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The Block Button is a relatively new change to the NBC singing competition show The Voice, with the judges only being able to use the button since the start of season 14.
The idea for the block button is that it prevents a coach from being able to add a new artist to their team. When any coach hits that block button with the name of one of the other three coaches on it, that coach gets to turn around, and the “Blocked” coach only knows that they’re blocked if they press their own button. It has made the audition process slightly more confusing for viewers, though.
The Voice coaches for this season are Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton and first-time coach Nick Jonas who replaced previous Voice coach Gwen Stefani.
How Exactly Does the Block Work on ‘The Voice’ Season 18?
The block button allows one coach to prevent one other coach from adding a contestant to their team. Now, the coach who has been blocked can only tell they’ve been blocked if they hit the button to turn around during a blind audition. If they do not choose to hit their button, then the block doesn’t count.
As an example, in the season 18 premiere of the show, John used his “Block Nick” button on the second contestant of the night. Nick was able to turn around, like all the other judges did, but he was not able to fight for the contestant to join his team. The contestant joined John’s team.
When the block button was first introduced to the show in 2018, executive producer Audrey Morrison said they felt they needed something more defensive since the show is a competition.
“We haven’t ever really had a defensive move or an offensive-defensive move, so we came up with the block. It really sort of speaks to the competition,” she said. “You have to do it based on voice alone, so we really kept the sanctity of the blind audition with that.”
What Are the Block Button Rules?
During the blind auditions, each coach only gets one block. That means that John Legend can’t use another block during round one.
Another notable new rule is that of the “save” button. Each coach gets one save during each knockout round where they will be able to save an artist who was just eliminated. All four saved contestants will then compete with one another to see which one gets another chance on the competition.
One last important addition is the “steal” rule. Each coach is able to steal twice during the Battle Rounds, and then they are each able to use one steal during the Knockout rounds.
First up on the season is the Blind Audition round, where coaches are able to use their blocks and convince contestants to join their team. Then, the Battle Rounds start. In that round, coaches are able to pit two of their own team members against each other, deciding which contestant will advance at that time. This is when the coaches are able to use their steal button, they can steal one of the contestants not chosen by their coach.
After the Battle Rounds, the Knockout rounds will begin. Each contestant is again paired against a teammate followed by their coach determining which contestant is the winner; they can still use the steal rule, and this is also when the save comes into play.
During the next round, the playoffs, each of the 24 artists compete against one another for a chance to advance to the live performance shows. Each contestant chooses their own song and goes up against one another individually. The top two vote-earners on each team advance. Each coach also selects one member of their own team to advance.
Finally, the live shows start. During the final rounds, the top 12 competitors go up against one another each week during a live broadcast and the audience votes for their favorites. The three singers who receive the least amount of votes are then able to compete in the “Instant Save” round where they have one more chance to perform a song. Then, viewers vote by tweeting #VoiceSave and the competitor’s name. This round lasts for 10 episodes, 5 weeks total.
Tune in to The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST/PST on NBC.
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