The Voice is officially back, as the “Battle of Champions” premiered on the 2026 TV schedule, introducing the first of the artists hoping to work with either Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson or John Legend. The NBC singing competition is packing a lot into its revamped 29th season, including a couple of twists we haven’t seen before. One of those — the Triple Turn Competition — kicked off February 23, and I can’t get over how quickly Legend blew up his chances.
What Is The Voice’s Triple Turn Competition?
There’s a reason there are only three coaches on The Voice this season, and it’s got a lot to do with trying to fit in all the fun of NBC’s sports-themed Legendary February. Big twists coming to Season 29 include an “In-Season All-Star Competition,” in which fan-favorite alumni will go head-to-head to try to earn an advantage for their former coach, as well as the Triple Turn Competition.
The Voice has always made a big deal about Four-Chair Turns, and it’s going a step further now that the coach count has been reduced — whichever superstar mentor wins the most Triple Turn artists gets a Super Steal in the next round. That means they’ll have the power to steal the losing artist of a battle for their team, regardless of who else wants a shot at them.
With the start of Blind Auditions, the Triple Turn Competition kicked off, and that’s where we get to the misfortune of John Legend.
How John Legend ‘Engineered [His] Own Demise’
Alexia Jayy was the second artist to take the stage on The Voice Season 29, and all three coaches wanted to work with her after hearing her version of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." When the mentors learned that Jayy’s 9-year-old son Matthew was there to support his mom, they brought him out on stage, and this happened:
- John Legend: Who do you listen to, Matthew?
- Matthew: Maroon 5.
- John Legend: Oh no, that backfired!
This elicited a lot of fist-pumping from Adam Levine, as he ran on stage to thank Matthew. John Legend realized the error of his ways, commenting:
Oh my goodness, I never should have asked.
Unfortunately, he was right, because Alexia Jayy chose Team Adam. The Maroon 5 frontman treated Matthew and his mother to the basketball jerseys being given to each contestant, but Carson Daly suggested that Adam Levine probably owed him something more expensive, like a car, for helping to close that deal.
See how it all went down:
As the celebrations continued, John Legend had a bitter pill to swallow, telling cameras:
I made the fatal error of inviting out her son. I was like, ‘Uh oh, I’ve just engineered my own demise.’ I made a big mistake.
The EGOT winner continued to pace the stage in the downtime between auditions, musing regretfully to the crowd chanting Adam’s name:
What does this child know about Maroon 5? I asked a 9-year-old what he liked, and he said, ‘Maroon 5!’ I was done in by a 9-year-old. Soon as I said that, I was like, ‘I lost.’
Come on, John, you’ve got four kids — you know better than to ask questions you don’t want the honest answers to!
While the “Glory” singer’s faux pas had no direct bearing on the other two Triple Turns of the episode, his luck didn’t get any better. Kelly Clarkson (who was done dirty herself by her own ex-mother-in-law Reba McEntire) won Abigayle Oakley from the other Voice coaches, and Adam Levine also procured Jeremy Keith, putting him in the lead of the side competition after one night.
Will John Legend be able to rally? Only time will tell, but I bet he’ll think twice before inviting more family members on stage. The Voice Season 29 Blind Auditions continue at 9 p.m. ET Monday, March 2, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
