Season 26 of “The Voice” was shaping up to be a battle of the Jacksonville singers, with two River City contestants competing on the popular NBC series.
Katie Ondrejicka – who goes by “Katie O” – secured a spot on coach Reba McEntire’s Team Reba Oct. 15 with her rendition of Lee Ann Rimes’ “One Way Train.” She credits an open mic appearance at a Jacksonville Brucci’s when she was 10 to sparking her love of singing and performing.
That same evening, Cassidy Lee grabbed a spot on coach Michael Bublé’s Team Bublé singing Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.” The frontwoman for a rock band called Annie Dukes, Lee appeared briefly on Season 18 of The Voice in 2020. Since then, she has performed on the Opry Stage and opened for ZZ Top.
In addition to McEntire and Bublé, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg will serve as celebrity coaches during the competition, which features five stages: Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and Live Performance Shows.
During the Blind Auditions, the decisions the coaches make are based solely on voice and not looks, as the coaches build their teams of 14 artists. The coaches hear the artists perform without getting to see them, thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by the artist’s voice, they push a button to select the artist for their team. If more than one coach pushes the button, the power then shifts to the artists to choose the coach with whom they wish to work.
Once the teams are set, the battle is on. The coaches dedicate themselves to developing their team of artists, giving them advice and sharing the secrets of their success. During the Battle Rounds, the coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together. After each vocal battle, the coach must choose which of their artists will advance to the next round of competition.
Also back this year are three-way Knockouts, where the artists are paired against two other teammates. The coaches will choose one winner out of the three, and the artists not selected will be available to be stolen by another coach.
Artists who survive the Knockouts will advance to the Playoffs, where the coaches each enlist a mentor to help advise their artists as they vie for a spot in the live shows.
Once the Live Performance shows begin, the top artists will compete against each other weekly during a live broadcast. This time, the television audience will vote to save their favorite artists. America can save their favorite performer by voting on “The Voice” Official App or NBC.com. Those with the lowest number of votes will be sent home. At the end of the competition, one artist will be named “The Voice” and receive the grand prize of a recording contract.
