Fans Aren't Sure About the Format and Changes for 'The Voice: Battle of Champions'

Some fans of The Voice might have waited a long time for an all-stars type of season, and The Voice: Battle of Champions is pretty much what that is. Other longtime fans of the reality competition singing show don't quite understand why producers had to mess with a good thing, and those same fans want to know what The Voice: Battle of Champions even is.

Season 29 of the long-running show features less coaches than usual, some familiar returning contestants, and a voting system that's a little different. Yes, there is a lot to dive into and understand. However, for some viewers, it's worth it in order to watch and vote for their favorite singers in yet another season, even with all the changes.

The Voice: Battle of Champions is similar to all-stars seasons of shows like The Challenge, where past players return to compete to figure out who is the best of the best. With this season of The Voice, former winners and top-performing contestants are back to sing their hearts out and make it far once again. But even the best of the best have to get out at some point, and contestants who might have made it far on their season could be out early in The Voice: Battle of Champions.

According to NBC, there are three coaches for Battle of Champions: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Adam Levine. And, as a first for the series, viewers get to actually see Blind Auditions instead of small snippets or skipped singers in this round. The stakes are higher, and the contestants are all professional now in some way.

With Battle of Champions, returning artists from The Voice who aren't in the competition and super-fans will be able to participate in a special voting block, per NBC. For the Semi-Finals and finale at the end of Season 29, these voters get to participate in voting as part of the live audience on the show, and their impact on votes could make a difference.

Team Clarkson, Team Lavine, and Team Legend are all established this season, and some of the coaches' former artists return for the All-Star Showdown round this season. During the Knockouts, these singers face off against other performers in other groups. Points are awarded for coaches whose returning challengers win the rounds.

The changes to the show for Season 29 are pretty major for longtime fans. So much so that some seem divided on how to take them.

In a Reddit thread about Battle of Champions, some shared that they were looking forward to seeing the season play out. However, one fan commented, "Not liking it. It seems dead. You'd think there'd be natural rapport between those three coaches but it doesn't seem so. I'm skipping it."

Another agreed, "It sounds super gimmicky, and I hope it plays out better than it sounds." But, alas, the show must go on.