Blake Shelton’s Heart Was ‘Cracking’ After ‘The Voice’ ‘Anti-Hero’ Battle Round

The Battle Rounds have begun on “The Voice” season 23, and Blake Shelton had a hard choice to make after two of his contestants delivered on a cover of Taylor Swift’s song “Anti-Hero.”

For the Battle Rounds, Shelton paired up his contestants Mary Kate Connor and Kylee Dayne. He chose the song “Anti-Hero” for their battle, though he was “nervous” about that since the song is so big right now.

Both women completely delivered on the song, harmonizing when appropriate, and showing off their vocals. All four coaches, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper, and Blake Shelton, were impressed with the performance.

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Niall Horan Says the Battle Was a ‘Favorite’ for Him

After the performance ended, Niall Horan was particularly impressed with Mary Kate Connor and Kylee Dayne.

“Holy moly!” he shared. “That was easily one of my favorite ones we’ve seen. It’s not easy to come out and sing a current song that’s huge. People have been listening to the Taylor version since it came out, and then you’ve made it completely your own.”

He went on to say that he loved seeing the different parts of Connor and Dayne’s voices throughout the performance. Chance the Rapper was impressed by the harmonies, and Kelly Clarkson said she thought both women have attributes that would make other singers jealous.

“No matter what you sing, it’s always gonna sound special,” she said. “Like, you just have that kind of style about you. … It was so evenly matched, guys.”

Ultimately, Shelton said he “regretted” pairing the women together and that his “heart is cracking,” but he chose to go with Kylee Dayne as the winner, but he gave the newly implemented Playoff Pass to Mary Kate Connor. Fans won’t see her again until the Playoffs, meaning she’ll be skipping the Knockout rounds.

The video has gone viral on TikTok, earning 3.8 million views on the platform and garnering over 30,000 likes on Instagram.

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What Do ‘The Voice’ Teams Look Like Going Into Next Week?

Here’s what each team of “The Voice” season 23 looks like heading into the second week of Battle rounds:

Team Kelly:

• Battled and moving on:
  • Cait Martin
  • Kala Banham (STOLEN from Team Niall)
  • Marcos Covos
• Still to battle:
  • Holly Brand
  • D. Smooth
  • Ali
  • JB Somers
  • Rachel Christine
  • Katie Beth Forakis

Team Chance:

• Battled and moving on:
  • Jamar Langley
  • Sorelle
  • Manasseh Samone (given Chance’s Playoff Pass)
  • Magnus
• Still to battle:
  • NOIVAS
  • Chloe Abbott
  • Ray Uriel
  • Nariyella

Team Niall:

• Battled and moving on:
  • Gina Miles
  • EJ Michels (STOLEN from Team Blake)
  • Ross Clayton
• Still to battle:
  • Michael B
  • Ryley Tate Wilson
  • Jerome Godwin III
  • Kate Cosentino
  • Tiana Goss
  • Talia Smith

Team Blake:

• Battled and moving on:
  • Tasha Jessen
  • Walker Wilson
  • Kylee Dayne
  • Mary Kate Connor (given Blaek’s Playoff Pass)
• Still to battle:
  • Neil Salsich
  • Alex Whalen
  • Carlos Rising
  • Grace West

Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton each still have their Save available, while Niall and Kelly both have their Playoff Pass available. This season, the live episodes will only be airing for the semi-finals as opposed to previous seasons where all of the playoff episodes were live.

“The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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