Season 28 of The Voice is officially underway with a brand new rule change that has already given one contestant a second chance in the competition.
During the show’s season premiere Monday night on NBC, it was announced that long-time host Carson Daly will have the ability to save a contestant whose blind audition fails to turn any of the judges’ chairs.
The Carson Callback, as it’s called, is meant to speed up the year-long process of having a rejected contestant reaudition after making it to the blind auditions. With the new rule, Daly has the power to give one chosen contestant just 24 hours to prepare a new song to reaudition for the judges.
Daly wasted no time putting his new power to use with 25-year-old singer Ryan Mitchell from Los Angeles. Mitchell sang “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant but didn’t capture the hearts of judges Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Niall Horan, and Reba McEntire.
“Twenty-eight seasons, I see Coaches let great singers like yourself fall through the cracks sometimes, and I’ve never been able to do anything about it until right now,” Daly explained.
Handing Mitchell a special card, he continued: “Ryan, this is the Carson Callback Card. You’re just too good to let go. Pick a new song. Ryan, you have 24 hours to prepare for this second and last chance.”
“Sometimes the Coaches just don’t get it right,” Daly told Mitchell and his family backstage. “We rarely get a cool alt-rock artist on the show anymore.”
Mitchell will return with his new song for a chance to impress the judges during Tuesday night’s episode.
The Season 28 rule change comes ahead of a shake-up for Season 29, which will have a slight name change along with a deviation in format when it airs in 2026.
The Voice: Battle of Champions, as it will be called, will differ from the usual four coaches who blindly listen to contestants sing before progressing to battle rounds, knockouts, semi-finals, and the finale.
During the audition round, the coaches will compete against each other in a “Three-Turn Competition,” where they will try to land the most singers who can turn each chair for their teams. The coach with the most three-turn singers automatically earns a “Super Steal” for the battle rounds, which can only be used once and overrides any other coach’s attempt to steal, guaranteeing a win.
In the knockout rounds, the coaches will bring back two fan-favorite singers from their teams from previous seasons to compete in an “In-Season All-Star Competition.” The coach with the most sing-off wins, judged by former Voice coach CeeLo Green, will be guaranteed a second finalist in the finale.
The semi-final week will feature the top nine singers, with the finale including the top four. A new addition for those final weeks of the season is a voting block made up of past singers on The Voice and super fans of the show.
