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Hear Donny Van Slee’s “Rootsy” Rasp That Made Reba Immediately Block Dan + Shay
Reba didn't wait long to use her Block on The Voice.
Sometimes The Voice Coaches take an open-minded approach, listening for any vocalist that catches their ear. Other times, though, they know exactly what they want, and more importantly, they know what other Coaches want. Hence, the Block button, and in Episode 2 of Season 25, that button found a perfect use.
Donny Van Slee, a 30-year-old chiropractor living in Nashville, is chasing country music dreams. He's been working hard to make music ever since he was entranced by the city during a trip there, and he's done well enough to make it to The Voice stage at a time when the Coaches are heavily flavored with country influence. All he had to do was nail the Blind Audition.
Watch Donny Van Slee perform "Greatest Love Story" by on The Voice Season 25
For his Audition song, Van Slee chose LANCO's "Greatest Love Story," a song that allowed him to show off his raspy, country-heavy vocal tone with a lot of enthusiasm and style. Right away, Reba McEntire turned her chair, but she didn't just hit the turn button. She hit the Block button on fellow country stars Dan + Shay, who were so busy discussing Van Slee's "potential" that they didn't notice their chair turn was negated. It's a textbook use of the Block button on the show, allowing McEntire to cut off her country competition before they could even weigh in.
RELATED: What to Know About Dan + Shay, The Voice's First-Ever Coaching Duo
After the performance, and a two-chair turn, Van Slee was elated to be welcomed to the show by Coach John Legend.
"We, for the first time ever, have three chairs filled by country Artists, and they all turned for you," Legend said.
"We tried," Shay Mooney replied.
Dan Smyers added, "If anybody's gonna block us...the Queen Reba, it's OK."
Smyers continued, "That's a great song choice for you too, that's just a great rootsy kinda thing. Bummed we didn't get you, we got blocked by Reba. You're in good hands."
Then, after a quick handshake from Chance the Rapper (who said he regretted not turning once he'd seen Van Slee's "energy"), it was McEntire's turn.
"When I heard you, my first thought was 'Block them,' because I knew they were gonna go for it so quick," McEntire said, happy to add yet another country Artist to her growing Season 25 team.
RELATED: The Full Story Behind Country Icon Reba McEntire's Name
So, Van Slee punched his ticket to The Voice with the Queen of Country in his corner, but as he went off to get some Reba Tenders, he heard a little more from Dan + Shay.
"Donny, we're gonna steal you later, brother," Smyers said.
How far will Donny Van Slee go? Will Dan + Shay pull off the steal? Keep watching The Voice, Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC, and streaming next day on Peacock.
