The Voice Returns With Season 28
The Voice is back—and the introduction of multiple new rules has already made this season unlike any other!
Season 28 of The Voice premiered on Monday night (September 22). This season features a panel of four returning coaches: Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Bublé.
A few days before the season premiere, the coaches released a celebratory cover of Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker.” Their lively collaboration helped set the tone for the season.
RELATED: WHAT DO THE “VOICE” CHAMPIONS WIN?
The first episode of Season 28 featured a ton of talented contestants. One of the standout performances came from Manny Costello, who moved Reba to tears with his rendition of Craig Morgan’s “Almost Home.”
Reba and Snoop turned their chairs for Manny’s performance. He ended up on Team Reba after she said his voice reminded her of George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Randy Travis.
Another outstanding performance came from a trio, Dek of Hearts, who performed Jo De Messina’s “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” They earned a four-chair turn and chose Niall as their coach.
Learn More About The New Rules Being Introduced To Season 28 Of The Voice
Ahead of the Season 28 premiere, The Voice announced the introduction of a new rule to the blind auditions. Called the “Carson Callback,” the new rule gives longtime host Carson Daly a newfound sense of power.
Carson can use his callback card to give a no-chair-turn artist a second chance to perform during the blind auditions. Fans witnessed the first use of the Carson Callback during the premiere episode, when Carson used the card to give rock singer Ryan Mitchell another chance to perform.
“Twenty-eight seasons, I see coaches let great singers like you fall through the cracks sometimes, and I’ve never been able to do anything about it. Until right now,” Carson said.
After earning the Carson Callback, Ryan had 24 hours to prepare a new song for the coaches. We’ll have to wait and see how his second audition pans out!
The Carson Callback isn’t the only new rule this season. An article on the NBC website describes two new rules that will shake things up during the Voice battles and knockouts.
Historically, the Voice coaches picked the pairings during the battle rounds. Now, that will change. The contestants will pick their duet partners themselves.
As for the knockouts, that phase of the competition will introduce a new “Mic Drop Button.” The NBC website describes how the button works:
“…each Coach gets to hit their Mic Drop button for the one Artist on their team who truly rises above the rest. Once those four Artists are selected, fans at home will vote for their Mic Drop winner.”
Whoever wins the Mic Drop showdown will get the opportunity to sing in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.
Although this isn’t a new “rule,” The Voice is also changing how contestants will advance from the playoffs to the live shows. The NBC website says each coach will only select one contestant from their teams to move on to the live shows (bringing the total number of competitors to four). Then, in what NBC describes as “a historic first,” the viewers will vote for the fifth and sixth singers to round out the Top 6.
Stay tuned for more Voice updates and future performances. In the meantime, enjoy Manny Costello’s emotional blind audition, which earned him a place on Team Reba, in the video below.
