What Is the Playoff Pass on The Voice Season 25, and Who’s Won It?

For a contestant staring down the barrel of a Battles elimination, a Playoff Pass is an absolute godsend.

Contestants on NBC’s The Voice enter into the competition fully aware that they might not make it to the very end. Elimination during Battles is just an inevitable outcome for some of the musicians proving their talent week in and week out.

Now, sometimes — and this is a very rare occurrence, mind you — a challenger will be so darned good, that the Coaches decide to spare them from the trials and tribulations of Knockouts. This is what we in the game show business call the Playoff Pass, folks.

What Is The Playoff Pass on The Voice?

L. Rodgers and Tae Lewis appear in Season 25 Episode 7 of The Voice Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

First introduced back in Season 23 as a temporary replacement for Saves, the one-off contingency spares a Coach the heartache of choosing between two exemplary team members during the Battles portion of the tournament. When invoked, the Playoff Pass foregoes the need for elimination and allows a pair of head-to-head singers to advance forward.

In addition, the main recipient of the Playoff Pass is exempt from Knockouts and goes straight into the Playoffs, which, of course, increases the odds that they’ll make it to the Live Shows and take home the top prize. Pretty nifty, eh? Chance the Rapper — who is currently back on The Voice stage — was the first Coach to utilize the stratagem following a Battle between Sorelle and Manasseh, with the former taking third place by the end of Season 23.

The Playoff Pass isn’t the only new rule change that has kept the long-running format smelling lemony fresh in recent years. Last season, for example, the show introduced the Super Save, which allowed Reba McEntire, John Legend, Niall Horan (winner of the last two seasons), and Gwen Stefani to bring back an eliminated contestant — regardless of team affiliation — for the Playoffs.

Who Has Won The Playoff Pass on Season 25 of The Voice?

Bryan Olesen, Carson Daly, and Nathan Chester appear in Season 25 Episode 7 of The Voice Photo: Greg Gayne/NBC

As of Episode 7, the Playoff Pass has already been utilized by John Legend, as Bryan Olesen got the Pass following a Battle with Nathan Chester; and by Reba McEntire, as L. Rodgers got the Pass following a Battle with Tae Lewis.