Turns Out, NBC Wanted Reba McEntire to Coach on "The Voice" Instead of Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton is an institution on The Voice.
He’s won more than any other coach on the show, and he’s the only one who’s been around from the very beginning. It’s hard to imagine what the NBC competition would be without his upbeat attitude and signature finger-point.
So imagine our shock when Blake revealed that he wasn’t even the first choice to fill the country slot on The Voice. That’s right, apparently the producers had someone else in mind—Reba McEntire!
“If I’m not mistaken, they wanted Reba to be a coach on The Voice first,” he told reporters at his Ole Red restaurant, according to Taste of Country. “They knew they wanted a country artist to be a coach on The Voice, to fill that lane.”
Reba’s ex-husband and former manager Narvel Blackstock got a call about the position, but she ultimately decided to turn it down. “For whatever reason, she couldn’t do it, or they just decided it wasn’t the thing for her at the time,” he said.
Look, we love any chance to watch Reba on TV. Just a few weeks ago she put on the performance of a lifetime at the CMAs and we’re still recovering. But The Voice without Blake? No way!
Thankfully, Narvel pitched Blake as a substitute and the rest is history. “They knew just enough about me that they just rolled the dice and said ‘Okay, we’ll try him,’” Blake said.
We don’t think we’re the only ones who’d agree the risk was worth it.
You Might Also Like
