It probably wasn’t easy replacing Blake Shelton, a coach who was on “The Voice” for 23 seasons, but country music legend Reba McEntire – the only coach to appear on the show for the first time this season – has proven to be a powerful force to reckon with.
In her first season as coach, McEntire has assembled a strong singing team and has a good chance of pulling off a win. During the November 27 playoffs episode, McEntire reduced her team to three singers. Here’s a look at the remaining competitors on their team.
Note: This story will be updated each week as episodes air. “The Voice” airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.
Who are the singers on “The Voice” team Reba?
Ruby Leigh
She’s only 16, but Ruby Leigh is a standout contestant on The Voice this season. The country singer and yodeler from Foley, Missouri, quickly won over all four coaches during the blind audition round with her performance of Patsy Montana’s “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”
Perhaps most surprising was that John Legend – not McEntire – was the first to turn the chair for the singer.
“I’ve really never heard of anything like what you just did. I liked how clear and precise, penetrating and beautiful your tone was. …How is a human being able to do the things you do?” he said, noting her impressive yodeling skills. “You can win ‘The Voice,’ honestly.”
Gwen Stefani added that she was “blown away” by Leigh and even did a little yodeling herself to get the teenager on her team. McEntire followed with her own yodeling when it came time to offer her coaching offer.
“I can’t believe what’s going on in this audition,” Niall Horan said with a laugh, calling Leigh’s energy “crazy.” “You have four chairs for a reason.”
Leigh ultimately decided to join McEntire’s team and has remained on the singer’s team throughout her participation on the show so far.
Jordan Rainer
Jordan Rainer made a bold move when she auditioned for “The Voice” and performed “Fancy” – one of McEntire’s biggest hits. After her rocking performance, the 33-year-old country singer from Atoka, Oklahoma – McEntire’s home state – said it was a song that had a lot of meaning to her.
“It was written by a strong woman, it was made famous by a strong woman and it lyrically represents what women do to survive and I am a woman who did what I had to do to survive” she told the show’s coach. “And so I feel this song in every bone in my body.”
All four coaches also seemed to feel their emotions. Rainer’s performance secured the coveted four-spot spot, meaning McEntire, Legend, Stefani and Horan all wanted the singer on their teams.
And even though McEntire seemed the obvious choice, all the coaches resisted. Legend, who is more selective when choosing people for his team, called her “an extraordinary singer.”
“You are a real singer with great range, great charisma and great stage presence,” he said. “You’re going to do amazing on the show.”
But despite all the praise, Rainer decided to join McEntire’s team, where she has remained throughout her competitive run so far.
Jacquie Roar
It took a while for Jacquie Roar to get the coaches’ attention, but when she did, she did it with a bang: right in the middle of Gretchen Wilson’s “Here for the Party,” the 37-year-old singer from North Plains, Oregon , switched from country to rock and seemed to bring her inner Janis Joplin to life.
It made all four coaches turn around.
“You left everything on the floor,” Legend said.
“Her reach is incredible,” McEntire added.
All of the coaches praised her ability to channel so many different styles and influences during the short performance.
“You’re going to be a real showstopper on the show,” Horan said.
Although Roar initially chose to join Stefani’s team, McEntire eventually snagged the singer in the following round of competition. Roar has remained on McEntire’s team since the Battle Round.
What happened to Tom Nitti on “The Voice”?
At the start of Monday night’s episode, Tom Nitti was still a contestant on McEntire’s team. But at the beginning of the episode it was announced on the show that the 31-year-old singer from New York had unexpectedly dropped out of the competition.
“I have wonderfully talented people, but Tom had to leave for personal reasons,” McEntire said, according to Entertainment Tonight.
McEntire was the only coach to turn around during Nitti’s blind audition, giving the singer a chance in the final seconds of his country-rock rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).”
Since McEntire was the only coach to transfer, Nitti, a 31-year-old singer from New York, ended up on her team by default. But being on the country legend’s team did him good: During the Knockouts, McEntire used her only save of the round to keep Nitti in the contest.