Reba McEntire Joins THE VOICE as Mega-Mentor As Series Announces Competition Changes

Multi-media entertainment mogul and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Reba McEntire will serve as Mega Mentor on Season 23 of NBC's four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series "The Voice," premiering Monday, March 6 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).

Reba joins superstar coaches Chance the Rapper, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Blake Shelton to mentor the remaining artists who have made it through the Battle Rounds as each team prepares for the Knockouts that begin April 17. Having served as Battle Advisor to Team Blake during the show's inaugural season, it's most fitting Reba returns as Blake coaches his final group of artists and bids farewell to the competition.

With a career that spans across music, television, film and theater, Reba has celebrated unprecedented success with 35 career #1 singles and more than 58 million albums sold worldwide. She recently earned her 60th Top 10 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, extending her record for the most Top 10 hits among female artists.

With a plethora of accolades under her belt - 16 ACM Awards, 15 American Music Awards, 9 People's Choice Awards, 6 CMA Awards, 3 Grammy Awards, and a GMA Dove Award - Reba is also a 2018 Kennedy Center Honors recipient. The Oklahoma native and Golden Globe-nominated actress has 11 movie credits to her name, held a lead role on Broadway in Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun," and starred in the six-season television sitcom "Reba."

"The Voice" introduces key changes this season, making for a fierce competition where the stakes have never been higher - the coaches pull out all the stops to advance their teams and the artists leave it all on the stage as they vie for the win. This season's format includes:

The Battles (starting March 27) - An all-new "Playoff Pass" allows both artists in a battle to advance, with the "Playoff Pass" winner gaining a major advantage when they skip the Knockout Rounds and automatically advance to Playoffs, taking them one step closer to the live shows. Each coach has one "Playoff Pass" and one "Steal" during this round. Seven artists per team advance (six competing in the Knockouts and one "Playoff Pass" artist).

The Knockouts - Artists are paired against each other, selecting their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. Coaches choose the winner and the artist not selected is available for a "steal." The pressure is on as each coach only has one "steal" during this round. Five artists per team advance (four Knockout winners and one "Playoff Pass" artist).

The Playoffs (starting May 1) - The Playoffs are back, further bolstering the competition following the Knockouts. The 20 remaining artists hold nothing back, and tough decisions are made when each coach can only advance two artists to the live semi-finals.

The live shows kick off Monday, May 15 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).

"The Voice" is a presentation of MGM Television, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, and ITV Studios The Voice USA, Inc. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as an executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson and Adam H. Sher.

Photo Credit: Robby Klein