Season 26 of The Voice has one of the most anticipated coaching teams in its history.
During the season premiere, Reba McEntire did something so emotional and historic that her fellow coach, Snoop Dogg, quietly brushed tears from his eyes.
Reba ‘Makes Dreams Come True’
People.com reported on September 24th that Reba “makes dreams come true.” Reba’s move also astounded the other coaches, Voice veteran Gwen Stefani and newcomer coach Michael Buble.
The shocking moment happened after 37-year-old Kendall Eugene’s blind audition. Kendall is a good-looking singer and guitar player from Texas, and he did a pretty great job with his cover of Morgan Wallen’s “Don’t Thank Jesus.” Unfortunately, ‘pretty great’ didn’t seem like enough for the coaches that night.
Kendall did not receive any chair turns, and it was heartbreaking to see his family shedding tears on the sidelines beside Voice host Carson Daly.
In the YouTube video of Kendall’s audition, all the coaches offered him kind words and advice while Kendall tried to look strong and hide his disappointment.
The Voice Judges’ Brutal Honesty
Gwen knows how to deliver bad news with sweetness and honesty. She told Kendall, “This sucks because when it came to the choruses,” Kendall’s voice and words sounded “believable” and “heartfelt.” Then, Gwen revealed the truth.
She told Kendall she didn’t turn her chair because “there was a lot of tuning things going on.” That’s pro-singer speak for Kendall’s voice being a little pitchy and not quite hitting all of the notes. Still, Gwen liked what she heard enough to suggest, “I just think you should come back.”
Michael is a great addition to the coaching staff, and he was pretty humble to admit to Kendall, “Obviously, I’m a rookie doing this.” He added that Kendall “obviously” has “ability,” and then Michael asked a question out loud.
He said, “I openly wonder if you chose a different song with a different range, would I have turned the chair?” It must have hit Kendall in the gut when Michael admitted, “Probably.”
Reba was up next. As one of the legendary queens of Country music, Carson was practically begging Reba on the sidelines to turn her chair for Kendall. You could tell that everyone in that room wanted to know why Reba held back, and she tried to set the record straight.
She told Kendall that his “style” was “totally different’ than other voices the coaches had heard that day. Unbelievably, Reba confessed, “I liked everything about it,” and Kendall’s response was more unbelievable.
He joked into his mic that Reba “Should have turned.” It was a bit cheeky for a contestant, but Reba replied, “I was gonna say [those] exact same words.” Then, Snoop spoke up.
Snoop told Kendall he “didn’t turn” because he figured Reba was going to, and he knew he couldn’t beat Reba when it comes to great-sounding Country voices like Kendall. Still, Snoop was interested in the song choice and had a question.
Reba McEntire’s Shocking Bombshell
He said to Kendall, “It was a beautiful song,” and Snoop asked, “What [did] it say… Jesus ain’t done it that way?” Kendall said yes, and Snoop sweetly admitted, “I like that.” That’s when Reba dropped a bombshell.
The camera focused back on Reba as she turned her head towards Gwen and said, “I don’t understand why I did not turn around.” She looked back towards Kendall on stage, and your heart broke for him as he dropped his head and grimaced because the pain of rejection was still too fresh. Nobody knew yet that Reba was about to change Kendall’s world.
Reba said, “We’ve got this new thing this year” called “a Coach Replay button.” Then, Reba made her decision out loud. She said, “I’m gonna use mine.”
Carson is the OG host of The Voice, and he could not believe Reba’s bold move. All Carson could say on the sidelines was, “Oh! Oh My God!” Michael looked delighted and said, “Wow!”
Gwen has the most experience on the coaching panel. You could tell she was blown away by Reba’s precedent-setting decision to use the Coach Replay button for the first time in Voice history. Gwen sounded like she meant it when she said, “That’s amazing!”
Reba McEntire Admitted ‘I Felt Kind Of Numb’
But if you didn’t see this incredible moment, Snoop’s reaction was truly special.
He noticed Kendall on stage wiping tears from his eyes. Snoop urged Reba to “go give that man a hug. He needs a hug, Reba.” As Reba got up, walked on stage, and hugged Kendall, the camera showed Snoop lifting his sunglasses and rubbing his eyes.
You could hear Reba saying to Kendall, “I believe in you,” and Kendall thanking her for the opportunity. A moment later, Reba was filmed doing a confessional in her coach’s chair.
She explained that she loved “that song Kendall was singing.” After the song ended, Reba admitted, “I felt kind of numb.” She got that reaction because she knew “in my heart, I wanted him on my team.”
In previous seasons, Reba and Kendall would have been out of luck. Reba confessed that she was “so glad, for the very first time, we have a Coach Replay button.” She added, “It’s the second chance for the coaches when we realize we missed [the] moment.”
Everyone was whooping and clapping for Kendall and Reba on stage. Gwen turned to Michael and said, “That’s so cool!” Then, you heard Reba saying “Welcome to Team Reba” to Kendall as he confessed, “I can’t wait,” and he flashed a grin like a kid in a candy store.
Reba also confessed to the camera that Kendall “has a lot more to show us.” She admitted, “I’m really anxious to listen to him sing again.”
Fans Speak Out About Snoop Dogg
People were anxious to leave comments on the video of Kendall’s blind audition. There was a lot of love for Snoop. Someone finished their comment with, “He’s so kind.”
Another Snoop fan knows that Snoop “is a great guy… whether he’s vibin’ with Martha Stewart in the kitchen or coaching on The Voice, you know that man’s got nothin’ but heart.”
Other fans felt for Snoop in the moment. Someone wrote that he “needed a hug too,” and they’d “never seen this side of Snoop.” Another person revealed something “crazy” about Snoop.
They wrote about Snoop’s “crazy” ability to tune into people and that Snoop “knew exactly what that man needed, and he knew Reba had to be the one to do it.”
Other people even changed their minds about the “D–O–double G.”
A commenter admitted, “Wow, Snoop… I guess I was wrong about you.”
Snoop Dogg’s Emotional Moment
Today.com revealed that that wasn’t the only touching moment for Snoop during the premiere. Today wrote about Snoop getting “emotional at another point in the episode.” This happened when Michael jumped on stage with a contestant named Ben Fagerstedt.
Ben is a crooner, and he’s only 23 years old. Michael recognized Ben’s song choice from the first note. It was a Frank Sinatra classic, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
It looked like Reba and Michael were considering hitting their buttons and competing to get Ben on their teams, but something more unbelievable happened.
No one turned their chair for Ben, and Reba was the first coach to let him down easy, telling him how sorry she was.
Reba asked Ben how long he’s been singing, and he admitted, “I started taking it seriously when I was 15.” He added, “I started listening to a lot of Sinatra, and the standards, and Mr. Buble.”
Snoop offered Ben some great wisdom: “Keep being a student, keep being a sponge, and keep growing because you’ve got a lot of room to grow.” Snoop added, “It was a pleasure to have you on The Voice, man.”
Then Michael spoke up, and it was obvious that Ben wanted Michael’s honest opinion.
Michael told Ben, “You have a really strong voice.” Michael revealed some of the “technical things” that Frank did that Ben could improve on. Michael told Ben, “You need to come back to The Voice.” But Michael had something else up his sleeve.
He told Ben, “The fact that you included me in those guys you listen to… means a lot.” Then, Michael dropped a bombshell and said, “I would love [it] if we could sing that tune together.”
Snoop was in awe of Michael’s suggestion, saying, “Oh, yeah. Let’s go, bud. Teach him the ropes, Mike. ” Everyone loved it. Michael gave Ben a free singing lesson on national television, and Ben’s family looked on with pride and happiness.
