'The Voice': Reba McEntire Is the Season 23 Mega Mentor!

The country legend joins the show next week for the Knockout Rounds.

It's Blake Shelton's final season on The Voice -- so it's only fitting that the Mega Mentor is a country music legend!

NBC announced in February that Reba McEntire will serve as the Mega Mentor for 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. Reba's first appearance will come next Monday, though they teased her introduction following the conclusion of Tuesday's Battle Rounds.

"Reba is the queen of country music," Blake declared, with Niall agreeing, "It was amazing to be in her presence."

It's a full-circle moment for Reba, who served as Blake's Battle Round Advisor during the singing competition's very first season back in 2011.

Of course, Blake isn't the only coach Reba has a connection with -- she's also very close with Kelly, her former daughter-in-law and frequent duet partner.

Season 23 has also seen some changes to the Voice competition, with the addition of a "Playoff Pass" in the Battle Rounds, which allowed one artist per team to skip the Knockout Round and head straight to the Playoffs. Each coach will still have a steal in the 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.

Reba previously revealed that she'd turned down an offer to become a coach on The Voice, 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 her earlier this month, we asked if she had reconsidered, now that Blake was stepping away from the show.

"To fill Blake's chair? Wow. That's gonna be tough," she answered coyly. "He did a great job and kudos to him."

The Voice airs Mondays at 8 p.m. PT/ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.

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