank you for the opportunity, I'm just happy to be here.»Rubbing her belly, she added, «I want my future baby to look onstage and be like, 'That was my mommy!'»The news dropped Kelly Clarkson's jaw. «Did she just say baby?» she asked Niall, who immediately got up to hug his former team member.

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.

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 loving the new coaches on season 23 of — but she definitely has a favorite!The talk show host has returned to her usual seat on the coaches' panel this season, though she's got a new neighbor in first-time coach Chance the Rapper. The pair has already bonded over their love for Joni Mitchell, and on Tuesday, Chance had Kelly nearly falling out of her chair with laughter.While his fellow coaches had nothing but praise for the Team Niall pairing of Laura Littleton and Ross Clayton — who took the stage with a rocking performance of the Steve Nicks-Tom Petty duet «Stop Draggin' My Heart Around» — Chance said that while the «performance was awesome,» he admittedly had never heard the song before.«Honestly, I don't even think I've ever even been around while that song was playing,» he added with a laugh.

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.

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.