The Voice 28 kicks off Battles Round with new twist and star advisors Lizzo, Nick Jonas, Kelsea Ballerini, and Lewis Capaldi

The Voice Season 28 continued on October 13, 2025, with the start of the Battles round in the episode titled “The Battles Premiere.”

For the first time in the show’s history, artists were allowed to choose their own duet partners, while their coaches selected the songs.

The four teams, led by Michael Bublé, Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, and Snoop Dogg, returned after the Blind Auditions with 12 artists each.

To guide them through the Battles, the coaches were joined by star advisors, Lizzo for Team Snoop, Nick Jonas for Team Reba, Kelsea Ballerini for Team Bublé, and Lewis Capaldi for Team Niall.

The new twist added a strategic layer for contestants, as they had to pick partners whose strengths complemented their own.

Coaches still had the power to decide who moved forward, and the Steal and Save rules remained active. These allowed each coach to steal one artist from another team and save one of their own from elimination.

The episode featured multiple duets that balanced teamwork with competition, as the singers aimed to stand out while blending well with their partners.

Battles and performances in The Voice

The night began with Team Snoop, where Natalia Albertini and Yoshihanaa performed “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Carole King.

Advisor Lizzo encouraged both artists to push beyond their comfort zones, saying,

“When you’re born with something and it comes easy, sometimes we don’t push, but we’re on The Voice — you gotta push for it.”

After their performance, all four coaches praised the duet. Niall Horan called it “a proper, old-school Voice battle,” while Reba noted Natalia’s range. Snoop Dogg, visibly moved, said,

“Y’all made me shed a tear … my heart is broke because I can only keep one of y’all.”

He chose Yoshihanaa as the winner but used his save to keep Natalia in the competition.

Team Reba followed with Aaron Nichols and Daron Lameek, who sang “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” by Elvin Bishop. Advisor Nick Jonas suggested they build toward a powerful ending, saying,

“We need a bigger vocal moment there.”

After their performance, the coaches noted that Aaron Nichols and Daron Lameek had very different voices but worked well together.

Reba McEntire compared their duet to a perfect pairing, saying they were like “peanut butter and jelly,” meaning their styles blended well despite being different.

She chose Aaron Nichols as the winner, and Daron Lameek was sent home.

On Team Bublé, Jazz McKenzie and Trinity performed “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai. Advisor Kelsea Ballerini encouraged them to enjoy the experience and stay present on stage. The duet received positive comments from all four coaches.

Michael Bublé mentioned that the performance seemed effortless for Trinity and praised Jazz for her strong and distinctive voice. He selected Jazz McKenzie as the winner and used his save to keep Trinity on his team, even though other coaches tried to steal her.

Team Niall closed out the episode’s featured performances with Dustin Dale Gaspard and Revel Day singing “Too Sweet” by Hozier. Advisor Lewis Capaldi told them,

Updated teams and results in The Voice

The episode ended with team updates reflecting steals, saves, and eliminations.

On Team Bublé, Rob Cole defeated Austin Gilbert with their performance of “Honey Bee” by Blake Shelton, but Reba used her Steal to bring Austin onto her team.

Snoop’s team gained Kenny Iko as the winner of his battle with Kanard Thomas, while Frankenstein continued to gain buzz elsewhere in the night’s entertainment news coverage.

After all decisions were made, the updated lineups were as follows:

• Team Bublé: Jazz McKenzie, Rob Cole, Trinity, Aarik Duncan, Carly Harvey, and others.

• Team Reba: Aaron Nichols, Austin Gilbert, Aubrey Nicole, and Manny Costello among others.

• Team Niall: Dustin Dale Gaspard, Aiden Ross, and Liam von Elbe.

• Team Snoop: Yoshihanaa, Natalia Albertini, and Kenny Iko.

The Battles will continue in the next episode as each coach works to build a strong group for the Knockouts.
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Stay tuned for more updates.