‘The Voice’ Coaches Share What the Show Is Like Without Blake Shelton (Exclusive)

The Voice coaches are ready for season 24 — but they’re missing a familiar face!

Reba McEntire is taking over for Blake Shelton in the upcoming season, after the country star bid farewell to the singing competition earlier this year after an impressive 23-season run.

ET’s Cassie DiLaura recently sat down with Reba, alongside her fellow coaches — Gwen Stefani, John Legend and season 23 winner Niall Horan — to open up about joining the show, and how it feels to try and fill Blake’s cowboy boots.

While Reba says the other coaches have welcomed her “warmly, like a sister,” she noted that the friendly vibes go away when it’s time to get down to business.

“They’ve helped me, they’ve guided me and taught me, and then after I learned up to that point, then they say, ‘You’re on your own.'”

“We still want to beat her,” John agreed with a laugh. 

Gwen, of course, gets to see Blake all the time — the pair celebrated their second wedding anniversary back in July — but Niall is definitely missing his “TV dad” after the two forged a semi-begrudging bond last season.

“Of course I miss Blake,” Niall told ET. “I’m glad I was there for his last season. I got to learn off him and have a bit of a laugh while doing it.”

“Every time he comes to town, he’s like, ‘Can I come over?'” Gwen teased. “They’re like little-big buddies.”

Niall said his real goal is to score an invite to Blake’s Oklahoma ranch, to which Gwen said, “You can come anytime, you’d have so much fun!”

For now, the coaches will settle for some fresh produce that Blake hand delivers from the ranch, which recently included peaches and corn on the cob.

“Blake has to, like, plant it, grow it, pick it, then he brings it in ice chests all the way on a helicopter, on the plane and then put it in bags and brought it to them,” Gwen shared.

Season 24 marks a return for both Gwen and John after stepping away from the show for a bit. While the No Doubt frontwoman says her returns to The Voice always seem to be a last-minute decision, she’s thrilled to be sitting back in the spinning coaches’ chairs.

“It’s pretty amazing to be around all of these talented people,” she marveled. “Every time I come back I have so much fun, and to get to know Reba, it’s been incredible.”

And John returns this season for the first time as a father of four! He and wife Chrissy Teigen welcomed a daughter, Esti, in January of this year and also a son, Wren, who was born via surrogate in June. The couple also shares Luna, 7, and Miles, 5.

While he’s out to win this season, John told ET that his biggest fans will always be at home.

“My son is literally my biggest fan,” he gushed about new big brother Miles. “In the car, we go back and forth about who gets to pick a song. He only picks John Legend songs… I know that won’t last forever, but I’m just gonna enjoy it while it lasts.”

The Voice season 24 premieres Monday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.

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