Many viewers have referred to season 25 of The Voice as the NBC show’s “country takeover.” Between Reba McEntire and newcomers Dan + Shay, country artists make up half the coaching panel. Additionally, this season has seen more and more country artists vying for the grand prize.
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[RELATED: ‘The Voice’ Fans Aren’t Loving the Country Music Takeover]
Two of those hopefuls, Josh Sanders and Donny Van Slee, unsurprisingly ended up on Team Reba. And the Queen of Country had a tough call to make after the pair belted Luke Combs’ “When It Rains It Pours” during Monday’s (March 25) Battle Rounds.
Reba Lovingly Accuses Chance the Rapper of ‘Backpedaling’ on ‘The Voice’
Sanders and Van Slee were clearly having fun with their performance, and so was everyone watching. This lively tune, from Combs’ 2017 debut This One’s For You, is about a man experiencing a streak of good luck after his girlfriend left him. Coach Chance the Rapper bobbed his head in time with the beat, and Dan + Shay even sang along.
Chance is the lone hip-hop representation among this season’s coaching panel on The Voice. However, the GRAMMY winner raved over the performance despite the song choice not exactly being up his alley.
“Y’all just threw down,” Chance said. “I don’t even listen to country music. I might download that song.”
The “No Problem” rapper was immediately forced to run damage control. “Thanks, Chance,” joked Dan Smyers, of Dan + Shay.
“No no no, I listen to you guys all the time,” Chance insisted. “I’m saying, I don’t listen to other country music.”
“Backpedaling again,” Reba cracked.
Reba’s Cowboys “Light Up the Stage”
Reba acknowledged that she had her work cut out for her. The “Fancy” singer told her contestants that she felt like she’d known them both forever.
“When we got to be in the rehearsal, I just felt like we bonded,” she said. “And that was really special to me.”
Reba called Van Slee’s performance “cute as a button” and praised his “spot-on choreography.”
Ultimately, however, Sanders’ “perfect” high notes gave him the advantage. “Because it is called The Voice, the winner of this battle is Josh,” Reba said.
Both contestants clearly had a special place in Reba’s heart. The Queen of Country posted a sweet message to her social media during the episode.
“Look at these two cowboys lighting up the stage!” Reba wrote on X/Twitter. “Their performances sure touched my heart.”
Viewers commended Reba for making the tough choice. “I really felt for Reba… she looked genuinely crushed to let one of the Cowboys go!!” one user wrote on X/Twitter.
Featured image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
