The beginning of the NFL's Christmas weekend slate of games doubled as Huntley's first step toward superstardom following his Season 24 victory on 'The Voice." Friday's (Dec. 22) game at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium between the home team Chargers and the victorious Buffalo Bills began with Huntley singing the national anthem.
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Huntey won "The Voice" three days prior, making Niall Horan a two-time winning coach in as many tries. Team Niall's Gina Miles won Season 23: the former One Direction member's first on the show. With the repeat, Horan joins Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson as the only coaches to win "The Voice" in consecutive seasons.
The only nine-time winner as a coach, Shelton coached three consecutive victors early in the series' run: Jermaine Paul (Season 2), Cassadee Pope (Season 3) and Danielle Bradbury (Season 4). Horan won't return as a coach when Season 25 premieres on Feb. 26, 2024, so Shelton's seemingly untouchable record is safe for the time being.
Horan joins Clarkson as the only judges to win back-to-back seasons in their first two tries. Clarkson, too, won her debut season (Season 14) with Brynn Cartelli. Team Kelly defended its championship when the voting public chose Chevel Shepherd as Season 15's champion. Clarkson went on to coach two more champs before departing the series after Season 23.
Notably, NBC airs "The Voice." The network's streaming service, Peacock, carried Friday's game.
Huntley, winner of @NBCTheVoice season 24, sings the national anthem at SoFi Stadium!
?: @peacock pic.twitter.com/JeMXz2em65
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 24, 2023
Singing the national anthem on a grand stage added another resume entry for Huntley.
"I think for me, winning 'The Voice' wasn't really my goal," Huntley told NBC. "Every time I went out there, my goal —every single time— was to create a moment. Because I never genuinely thought that I was going to win 'The Voice.' I just wanted to create a resume to show exactly who I was."
"The Voice" returns on Feb. 26, 2024. For Season 25, returning coaches Reba McEntire and John Legend will be joined by Chance the Rapper and the first-ever joint coaches: country duo Dan + Shay.
