The Voice season 26: What is a Coach Replay? Details explored

The Voice season 26, one of the most anticipated reality TV show singing competitions, premiered exclusively on NBC this Monday, September 23. The faces of the iconic show, coaches, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani returned alongside new judges Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé. For fans who don't know, in this show, the judging panel evaluates an artist solely on the basis of their voice.

During the first phase of this series, blind auditions, each singer is given the opportunity to either sing an original song or a cover. Whoever judges likes the performance, presses the red button next to them to turn their chair towards the stage.

If more than one chair is turned, the contestant has the choice to select one of the judges as a mentor and become a part of their team.

However, this season, the judges have the option to press the Coach Replay button. The Voice season 26 has introduced a new rule where mentors can select a favorite artist even after not turning the chair before.

The Voice season 26 premiered exclusively on NBC on September 23, 2024. The episode 1 began with the blind auditions as per the show format. The premiere episode synopsis reads:

"The competition is fierce as Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé each claim their red chairs; alongside returning coaches Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani, they all vie to discover and coach the next singing phenomenon."

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Coach Replay, a new rule on The Voice season 26

On The Voice season 26, show host Carson Daly told the judges what this new rule was. He said that each mentor has one replay button throughout the blind auditions.

This meant that if a mentor meets the contestant after the performance is over, and wants to change their decision, they can press the replay button. He further explained:

"When the Audition is over, you have a second chance to go back and get that Artist by pressing your button.”

Upon hearing this, the new judge Snoop Dogg said:

“I’m a real Coach in real life, so I like to replay and see what I’ve done right or wrong. So the replay makes a lot of sense!”

As of now, the replay button is only limited to the blind auditions, there has been no confirmation whether this rule will be applied to the next rounds.

After the Blind Auditions on The Voice season 26, the chosen contestants will head to the next rounds where they compete to stay in the game. These rounds are Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs, and Live Performance Shows.

Throughout the series, the judges act like mentors and can use their powers to Blocks, Steals, and Saves on the basis of a participant's performance. At the end of the blind audition, the judges form teams of 14 artists to provide them guidance through each round.

The audience will be watching The Voice season 26 blind auditions for the first few episodes until the contestants move to the next round. To stay updated with episode previews and teasers, follow the official Instagram account of the show.

The Voice season 26 premiere episode is available to stream on NBC. The upcoming episodes will be released at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock TV.