As Blake Shelton prepares to say goodbye to The Voice following a 12-year run on the reality TV competition series, another country superstar and fellow Okie is joining the celebrity cast as part of the “No Body” singer’s Season 23 farewell.
Reba McEntire has officially signed on to play the role of Mega Mentor for the upcoming season of The Voice, according to People.
McEntire’s title means she will be working alongside hopefuls during the intense Battle Rounds as contestants anticipate heading into the Knockout Rounds of the cutthroat competition. The “Fancy” singer’s presence on the program will find her rounding out a crew of coaches that consists of Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, and Niall Horan.
The latest news surrounding The Voice comes after McEntire, 67, opened up about Shelton’s impending exit from the show and also revealed she once turned down an offer to coach on the show before its debut back in 2011.
“I got [a look at] the Holland version of The Voice. They sent it to me, and I said, ‘I can’t see me doing that,” McEntire previously told ET’s Online Country of her decision to initially turn down the offer.
“Who could fill Blake’s shoes?” she added. “To fill Blake’s chair? Wow. That’s gonna be tough. He did a great job, and kudos to him.”
And, even though McEntire won’t be filling Shelton’s shoes, her inclusion in the show is bittersweet as it marks her return following her role as Battle Advisor to Team Blake during The Voice’s inaugural season in 2011.
The full-circle reunion between the two country stars is just the thing that might send tears to viewers watching everywhere.
In the fall of 2022, Shelton announced he had been planning on leaving The Voice after “wrestling with this for a while.”
“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,” He captioned a post on Instagram. “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.” he continued. “It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
As with previous seasons, the upcoming series will introduce a change to the competition with the “Playoff Pass.”
The pass is given out to a set of artists going head to head during the Battle Rounds and allows them the opportunity to skip the Knockout Rounds entirely and advance into the Live Playoffs portion of the competition.
Each coach is armed with one “Steal” and one “Playoffs Pass” throughout the series and must use them strategically to set themselves up for a win. During the return of the Live Playoffs, viewers will see 20 remaining artists.
Each coach will advance only two artists to the live semi-finals. Thus far, Shelton is the coach with the most wins, with nine total wins. Last year, he scored his ninth win with country crooner and Georgia native Bryce Leatherwood. Will he make an even 10 when he says goodbye to The Voice? Only time will tell.
The Voice Season 23 premieres on Monday (March 6) at 8/7c on NBC.
