The Voice 23 Begins the Knockouts with Mega Mentor Reba McEntire
The Knockouts begin this week on The Voice, featuring country legend Reba McEntire as Mega Mentor. She will help coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper get their team members ready for the round.
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Reba revealed that Blake is responsible for her return to The Voice, “He’s leaving, and so he wanted me to be a Mega Mentor on his last season. He’s a good guy.”
Reba has an extensive history with The Voice, beginning on season 1 in 2011, when she served as a Battle Round mentor for Blake. In a video preview of Reba’s appearance, Blake said about Reba’s full circle moment, “You brought me into this and now you’re taking me out of it.”
Reba returned to The Voice on season 8 to mentor the Top 12 in 2015.
The Voice asked Reba to coach for Season 1
Interestingly, Reba was asked to be a coach on season 1, and Blake ended up taking the country chair instead. “It was a very popular show in Holland, I’m pretty sure, and I watched the tape, and I said, ‘No, I’m going to pass on that,’ because I don’t think I could ever be able to tell somebody that they’re terrible or go find another job or hope you like your nighttime job,” she explained to Entertainment Tonight in 2011. “I couldn’t do that day in and day out.”
The Voice 2023: Full Season 23 Schedule
And she hasn’t changed her mind. “Who could fill Blake’s shoes?” the singer told ET in February. “That’s gonna be tough. He did a great job and Kudos to him.”
“It’s so much fun to be back on The Voice again,” she said. “It’s always a lot of fun to give advice because I study people when they perform, and I want to be touched when they’re singing to me.”
The Top 28 artists move on to the Knockout round. But with a caveat!
The Top 28 artists move on to the Knockout round. But with a caveat! The four lucky artists–one from each team–chosen to receive the “Playoff Pass” will not have to compete for a spot in the Playoffs. D. Smooth (Kelly Clarkson), Manasseh Samone (Chance the Rapper), Ryley Tate Wilson (Niall Horan) and Mary Kate Connor (Blake Shelton) get to sit this round out before returning for the Playoffs.
The coaches will pair up the remaining singers. Each artist will perform a solo song of their own choosing. Afterward, their respective coach chooses a contestant to move on to the Playoffs. The loser goes home unless a fellow coach “steals” them. Each coach gets one steal to use.
The Voice Knockout Rounds begin on NBC Monday April 17 at 8 pm ET/PT
