The Voice is officially back for Season 26 with Coaches Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Bublé. The premiere episode, which aired September 23, featured some of the most inspired Blind Auditions yet. From a worship leader who scored a 4-Chair Turn singing Zach Bryan to a 16-year-old street singer who got all the Coaches crying, the competition is shaping up to be fiercer than ever. And with the addition of the Coach Replay button—which allows Coaches to vie for an Artist even after not turning their chairs—we're in for an unpredictable ride.
Sand Spring, Oklahoma-born artist Jake Tankersley was first up for The Voice season 26 blind auditions. And Tankersley certainly brought his A-game to Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.” Coach Gwen Stefani sang along softly from her big red chair.
Tankersley’s passionate vocals elicited the coveted four-chair turn from Stefani, Reba McEntire, Michael Bublé, and Snoop Dogg. As the “Queen of Country,” Reba seemed like a natural choice for such a promising country act. But Stefani had something to say about that. The “It’s My Life” singer pressed her Block button, preventing Reba from selecting Tankersley for her team.
“Gwen already blocking,” one The Voice viewer wrote, adding a crying emoji. Season 26 has barely begun, but the claws are clearly already out. “Gwen’s not playin haha,” another X/Twitter user wrote. Another added, “gwen blocking reba asap.”
Gwen’s haste to hit the Block button proves what we already know. Reba McEntire is the one to beat in season 26. However, her tactic ultimately didn’t help her achieve her goal. Tankersley picked Snoop Dogg as his coach.
It was a promising start for the “Gin and Juice” rapper’s coaching debut on The Voice. “Really did not think I could possibly love Snoop more, and yet here we are. He’s PERFECT for this show,” one fan wrote. Another fan wrote, “Snoop is just gonna have me smiling the whole season.”
The Voice is back with new coaches, and they are already making big moves to shake things up. It looks like this season is going to be one for the books. We’re in for an unpredictable ride!
