Blake Shelton's final season on — so it's only fitting that the Mega Mentor is a country music legend!NBC announced on Wednesday that Reba McEntire will serve as the Mega Mentor for the upcoming season 23, advising Shelton and his fellow coaches — Kelly Clarkson and newcomers Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan — and their team members ahead of the Knockout Rounds.It's a full-circle moment for McEntire, who served as Shelton's Battle Round Advisor during the singing competition's very first season back in 2011.Of course, Shelton isn't the only coach McEntire has a connection with — she's also very close with Clarkson, her former daughter-in-law and frequent duet partner.Season 23 will also see some changes to the competition, with the addition of a «Playoff Pass» in the Battle Rounds, which allows both artists to advance — and the winner to skip the Knockout Round and head straight to the Playoffs.
Each coach will still have a steal in both the Battle and Knockout Rounds, and the return of the Playoff Round will see the top 20 artists going head-to-head to determine who will make it to the live shows.Season 23 premieres on March 6, with the Battle Rounds commencing on March 27, the Playoffs on May 1 and the live shows on May 15.McEntire previously revealed that she'd turned down an offer to become a coach on, explaining that she didn't want to be tied down to a long-term project when she has so much on her plate already.
When ET spoke with the county music icon earlier this month, we asked if she had reconsidered, now that Shelton was stepping away from the show.«To fill Blake's chair?
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