Kelly Clarkson and Riley Green Go Head-to-Head for ‘The Voice’ Contestant Anna McElroy

Anna McElroy walked onto The Voice stage with confidence as she delivered Maren Morris’ “80s Mercedes” with a smooth, powerful voice packed with star-quality that earned a three-chair turn from coaches Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green and Queen Latifah.

Anna made the 2016 hit her own, proving that much like Morris, she is able to lean into her country roots in full force while also showing hints of being able to expand her sound to different genres beyond country.

The hopeful singer brought plenty of passion and intention to every note, making for a performance that had all the coaches paying attention. Although Adam Levine was clearly impressed as well, he decided not to turn his chair for Anna knowing that she already had three great coaches to choose from.

Clarkson was not only the first to turn her chair for Anna, but she was also the first to try and pitch her team in an effort to try and steal her from the coach she knows would be the obvious choice, Riley Green. As soon as Anna rounded out her performance, she received a standing ovation from the coaches and Clarkson immediately did her best to get the singer’s attention.

“Don’t do it. I know you were looking this way and the reason why I know that is because I turned around first,” Clarkson said, indicating that Anna was already decided on joining Team Riley.

“I did see that. I noticed that. I’ll give you that one,” Anna responded.

Clarkson continued, “I’m so sorry. I already feel defeated, which is why I led with my pitch…”

The 26-year-old then revealed she was from Mobile, AL, just a few hours from Green’s hometown in Alabama, but has been a Nashville resident for six years and felt that Tennessee also felt like home.

“Nice to meet you. Enjoy Riley’s team… I lived in Tennessee for 12 years. I love country music. I love so many different styles, just like Maren…I’m just saying, I’ve literally been saying I want country music on my team,” Clarkson added.

Levine pointed out that Morris has performed with Maroon 5 over the years and is “definitely not in the just country lane.” He suggested that McElroy’s choice to perform a song from Morris’ catalog could signal that she’s open to exploring different sides of her artistry and may not be set on choosing “Blake 2.0,” or as Green jokingly called himself, “Blake 4.0.”

Then Queen Latifah jumped in to give her pitch as to why Anna should join her team over Clarkson or Green.

“Anna, you just came on this stage and you showed it who was boss. It was just a beautiful performance. You are gorgeous, but your voice is what made us turn from the very beginning. You definitely are country, but you are also the world. I see you moving into different spaces, doing different things, and that’s why she needs to be rolling with the queen…We got to take her to the top.”

Finally, Green confidently told Anna that joining him would be the “obvious choice,” based on their similar upbringing and shared love for country music alone.

“We grew up very similar, both from Alabama. Maren does do a lot of pop country and she lives in a lot of spaces, but I have to imagine that you’ve got a very country background. If that’s where you truly live and that’s where your heart lives, then I think you should live with me.”

Before Anna had to make her decision, Kelly Clarkson made one final plea.

“Wait, can I just…Okay, I’m Texan. I love country music. I have won this show. I am proven,” she stated. “Look, I know you’re going to pick him. I know you’re from Alabama. I know he’s got this vampire glamor thing going on. But look, I’m just saying I can win with you and I think that I would be a really great coach.”

Hearing the crowd shout out the names of the coaches they believed she should choose, Anna ultimately declared, “We’re going to go Team Kelly.”

Clarkson quickly jumped out of her chair with chock and excitement and ran over to the contestant to thank her for choosing to move through the competition with her.

“Anna is the country artist I’ve been waiting for y’all. I love her voice. I love her range. I love that she chose Maren… If I can beat Riley this season with a country artist, you know what that would feel like? Donuts are great, but a fresh donut where the icing is melting still and it’s just right out of the oven, that’s the kind of feeling I’m going to feel,” the “Since U Been Gone” singer later added.

Blind Auditions will return next week with a two-hour The Voice episode on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) on NBC.