Season 23 of ‘The Voice’ debuts tonight (3/6/23): Everything you need to know

Season 23 of NBC’s “The Voice” debuts tonight, Monday, March 6, 2023.

This will be longtime coach Blake Shelton’s last season. Kelly Clarkson returns as a coach and is joined by newcomers Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan.

“The Voice” airs 8-10 p.m. Monday and 9-10 p.m. Tuesday, March 7.

LIVE STREAM: NBC on Peacock, fuboTV (free trial) and Sling

“The Voice” has five stages of competition – Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and Live Performance Shows.

Here is everything you need to know about season 23:

Blind Auditions

The Blind Auditions start tonight. The coaches can hear the singers but not see them. If a coach likes the sound of the singer, he or she pushes a button that rotates their big red chair to face the artist. That also means the coach is choosing that artist for their team.

If more than one coach pushes the button, then the artist must decide who they will select as their coach. Coaches at this time will use anything and everything to convince the artist to join their team.

If none of the coaches push the button, the artist is eliminated.

Coaches also can block each other but they can only use the block once during Blind Auditions.

Battle Rounds (start March 27)

Once the teams are determined, the Battle Rounds begin. The coaches develop their artists and give them advice. At this point, coaches will have two of their own team members compete against each other singing the song. The coach chooses who will move on to the next round.

NBC said that during the Battle Rounds, there is a new “Playoff Pass.” The Playoff Pass allows “both artists in a battle to advance while the Playoff Pass winner gets a huge advantage by skipping the Knockout Rounds and advancing straight to Playoffs, taking them one step closer to Lives.”

Each of the four coaches get one Playoff Pass and one steal during the Battle Rounds. The four Playoff Pass singers advance directly to the Playoffs.

An artist that is not selected by their coach can be stolen by another coach.

Knockouts and the Mega Mentor

Artists are again paired against another team but this time they each sing individually.

This is where the Mega Mentor comes in. Legendary country music superstar Reba McEntire will serve as the mentor to give advice to the artists in the Knockouts. McEntire brings Shelton’s career on “The Voice” full circle – she was his battle adviser to Shelton during the show’s first season.

The coaches chose the winner of each knockout. The losing artist can be stolen by another coach. Each coach gets one steal in this round.

Playoffs (start May 1)

In the Playoffs, the there will be 20 artists remaining. Each coach can advance two artists on their team to the live semifinals. There are no steals at this point in the competition.

Live Performances (start May 15)

The Top 8 will compete against each other in real-time. The television audience will vote for their favorites and for the first time – the results will be revealed at the end of the show. The five artists with the most votes will advance to the finale.

In the end, one person will be named “The Voice” and receive a recording contract.

The coaches

Shelton is returning for season 23, which will be his last. The country music singer has been the coach for nine winners on “The Voice,” including last season’s Bryce Leatherwood. Shelton has sold 52 million singles and 13 million albums and received multiple awards from the Academy of Country Music, American Music Awards, Country Music Awards and People’s Choice.

Clarkson has had four winners on the show. She was the winner of the first season of “American Idol” in 2002. Her first season as a coach on “The Voice” was season 14. She was the coach of the season 21 winner, Girl Named Tom, the first group to win. Clarkson was not a coach in season 22 but returned for season 23. Clarkson, who has won three Grammy Awards, has sold more than 25 million albums and 40 million singles. Her multi-Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” is in its fourth season.

Chance the Rapper is in his first season as a coach. The singer, songwriter and producer has won multiple Grammy Awards. NBC said, “Chance made history in 2017 when he became the first artist to win a Grammy for a streaming-only mixtape and collecting a trio of statues for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album for his iconic ‘Coloring Book.’”

Horan, who grew up in Ireland, is a singer and songwriter also in his first season as a coach. NBC said, “In 2017, he made his full-length solo debut with ‘Flicker,’ a platinum-certified and chart-topping album featuring the triple-platinum single ‘Slow Hands.’”

Former coaches Gwen Stefani (Shelton’s wife) and John Legend did not return for season 23. Camila Cabello also was a coach last season.

How to watch

“The Voice” will air 8-10 p.m. on Mondays and 9-10 p.m. on Tuesdays on NBC.

You can watch without cable on Peacock, fuboTV and Sling.

What is Peacock?

Peacock plans start at $4.99 a month for Premium. The Premium Plus plan is $9.99 a month. Some content is available for free although you still need to log in. Peacock includes content from NBC, Bravo and Telemundo, movies, TV shows, originals, sports and news.

What is fuboTV?

FuboTV is a streaming service that offers more than 100 live and on-demand channels and includes cloud DVR. FuboTV has a seven-day free trial. Channels include AMC, E!, HGTV, ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL Network, FS1, MSNBC, Food Network, Great American Living, Magnolia Network, Animal Planet, Bravo, FX, CMT, Comedy Central and Hallmark. The Pro plan is $69.99 a month, Elite is $79.99 a month and Ultimate is $99.99 a month. Add-ons include EPIX, Showtime and Starz.

What is SlingTV?

Sling streaming service is $40 a month for the Orange (31 channels) or Blue (41 channels) Levels. Sling is offering a half-price deal to get the first month for $20. Premium subscribers also can get a month of Showtime, STARZ and EPIX for free. Channels include CMT, Bravo, BET, Comedy Central, A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Discovery+, Hallmark, History, National Geographic, Lifetime, TLC and USA.