Tuesday’s episode of The Voice introduced one of the chillest contestants in the show’s history!
The season 25 Blind Auditions continued on Tuesday, and while surfer bro Gabriel Goes only earned one chair turn for his rendition of Sublime’s “What I Got,” his laid-back attitude and positive vibes won all the coaches over.
Only Chance the Rapper turned his chair for the 21-year-old Hawai’i native, but Gabriel couldn’t contain his joy, jumping and dancing on stage to celebrate getting his shot in the singing competition.
“I’m cruisin’, brah,” he marveled. “Cruisin’ with Chance!”
“I love your energy, man,” John Legend remarked. “It’s fun watching you up there, being so joyful in this moment.”
“I love your spirit,” agreed Dan of newbie coaching duo Dan + Shay. “I wanna come down and surf with you sometime.”
Gabriel further cracked the coaches up with his surfer slang, tossing out terms like “grom” and “super baby,” causing John to marvel, “You’re like from a movie.”
“If I looked up ‘Happiest Man Alive,’ I think you would be the picture next to it,” Shay agreed. “I feel like we’re gonna become best friends. I could literally listen to you just say words.”
Meanwhile, Chance couldn’t believe that he had such an easy time winning the charming young singer to his team. “I can’t believe they let me get away with a one-chair turn!” he laughed.
ET caught up with the season 25 coaches ahead of the premiere, where they shared what it’s been like to welcome The Voice‘s first-ever coaching duo to the competition.
“They give great notes. They’re really good,” Reba praised. “They’re knowledgeable about the business but they also have a lot of heart and that’s what they’re going for.”
Dan + Shay say they’ve been fans of the show for years — they served as mentor for Blake Shelton’s team back in season 20 and even stepped in to guest coach Niall Horan’s team last season — but getting to serve as full-time coaches for the first time has been a whole new experience.
“It’s changed everything for us,” Shay admitted. “I just really enjoy the process of getting to work with these artists, and you really, you get attached. It becomes heartbreaking when you have to let people go. But it’s been an amazing experience.”
Chance makes his return this season for the first time since his season 23 Voice debut, where he joined Blake, Niall and Kelly Clarkson. He told ET it’s especially exciting to be back with a whole new roster of coaching talent.
“I’ve always just admired John and he’s helped me in so many different ways,” he reflected. “To be working with him and then to be around Reba, and Dan + Shay, and with this amazing crew… I do miss Blake, but it’s just cool to be back in the building.”
Despite the good vibes, however, the coaches are still plenty competitive. With Niall stepping away this season after winning back-to-back titles, the Voice trophy is up for grabs — and there’s a better-than-average chance it could go to a first-time champion, as only John has won the competition before.
“It’s getting heated out there for sure,” Shay revealed.
“That’s why we’re here,” Reba agreed.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.
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