Reba McEntire Breaks Out a Secret Weapon on ‘The Voice’ Season 28 [WATCH]
The Voice is gearing up for Season 28, and Reba McEntire is already commanding attention.
NBC just dropped a first-look at the new season, featuring the country legend alongside returning coaches Michael Bublé, Niall Horan and Snoop Dogg.
The sneak peek is filled with playful banter, crowd-pleasing antics and a brand-new twist that’s bound to shake things up.
Reba’s Fan Club
McEntire, now entering her fourth season in the red chair, came with a clever strategy.
The “Fancy” singer handed out folding fans stamped with her face to the studio audience — and she’s not afraid to put them to use.
“Fans, who should they go with?” McEntire teases in the clip, turning to the crowd as dozens of Reba fans flip open in unison.
It’s classic Reba: funny, resourceful, and designed to tip the scales in her favor.
The Coaches’ Antics
Of course, the other coaches are bringing their own flair:
Snoop Dogg keeps up his rhyming pitch style, telling a contestant, “It took me all this time to get real — only you can seal the deal based off of the way that you feel.”
Niall Horan charms with praise for a contestant’s song choice, only to be left speechless when she blurts back, “I love you! I know where you have birthmarks.”
Michael Bublé proves he’s still the prankster, joking, “When somebody’s a bad boy, we put them in the penalty box. Now you get two minutes for looking too good,” as he boxes in Horan’s chair.
New Twist: The Carson Callback
This season also introduces a fresh wrinkle: the “Carson Callback.”
“Sometimes I see great singers fall through the cracks and I’ve never been able to do anything about it until right now,” host Carson Daly explains in the teaser.
The new feature gives certain singers a second shot, which could keep both contestants — and coaches — on edge.
When ‘The Voice’ Returns
Season 28 of The Voice premieres Monday, Sept. 22, at 8 PM ET on NBC, airing Mondays and Tuesdays this fall.
And there’s more ahead: Season 29 will welcome Kelly Clarkson back to her chair for The Voice: Battle of Champions.
She’ll coach alongside John Legend and Adam Levine in the show’s first-ever panel made up entirely of past winners.
‘The Voice’: 12 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
We read the fine print! Here are 12 things NBC’s The Voice doesn’t want you to know about the contracts, the judges, the auditions and what’s become of the winners. Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
The Chairs Don’t Really Make a Sound
In 2021, contestant Kat Perkins told Cosmo that the spinning red chairs don’t actually make the “whoosh” sound you hear on TV. That’s added in post-production.
GTFO After You’re Eliminated
One minute they love you, the next they don’t know your name. Maybe it’s not that dramatic for contestants eliminated from The Voice, but it’s close. There’s no going away party, no matter how deep a bond you’ve formed with fellow contestants and staff. Perkins tells Cosmopolitan that you’re literally on the next flight home.
Expect a Psych Evaluation, and It May Go Public
The Things Celebrity YouTube channel reported on a 32-page contract that contestants had to sign to be on the show, and it’s detailed. Season 1 singer Frenchie Davis opened up about psychologists on staff, but this YT video claims the show can not only force mental health evaluations, but they can share those results on television.
That’s never actually happened, thankfully. Instead the counselors are mostly used to catch emotional contestants who’ve just been dropped by the show.
‘The Voice’ Rejected These Country Stars
Luke Combs was famously rejected by The Voice for being too boring, and he’s not alone. Other country hitmakers have gotten dumped with no TV time, including Maren Morris.
Brett Young was also rejected three times, but after moving to Nashville they called him and said he could go right to the Blind Auditions if he wanted. By then his career was cooking, so he told them, “Nah, I’m good.”
How Much Do Judges on ‘The Voice’ Make?
Of course, no coach from The Voice has ever revealed how much they are paid, but there have been leaks. It ranges from $2 million (Cee Lo Green in Season 1) to $25 million (Ariana Grande, Season 21), but most nab between $8 million and $13 million a season.
Blake Shelton was always thought to be at the high end of that range. Same for his wife Gwen Stefani, but not good friend Kelly Clarkson. She is rumored to have gotten $15 million for her participation in seasons 14-21. Shoutout to Yahoo for cobbling together this info, with links to original sources.
What Do Winners of ‘The Voice’ Get?
The prize for winning The Voice has been remarkably consistent: $100,000 and a record deal with UMG. However just about every winner has struggled to get their new label’s attention.
Craig Wayne Boyd and Sundance Head have both talked about a lack of respect for their music post-show. Winners have a very poor track record, but we’ll touch on that more later.
Literally No Winner of ‘The Voice’ Has Hit No. 1
That’s Season 2 winner Jermaine Paul holding up a No. 1. That’s as close as any winner ever got to No. 1. None of the show’s 24 winners have topped a singles chart in any genre.
The closest in country was Cassadee Pope, who had a Platinum-certified Top 10 hit after winning. One or two artists have also scored similar on Christian music charts, but by and large this is a group destined for a future “Whatever Happened To ….” feature.
You Don’t Want to Actually Win ‘The Voice’!
You’ve seen how poorly winners have done commercially. That’s not true for mid-packers.
Morgan Wallen is the most famous also-ran on The Voice, but others have scored hits. In country, songwriter Nicolle Galyon (Season 2) and “Wild as Her” hitmaker Corey Kent (Season 8) stand out.
Beyond that you’ll find Grammy-nominated gospel singer Koryn Hawthorne (Season 8) and pop star Melanie Martinez (Season 3).
About That Humiliation Clause …
The contract a contestant signs is — or at least, was — pretty wild. The New York Daily News shared that the show could change the rules at any time, ignore the vote in the event of problems and eliminate contestants at any time.
Celebrity Access forwarded a clause that states that by signing, you agree to be presented in ways that “may be disparaging, defamatory, embarrassing (and) may expose me to public ridicule, humiliation or condemnation.”
‘The Voice’ Tour Bombed!
The Voice tried an American Idol-esque tour of its stars, but people weren’t interested. After Season 1, The Voice Live on Tour rolled out dates, and most were canceled due to lackluster sales.
A few seasons later the show tried again, but again nobody was interested in shelling out real money to watch winner Tessanne Chin and friends.
‘The Voice’ Judges See 18 to 20 Singers a Day During Auditions
On any given Blind Auditions day, coaches will only see between 18 and 20 contestants, which actually passes the eyeball test because this show has never felt like a cattle call like some others. Part of the reason for this is because …
Training Is Intense!
Anyone who’s tried out for both American Idol and The Voice will tell you the NBC show does it better. You have several rounds of virtual and (local) in-person auditions before flying to L.A. for the blinds.
Additionally, a singer is training non-stop for months before the blinds. Cosmopolitan‘s article quotes several singers who opened up about how producers would train them for everything, including fainting on stage and reaction to feedback from coaches. There were also vocal lessons, social media training and interview prep.
