Being one of the judges on The Voice is an absolute cash cow for anyone lucky enough to be invited, so people were surprised when Reba McEntire initially passed on the chance.
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The average income, according to TV Insider, is around $13 million per season. That's for only six months' work, so turning it down is a crazy move. It doesn't seem like all that hard, and mostly involves sitting in a chair and having a good cry here and there. I do that daily while writing and don't get paid nearly that much.
But, Reba McEntire initially passed on appearing on The Voice for quite an interesting and heartwarming reason. She had been a part of the show as an advisory role a number of times before being offered a seat on the judging panel. But, she was hesitant.
"I was really dreading it at first because I don't want to tell anybody they suck," she said on Late Night with Seth Meyers while talking about The Voice. "I passed on it years ago when it first came over from Holland," she continued. "And I said, 'I can't tell somebody, you know, don't give up your day job.' I'm not gonna do that!"
The Reality Of 'The Voice' Wasn't What Reba McEntire Expected
But, things on the show were different to what she thought. The Voice has a soft hand compared to other shows. Judges are much more gentle with contestants these days. Even people who suck are treated with kindness. That's why I stopped watching. I want to see people CRUSHED.
But, for Reba McEntire, the reality of judging The Voice was much nicer than she thought. "But the way we did it on the first time I was on The Voice, it was more helpful and encouraging. We're nice people. We encourage. We lift up."
For $13 million, I would crush as many people's hopes and dreams as they wanted. But talent shows like this one have certainly changed. In the early days I remember whole compilations of disastrous, scathing performances and judges' responses. We're all just a little bit more kind now, and it's really boring.
