‘The Voice’ Recap: Premiere Features 3 Four-Chair Turns — Which Teams Did They Pick?
Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC Reading Time: 4 minutes
The Voice is back for Season 24 and the antics are higher than ever. To begin the first episode of blind auditions, the show introduced each returning coach — Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend. Then, they introduced the “queen of country” Reba McEntire.
To kick off Reba’s new job, the show provided her Shelton’s iconic red chair, decorated with a ribbon. After McEntire cut the ribbon, the first singer came to the stage. Jordan Rainer took the stage singing a beautiful rendition of McEntire’s “Fancy.”
Although this singer was a four-chair turn audition, the coaches fought it out to get her on their team. Horan even brought out the big guns, with a recording of Shelton saying complimentary things. In the end, Jordan decided to join Team Reba, which wasn’t a surprise at all.
Former American Idol Singer Auditions for The Voice
Among this season’s singers is one that was formerly seen on American Idol Season 19. For his American Idol audition, he sang an original piece, entitled “Please Listen.” In 2021, the judges felt that Jackson wasn’t quite ready for the competition at 18 years old.
During The Voice auditions, Jackson sang “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” by Justin Moore. It’s clear that Jackson took the past three years to perfect his skills, for this moment.
Jackson Snelling is totally SELLING this audition! 🎶 #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/xnanielxX7
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) September 26, 2023
The 21 year old turned the chairs of both Stefani and McEntire. Before the two coaches talked, Horan admitted that he didn’t initially turn because he heard a bad pitch, then he saw Stefani turn and knew he wouldn’t get the artist.
Before arguing with Stefani, McEntire asked Jackson who he grew up listening to, to prove a point. In turn, Stefani acknowledged that she has had two Country Radio hits. McEntire in turn reminded she’s had plenty. In the end, Jackson picked Team Reba.
Former Van-Lifer Earns Four-Chair Turn, Joins Team Niall
Alexa Wildish was the second four-chair turn of the episode. This singer, whose story revolved around her time spent in nature, sang a beautiful rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Lovebird.”
Soon after Alexa’s first note, Horan, McEntire, and Legend turned their chairs for her. Once she hit the chorus line, Stefani also turned her chair. Due to the singer’s intense emotions, each coach complimented her abilities, explaining that her tone was absolutely unreal.
Following each of the coaches sweet talking Alexa, she decided to join Team Niall. The other coaches all understood her choice, since Horan turned on the charm for her.
Nope, we're totally not tearing up over @AlexaWildish's cover of "Lovebird" by Fleetwood Mac…🥹 #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/rHxTVnNx0n
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) September 26, 2023
Emotional 21 Year Old Earns Four-Chair Turn, Which Team Will She Pick?
The final performance of the episode featured Mara Justine’s beautiful rendition of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” This song was truly such a good pick for her, since she had talked about having a new outlook on life, due to her mom’s breast cancer diagnosis.
The coaches not only complimented her song choice, but her singing techniques as well. They seriously had nothing but good things to say about her audition. It was clear that the coaches were going to have to fight for this artist, so Horan pulled out another surprise tactic.
While arguing, Horan hit his red button, which dropped Shelton’s “Pick Blake” foam finger from the ceiling. For those who may not remember, this was a fun added tactic put into place in Season 23, since Shelton always pointed at his own head while begging for artists to join his team. Now, the foam finger features Shelton’s name xed out, with Horan’s written beneath it.
In turn, Legend also pulled out his secret weapon. Instead of some tacky foam finger, he asked Mara to sing one of his hit songs with him. The two performed a harmonized rendition of the coach’s song “All Of Me.”
After the coaches truly fought it out for Mara, the show left everyone off with a cliffhanger. Instead of announcing which team she picked, the show prompted fans to tune in for the second part of the premiere.
The Voice returns to NBC on Tuesday, September 26 at 8 p.m. ET. It will premiere an hour of Blind Auditions before the America’s Got Talent finale (which will air from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET).
