Over the years, The Voice has delivered plenty of unforgettable performances, heartfelt breakthroughs, and red chair camaraderie and banter. And for longtime Coach Blake Shelton, he brought it all back full-circle while reminiscing with Reba McEntire during Season 23 of The Voice. 

How to Watch

Watch Season 28 of The Voice on Monday, September 22 at 8/7c on NBC and Peacock.

Amid Shelton’s announcement that Season 23 would be his final season as a Coach — a heartbreaking development for many who adored the country king during his 12-year tenure — he looked back on where it all began while kicking it with McEntire, who served as a Season 1 Battle Advisor. The country-loving duo delighted in rewatching the Season 1 footage from The Voice, back when Shelton was slightly more baby-faced yet just as eager to see his Artists soar to victory. 

RELATED: The Voice Season 1 Coaches’ 1st-Ever Group Performance Is Beyond Electric

“Since this is Blake’s last season and I am the Mega Mentor, we’re gonna show some clips that I think will really take us down memory lane,” McEntire began in The Voice’s video, eager to jump right in. 

Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton laughed at the Season 1 throwback: “That was before puberty”

Blake and Reba React to Season 1 Footage | The Voice | NBC

You know Shelton set his Artists up for success because he tapped McEntire as his first-ever Battle Advisor. Their Season 1 team-up served as a delightful kick-off for McEntire and Shelton’s stroll down memory lane. 

“Season 1, first time, you and me right there,” McEntire said with excitement, as they watched the clip of a Season 1 Shelton introducing his team to McEntire.

“This is my secret weapon: Reba McEntire,” Shelton told the Artists, a moment that brought instant joy to McEntire thanks to Shelton’s voice change throughout the years. 

“Right after this, did your voice change?” McEntire teased.

“It must have,” Shelton laughed. “Oh my God, that was before puberty.”

As the clip continued, the younger Shelton raved about the edge McEntire brought to the competition. “Reba definitely gives me the advantage over the other Coaches,” a 30-something Shelton told cameras in the Season 1 interview. “There’s not a more talented person.”

“You look so young!” McEntire raved as the first video ended.

McEntire and Shelton did some mental math and realized the clip was from 2011, a decent chunk of time. “I think I think we’ve weathered very well, do you think so?” McEntire asked. 

“I think you have,” Shelton said. 

“Well, you have, too,” McEntire told him. “You’re more handsome than ever.”

“I’m not even sure I’m alive right now,” Shelton teased. “Like, literally.”

“Things have changed a lot here on The Voice,” McEntire mused. “Because that was the first year [in the U.S.], and man, it’s a well-oiled machine now.”

RELATED: How Blake Shelton Helped Convince Reba McEntire to Join The Voice as a Coach

Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire opened up about stage fright

McEntire and Shelton’s nostalgic stroll led them to a second clip from their Season 1 chat with Dia Frampton, a Team Blake Artist who struggled with stage fright before conquering those fears and becoming the show’s first runner-up. In the video, Dia confessed her fears to McEntire, who reassured her that even big acts can get pre-show fitters. 

“[Stage fright] just comes with it,” McEntire told Dia at the time. “I still get it. When you lose that, it’s just not exciting anymore.”

“If you didn’t have nerves, then you wouldn’t want this,” Shelton added as Dia thanked the Coaches for the helpful advice.

Long separated from the anxiety that comes from first becoming a performer, McEntire and Shelton chatted about their varying levels of stage fright as the second clip ended.

“Stage fright is something I just had to get over,” McEntire said. “You know, just keep doing it. The only time I still get nervous is if I don’t know the song or if I’m wearing new shoes.”

Shelton laughed, adding that he always associated stage fright as part of the “mystery” of public performance. “That’s part of the draw of it for me,” Shelton explained. “Like, ‘Wow, that freaked me out, I wanna do it again.'”

“Like a ride at Disney World,” McEntire added. “I don’t get nervous anymore, I just have that anticipation: I can’t wait to get on stage.”

Don’t miss McEntire’s return to the red chair by watching Season 28 of The Voice on Monday, September 22 at 8/7c on NBC and Peacock.