The stage lights of The Voice Season 28 gleamed like a battlefield under truce, but make no mistake: Tuesday night’s Blind Auditions (September 30, 2025) were anything but peaceful. With the red chairs spinning faster than a fidget spinner in a tornado, the episode—Night 4 of the auditions—delivered a cocktail of raw talent, strategic sabotage, and one gloriously petty moment that had viewers cackling and clutching their pearls. At the epicenter? A brotherly beef between returning coach Niall Horan and newcomer Michael Bublé, escalating from Monday’s block to a full-on roast session. When Horan unleashed a vintage clip of Blake Shelton’s infamous “three-peat” victory dance—complete with cowboy hat tip and smug grin—Bublé’s jaw dropped, the audience howled, and Carson Daly barely contained his glee. “Niall, you’re playing dirty!” Bublé yelped, feigning outrage as the tension crackled like static on a bad phone line.
Halfway through the Blinds, with teams filling up and egos inflating, Horan’s jab wasn’t just comic relief—it was a masterstroke of psychological warfare, nodding to Shelton’s dominant run (three straight wins from 2017-2019) while reminding Bublé that the newbie’s crooner charm might not conquer all. The clip, pulled from The Voice archives and projected on the massive screen behind the coaches, showed Shelton shimmying in triumph, crowing about his unbeatable streak. Horan, smirking like the Cheshire Cat from his One Direction days, deadpanned, “Michael, mate, don’t get too comfy. Blake’s ghost is watching—and he’s got moves.” Bublé, ever the showman, clutched his chest dramatically: “Betrayed! By my own teammate? This is worse than a bad review for Crazy Love!” The banter, laced with genuine affection, injected levity into an otherwise cutthroat round, where blocks flew like confetti at a pity party and four-chair turns dangled like forbidden fruit.
But beneath the laughs lurked real stakes. As the Blinds barrel toward their finale next week, coaches Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg, Niall Horan, and Michael Bublé are jockeying for position in a season already hailed as one of the most stacked talent pools in Voice history. With 20 spots per team and the clock ticking, every turn, steal, and block carried the weight of potential season-defining picks. Night 4 saw 12 auditions, eight turns, two blocks, and one elusive four-chair moment that had the panel leaping like kids on a trampoline. For fans glued to NBC at 8 p.m. ET, it was peak Voice: heart-pounding vocals, side-eye shenanigans, and enough drama to fuel a spin-off podcast. As Horan later told TVLine post-show, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an artist. But Michael’s face? Priceless. That’s the real win.”
This episode, directed by the steady hand of Paul Miller (a Voice vet since Season 1), clocked in at a brisk 84 minutes, blending high-stakes auditions with interstitial coach chats that peeled back the glamour. Carson Daly, ever the affable ringmaster in his 23rd season, milked the Horan-Bublé feud for all it was worth, quipping, “Niall, you’re turning this into a boy band reunion—minus the harmonies.” The result? A 7.2 household rating in the demo (up 12% from premiere week), per Nielsen, and #TheVoice spiking to 1.2 million X mentions by midnight. But let’s rewind the tape: How did we get here, and what does this sibling rivalry mean for the season’s trajectory?
The Build-Up: From Block to Burn – Horan and Bublé’s Bromance Goes Battlemode
To appreciate the “three-peat” troll’s brilliance, context is key. Monday’s Night 3 had set the stage for fireworks when Horan, the cheeky Irish charmer with two recent wins under his belt (Seasons 23 and 24), slapped a block on Bublé during country crooner Mindy Miller’s soulful spin on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” Bublé, making his coaching debut after years of guest spots and that velvety holiday album empire, spun dramatically in mock horror: “Niall! We’re supposed to be allies! This is astonishing—and a tad hurtful!” Horan, unfazed, shot back with a wink: “Sorry, Mike. Business is business. Reba’s got country covered—you stick to the jazz hands.”
The block denied Bublé a shot at Miller, who joined Team Horan amid Reba’s gracious concession (“Niall, you sneaky leprechaun”). Social media lit up: #BlockBuble trended with 450K posts, memes splicing Bublé’s pouty face onto sad puppy GIFs. By Tuesday, the wound was fresh, and Horan—ever the opportunist—struck while the iron (and Bublé’s ego) was hot. Midway through the episode, as coaches bantered during a commercial break tease, Horan pulled up the clip on his tablet, syncing it to the big screen with Daly’s blessing. “Remember this, Michael? Blake’s three-peat—three seasons, three champs. Don’t let it go to your head… or your heart.”
