Country music legend Reba McEntire is joining The Voice Season 23. She will serve as the “mega mentor” of the season, helping out the new contestants. It is McEntire‘s first time on the show since Season 1, back in 2011. NBC also announced new tweaks to the show’s format ahead of the Monday, March 6 premiere.
McEntire will join coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Blake Shelton to mentor the contestants who make it past the Battle Rounds. She will make her first appearance during the Knockouts on April 17. The Country Music Hall of Famer served as Shelton’s Battle Advisor in Season 1, so it is fitting that she returned for Shelton’s final season.
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The Voice will also feature a few format changes in Season 23 that highlight the strategy involved in the show. During the Battles, starting on March 27, coaches can use a “Playoff Pass” that allows a singer to skip the Knockout Rounds and move automatically to the Playoffs. At the end of the Battles, each team will have six Battles winners and one “Playoff Pass” singer.
In the Knockouts round, artists are paired against each other and perform while their competitor watches on. Coaches then pick the winner. They also have a “steal” they can use to save the loser and add them to their team. Each coach only has one “steal” per round. Four artists per team will survive the Knockouts, and each coach also has one “Playoff Pass” singer.
The Playoffs round starts on May 1. In this round, the 20 remaining singers compete to reach the live semi-finals. Only two artists per team can perform in the live shows, which start on Monday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes of The Voice air Mondays at 8 p.m. They are available to stream on Peacock. Shelton previously announced this will be his final season after being the only coach to star in all 23 seasons. Chance and Horan are making their Voice debuts.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after season 23,” Shelton wrote in October 2022. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me. It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew, and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
