Season 26 has brought a new burst of energy. With a pair of veteran coaches, Gwen Stefani and Reba McEntire, doing battle against rookies Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg, The Voice is in with the new but essentially the same. While Season 25 had a Double Chair thanks to the arrival of Dan + Shay as judges, this season’s new gimmick is the Coaches’ Replay Button. Despite the lack of fanfare, this new button offers something the show has never done before.

How the Coaches’ Replay Button Operates

Because a show running for 26 seasons needs to feel refreshing, The Voice has been a revolving door of coaches season after season. When a new coach arrives, and it’s not enough, the show adds something special to sweeten the season. The introduction of the Coaches’ Replay Button is something new and quite interesting. Essentially, this is the “oopsie my bad” button. But when it comes to utilizing it, does it only work on contestants who receive no chair turns? If you pass on a contestant who received a turn from another coach, what is the benefit of utilizing the Coaches’ Replay Button? It would take a massive pitch or knowing that a specific contestant has a strong desire to be on your team for it to work in your favor. Essentially, this redo is for those who are about to walk off the show. Maybe their performance was okay, but there were no other chair turns, so you’re not willing to risk it either. As seen during episode 2, Snoop Dogg didn’t burn for Gail Bliss because he was waiting for Reba to turn first as he trusted her opinion. But then, following their chat, Snoop regretted not going with his gut. And thus, Gail Bliss doesn’t receive a chair turn, but she ends up on the program.

With that in mind, how does this button work for the coaches? It calls into question whether it is worth waiting until the very end of a performance for an artist you’re on the fence about before you decide to turn normally or risk the Coaches’ Replay Button. This could cause an artist on the brink of leaving to feel the nerves of ultimate rejection before their performance is up. For many artists who audition for The Voice is a dream. Should that dream be moments away from realization, a performance can suffer. So, who is the Coaches’ Replay Button truly helping? Is it there just for something new?

‘The Voice’ Is No Longer About the Title

The intrigue of The Voice was about the Blind Auditions. The coaches are there to judge an artist simply based on their vocal ability and technique. Their reaction is based on vocal performance as opposed to an image or stage presence. Now, with the Coaches’ Replay Button, the chance to make a team doesn’t necessarily require the voice as the sole factor. Though a coach can pine and claim they enjoyed their voice, their first impression falls to the wayside as their second impression, meeting the individual, allows the decision to be made.

Should an artist botch their performance and earn zero chair turns, they might be the most persuasive individual and still make a team thanks to the Coaches’ Replay Button. A coach may see a star after hearing and seeing them and feel that an artist is now required for their team. That’s not what The Voice is all about. But hey, not everything is perfect the first time around! No matter what, the new Coaches’ Replay Button twist is interesting, it’s just not well-thought-out. The Voice airs every Monday night at 8:00pm on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.