Blake Shelton & Kelly Clarkson Go Head-To-Head on Season 14 ‘The Voice’ Premiere

Fans tuning in to NBC’s The Voice were treated to an all out battle between coaches when the season 14 premiere kicked off on Monday night (2/27). While veteran coaches Blake Shelton and Adam Levine were at each others throats fighting for the best singers, returning coach Alicia Keys and newcomer Kelly Clarkson didn’t let the boys get away with anything.

In an attempt to steal away country contestants from Shelton, the other three coaches decided to band together to use their “block” button, a new element added to the competition. During the blind auditions, coaches can block their peers from getting a contestant by simply pressing a button located on their red chair.

This move came in handy when singer Justin Kilgore stepped out on stage. Kilgore earned a four-chair turn, but unfortunately for Shelton, he was blocked by Keys in an attempt for another coach to finally earn a country performer. After concluding his performance of Chris Young’s “Tomorrow,” the Texas native had to choose between the remaining three coaches, each of whom celebrated Shelton’s dismissal. In the end, however, Kilgore chose Clarkson to be his mentor throughout the competition.

While Shelton may have missed out on having Kilgore join his team, he did round up a handful of incredible hopefuls.

Nashville resident Kyla Jade has spent much of her career as a backup singer, having recorded with Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, among others. Most recently, she’s been touring with Jennifer Hudson and even performed on The Voice stage during the season 13 finale. After many years of being in the back, Jade decided to take a step into the spotlight and follow her hopes of one day becoming a headliner.

Performing Aretha Franklin’s “See Saw,” she immediately connected with powerhouse Clarkson, but cited her work with Wynonna as to why she had to choose Shelton.

Finally, Shelton earned himself a country hopeful when he landed Kaleb Lee on his team. Lee performed a countri-fied version of Kenny Chesney’s “Never Wanted Nothing More,” laying hard on the banjo for his song. The Florida native won fans over with his story of growing up without a father. Imagining another child having to go through the same hardships he went through, he and his wife decided to adopt a son just years after their two daughters were born.

After singing, his family joined him onstage to witness the battle between Clarkson and Shelton for his spot on their team. While Clarkson tried to woo him with a serenade of her Jason Aldean-duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” it was his children’s love for Shelton that made his choice.

Fans can catch season 14 of The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.