The Voice Eliminates Ladden Jr. and Chari in Cut Week
NBC's reality singing competition held its first Cut Week, sending 15 of 28 contestants home while one singer was saved by audience vote.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in R&B
NBC's The Voice held its inaugural Cut Week and eliminated Marcus Ladden Jr. and Chari, leaving 13 of the show's 28 contestants in the competition. Under the new format, each celebrity judge chose two singers from a team of seven to advance automatically, while the remaining five artists per team performed for the final spot.
Why it matters
The episode produced the largest single-episode elimination in the show's history, reshaping the field heading into the live rounds. The new Cut Week system changes how contestants are selected, placing the judges' choices and a fresh audience vote at the center of who advances.
Thirteen of 28 contestants advanced after Cut Week, with each celebrity judge automatically advancing two of their seven singers. The identity of the audience-saved performer remains undisclosed until Monday.
The players
NBC
NBC is the television network that broadcasts The Voice, one of the most-watched singing competitions in the United States.
Peacock
Peacock is NBCUniversal's streaming service, which carries full episodes of The Voice and live audience-voting rounds.
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah is a Grammy-winning rapper, actress, and television personality serving as a celebrity coach on The Voice.
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson is a Grammy-winning singer and talk show host who coaches a team on The Voice.
The details
Queen Latifah chose 25-year-old Lillie Kolich over Chari, while Kelly Clarkson chose 13-year-old Brianna Cameron over Ladden. Members voted to save one performer who did not make the cut, and audiences will vote live next week to decide who advances.
Timeline
Cut Week elimination episode aired this week, with the article published Nov. 5, 2026.
Identity of the save-vote performer will be revealed Monday before the next episode.
The live show streams on Peacock with audience voting on Nov. 9.
Season Trajectory
Cut Week marks a departure from The Voice's long-running Battle Rounds format, shifting how the field is narrowed before live voting begins. The change places a larger share of the early selection in the hands of celebrity judges and audiences rather than head-to-head matchups.
Viewers can watch the live show and cast votes on Peacock starting Nov. 9. The save-vote performer's identity will be disclosed before the next episode Monday.
The takeaway
The new Cut Week format gives judges and audiences a larger role in shaping the competition early, so viewers following a favorite singer should watch the Monday reveal and the live Peacock vote closely.
What happens next
Identity of the audience-saved performer will be revealed Monday, and live audience voting streams on Peacock Nov. 9.
Further reading
Explore more R&B coverage for context on the singers competing on this season of The Voice.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MDJOnline.
