THE VOICE: Reba Uses New Twist To Secure Country Singer After Zero-Chair Turn
The Voice Season 26 is officially underway and the premiere brought plenty of surprises, including a new twist!
The two-hour season premiere episode of The Voice aired Monday night and showed the new coaching lineup in action for the first time. Returning coaches Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani, as well as rookie coaches Michael Buble and Snoop Dogg, will each occupy an iconic red chair and have the opportunity to change the lives of Voice hopefuls.
Most of those life-changing moments on The Voice come through a coach turning their chair for an artist. But sometimes, they come through zero-chair turns.
That is exactly what happened for country singer Kendall Eugene. The Texas native, 37, has been active in the music industry for most of his life. At age 6, Kendall took over as the drummer for his dad’s band.
He continued to hone his musical skills, a passion that eventually led him to The Voice stage. Eugene stood center stage and delivered a passionate performance of Morgan Wallen’s “Don’t Think Jesus.” Unfortunately, no coaches turned for the singer.
A New Twist Gave Kendall Eugene A Second Chance
Early in the episode, host Carson Daly revealed that a new twist was being implemented this season called The Coach Replay. The Coach Replay allows any coach to push their button after the Blind Audition is over. The former rules only allowed a coach to push their button for an artist during the audition.
After Kendall Eugene’s audition concluded, the coaches’ chairs turned, and they had an opportunity to meet him and offer advice on how to improve.
Michael Buble said that Kendall is talented but questioned the singer’s song choice, saying that he wonders if he would have turned if he had chosen a different song with a different range.
When it was Reba’s turn to address the singer, she immediately began to question why she didn’t turn her red chair for him. She said that she loved everything about the performance.
“I don’t understand why I did not turn around. We’ve got this new thing this year that is a coach replay button,” Reba told Kendall. “I’m gonna use mine.”
When she hit her button, Kendall immediately burst into tears, as did Snoop Dogg.
“I’m so glad, for the very first time, we have a Coach Replay button. It’s a chance for the coaches when we realize we missed this moment,” Reba said. “I think he has a lot more to show us and I’m really anxious to listen to him sing again.”
Watch Kendall Eugene’s memorable performance and the first-ever use of the Coach Replay button in the video below.