Judges on 'The Voice' Have Steals and Saves to Navigate the Competition

We’ve been watching The Voice for 21 seasons now, but sometimes it's good to have a refresher when it comes to the rules of the game. As contestants move into the Battle and Knockout rounds, "steals" and "saves" become a major part of the competition.

These aspects can greatly alter the outcome of each round and play an integral role in how the show goes down once they're implemented. With that being said, scroll down for a quick cheat sheet on the art of the steal and save.

Per Country Living, the coaches can each steal two artists from other teams during the Battle round. They also get one additional steal during Knockout rounds. It’s important to note that a contestant can only be stolen if they lose their battle. Winners of each battle automatically stay with their initial coaches.

If multiple coaches press their buttons to steal a singer, that artist can choose which team they’d like to join. If no one presses a button, that individual is eliminated from the competition. The Voice producer Mark Burnett previously said of the steal, "It’s been a very kind experience. We try to create a very kind experience on this show where people who deserve to stay have a chance to stay."

When it comes to saves, the format is relatively similar to how things go with steals, except each coach gets just one save in the Battle rounds and one save in the Knockout rounds.

During the Knockout rounds, each celebrity coach is given the chance to save a member of their team that they had eliminated.

Although the steals and saves on The Voice can sometimes get heated, the process behind them is usually quite straightforward. However, the Oct. 11, 2021 episode of the show saw the first-ever triple-steal plus a save in the show's history.

Team Kelly's Kinsey Rose, and the Girl Named Tom trio, made up of siblings Bekah, Joshua, and Caleb, performed The Eagles' hit track "Seven Bridges Road," and the performance was jaw-dropping.

Although Kelly named Girl Named Tom the winner thanks to their "family harmony," she was quick to hit her save button for Kinsey, claiming she still "wants [her] on [her] team."

Kelly wasn't the only one who was struck by how good Kinsey's performance was. Her three fellow judges each used their steals as well, which was the first time in the show's history that a contestant received three steals and a save during the Battle rounds.

"This is the first time in Voice history that we had four button pushes in the Battles and that just shows you the power of Kinsey’s voice," judge Blake Shelton commented on the situation.

Ultimately, Kinsey ended up deciding to stay with Team Kelly, which elated the singer and judge. "I’m really happy. All the steals in the world couldn’t remove her from my grasp," Kelly said after doing a little victory dance.

Catch new episodes of The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.