Reba McEntire Returning to ‘The Voice’ as Mega Mentor, Plus Major Competition Changes

Kelli Boyle February 22, 2023, 5:12 pm

Reba McEntire in concert in Nashville in October 2022 — Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Reba McEntire is bringing her heart of a fighter to The Voice Season 23. The country music star will lend her talents to the NBC competition series as a mentor when the new episodes kick off on March 6.

McEntire joins The Voice Season 23 coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Blake Shelton on the hunt for the next big singing sensation, Variety reports, giving an extra dose of Country for this final season with Shelton.

This isn’t The Hammer star’s first time at The Voice rodeo. In 2011, she appeared in the very first season of the Emmy-winning reality competition series as a Battle Advisor to Team Blake, making her return a full-circle moment for Shelton, the only coach who has been with the series since its inception.

McEntire will be a “mega mentor” this season, popping in to aid the contestants who make it past the Battle Rounds and into the Knockouts. Expect some changes to the show’s format when these Battle Rounds begin.

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Season 23 will introduce the new “Playoff Pass.” Each coach can use their Playoff Pass once in the Battle Rounds. When they use it, it means both singers in the battle can advance and allows the winner of the round to completely bypass the Knockouts, snagging them an automatic spot in the Playoffs before the live shows starting on May 15. The Steal move is still in play for all of the coaches, which allows them to save a singer who loses a battle.

Each coach has one Playoff Pass and one Steal. Seven competitors per team will advance from the Battle Rounds, with one of them using the Playoff Pass as their ticket passed the Knockouts. The Battle Rounds start on March 27, the Knockouts on April 17, the Playoffs kick off on May 1, and the live shows commence on May 15.

The Voice Season 23 will also be a reunion for McEntire and Clarkson, who was formerly McEntire’s daughter-in-law when married to Brandon Blackstock (McEntire’s former stepson). The Big Sky star is a Country Music Hall of Famer with 35 No. 1 singles under her belt.

The Voice, Season 23 Premiere, Monday, March 6, 8/7c, NBC