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The four-time Emmy Award-winning The Voice returns with the strongest vocalists from across the country invited to compete in the blockbuster vocal competition show's new season.

Rock icon and pop culture phenomenon Gwen Stefani reclaims her red chair alongside superstar coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton as they return for Season 17. Carson Daly returns as host. 

The show's innovative format features five stages of competition: the Blind Auditions, then the Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and, finally, the Live Performance Shows.

During the Blind Auditions, the decisions from the musician coaches are based solely on the artists’ voices and not on looks. The coaches hear the artists perform, but they don't get to see them, thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by the artist's voice, they push a button to select the artist for their team. At this point, the coach's chair will swivel so that they can face the artist they've selected. If more than one coach pushes their button, the power then shifts to the artist to choose which coach they want to work with. If no coach pushes their button, that artist is eliminated from the competition. 

Also returning this season is the "block," which adds another layer of excitement during the Blind Auditions. The coaches’ chairs each have an extra set of buttons with the other three coaches' names. The block button prevents a coach from adding a new artist to their team. The coaches can only use their block buttons on one artist for the entire first round of the competition. When a coach hits the block button with the name of the other three coaches, the coach who hit it automatically turns around. The "blocked" coach only discovers they are blocked if they press their button. The blocked coach's chair will still turn; however, instead of their lane lighting up with their name, it says "BLOCKED." If the coach doesn't press their button, the block is still available for another audition.

Once the teams are set, the battle is on. The coaches dedicate themselves to developing their teams of artists, giving them advice and sharing the secrets of their success, along with help from their celebrity advisers. The coaches enlist music industry heavyweights to prepare their artists for the Battle Rounds. 

During the Battle Rounds, the coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together in front of a studio audience. After the vocal battle, the coach must choose which of their singers will advance to the next round of competition. The losing artist is available to be stolen by another coach, or for the first time, available to be saved by their own coach. Each coach has one save and one steal available during the Battle Rounds. 

At the end of the Battle Rounds, only the strongest members of each coach's roster remain and proceed to the Knockouts. Here, the artists will be pitted against a teammate once more, but this time they will select their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitor watches and waits. They are vying for their coach's confidence and decision to take them to the final and crucial round before the Live Shows, the Playoffs.

One superstar mega-mentor will be on hand to work with all the coaches and their teams as they prepare the artists for this challenge. But the coaches alone will choose the winner, and the artist not selected will be available to be stolen by another coach. This season each coach will only have one steal in the Knockouts, making the stakes higher than ever. 

In the live Playoffs, the Top 20 artists will compete to secure a spot in the Live Shows. Each team has five artists left. Artists will perform, and the top two vote-earners on each team will automatically advance. Each coach will then have to select one of their remaining artists to complete their roster and move on to the final phase of the competition: the Live Shows.

In the live performance phase of the competition, the top artists will compete each week against each other during a live broadcast. The television audience will vote to save their favorite artists. The artists with the lowest number of votes will be eligible for the "Instant Save." These artists will each perform a new song that represents why they should earn the save. America will then have the opportunity to save their favorite performer by voting on The Voice Official 
App or NBC.com. The singers with the lowest number of votes will be sent home each week. In the end, one will be named The Voice and will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.

The Voice is a presentation of MGM Television, Talpa Media USA Inc. and Warner Horizon Unscripted & Alternative Television. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson and Stijn Bakkers.