Season 23 of The Voice premiered on Monday, March 6, and the coaches saw many talented contestants audition for their shot to compete on the show on the opening episode. One of those was a singer named Emily Rhyne who took the stage to sing "The First Cut is the Deepest." She also had a special surprise for Blake Shelton.
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Rhyne launched into the performance and gave her all to the classic song. Unfortunately, the judges declined to turn their chairs for the singer, but she did share a special moment with Shelton. After her performance, Rhyne revealed she's from Ada, Oklahoma — Shelton's hometown of less than 17,000 people. Shelton was shocked when he heard this and immediately regretted his decision to not turn his chair for her. When Rhyne revealed that she performs at Shelton's Ole Red bar in Oklahoma, Shelton felt even worse.
"Oh no," he said, after hearing Rhyne introduce herself.
"How bad do you feel right now?" Kelly Clarkson asked Shelton.
"I feel terrible!" he responded. "Why do you think it's funny that everybody feels bad? What's wrong with you?"
Rhyne also came with gifts for Shelton. First, she gave him a t-shirt signed by local musicians in Ada. Rhyne and Shelton also chatted about people they both know, including Rhyne's grandpa.
The singer had one more surprise for Shelton before she left. She explained that her grandpa is a musician, and she has a recording of a song Shelton sang when he was 13 years old. Rhyne then played the recording of a young Shelton into the microphone for all to hear.
"It was your last season here, so I had to go all out," she said.
In an interview after the performance, Shelton said he would have turned his chair for Rhyne if he had a second chance.
"If I could ever go back in time, it would have been for Emily," he said. "It didn't move me enough, but knowing the backstory, if I had known, I definitely would have hit my button. That's a heartbreaker for me."
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC.