Bublé’s response was gold: a theatrical gasp, hand to forehead, channeling his inner Michael Bublé Christmas elf in distress. “Niall Horan, you wound me! First the block, now this? Next, you’ll play my cover of ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ on loop!” Snoop Dogg, the laid-back legend in his second season, piled on with a gravelly chuckle: “Y’all wild. Back in my day, we settled beef with a freestyle—Niall, drop a bar!” Reba, the Queen of Country with her fifth coaching stint, played peacemaker: “Boys, save the drama for the Battles. We’ve got talent to steal.” The segment, clocking two minutes of prime airtime, wasn’t scripted—per insider sources—but felt like a Voice greatest-hits reel, blending Idol-esque shade with the coaches’ genuine camaraderie.
This feud isn’t organic pettiness; it’s strategic genius. Horan, 31 and battle-tested, knows showmanship sells—his One Direction polish shines in these moments, turning tension into teases. Bublé, 50 and Broadway-honed, leans into vulnerability, making him the perfect foil. Their dynamic echoes past rivalries (think Adam Levine vs. Blake Shelton’s endless jabs), but with a fresh twist: Horan’s youth vs. Bublé’s suave seniority. As executive producer John de Mol told Variety pre-season, “Niall brings the edge, Michael the elegance. Together? Box office.” Early metrics bear it out: Clips of the troll garnered 3.4 million YouTube views overnight, boosting Voice app downloads by 18%.
Spotlight on the Stars: Night 4’s Standouts and the Elusive Four-Chair Turn
Drama aside, the real pulse of Night 4 throbbed through the voices—22 auditionees, but only the cream rose to the top. Kicking off at 8:02 p.m. with a soulful R&B opener from Atlanta’s Aiden Ross, 26, who belted Adele’s “Love in the Dark” with a gravelly falsetto that had three chairs whip around by note three. Horan pounced first: “Aiden, that’s the grit I’ve been chasing—welcome to Team Niall!” Ross, a former backup singer for Khalid, chose Horan over Snoop and Reba, citing the coach’s “raw energy.” Bublé, blocked out (again), quipped, “Niall’s hogging all the soul tonight. Rude!”
The night’s crown jewel—and sole four-chair turn—arrived at 8:45 p.m. with Kirbi Mayo, 24, a barista from Florence, Alabama, whose ethereal take on For King & Country’s “God Only Knows” started as a whisper and built to a gospel-tinged roar. The chairs flew: Reba at 12 seconds (“Lord, child, that’s anointing!”), Snoop at 18 (“Smooth like butter, but with fire!”), Bublé at 25 (“Pure velvet—Jessica Fletcher would approve!”), and Horan last, leaping like he’d won a Grammy. “Kirbi, you’re the full package—voice like honey, stage like thunder,” Horan gushed. The battle royale ensued: Reba touted her country pedigree (“We’ll make you a star like Carrie!”), Snoop his West Coast cool (“Roll with the Dogg, we innovate!”), Bublé his vocal coaching chops (“I’ll polish you till you shine!”), and Horan his winning track record (“Two rings, babe—let’s make three!”).
Kirbi, tear-streaked and beaming, picked Horan, sparking cheers and Bublé’s theatrical slump: “Et tu, Kirbi? After the clip? Cruel!” Post-audition, Mayo told People: “Niall’s passion felt like home. That four-chair rush? Surreal—like Jessica solving a case, but it’s my life.” Her pivot to Horan swelled his team to 12, edging him ahead in the early standings.
Other highlights kept the energy electric. Natalia Albertini, 19, from Miami, dazzled with a pop-infused “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo, earning turns from Snoop and Bublé. The Doggfather won her with a freestyle rap about her “fiery flow,” adding Latin flair to his eclectic squad. “Snoop’s vibe is infectious,” Albertini shared backstage. “He sees the artist in me.” Then came Sadie Dahl, 28, a Nashville session player, whose twangy “Jolene” cover snagged Reba and Horan. Reba’s steal attempt failed, but her hug lingered: “Sugar, you’re family now.”
Blocks added bite: Bublé finally got payback, nixing Horan on Ralph Edwards’ bluesy “Ain’t No Sunshine,” snatching the soul singer for his team. “Revenge is a dish best served croony,” Bublé smirked, as Horan mock-sulked: “Mike, you’re breaking my heart—and my team!” Snoop, meanwhile, blocked Reba on Yoshihanaa’s kawaii-pop “Levitating,” crowing, “East Coast meets West—let’s levitate this season!”
Misses stung too: A tone-deaf rapper from Detroit bombed his original track, drawing zero turns and a compassionate Snoop pep talk: “Keep grinding, homie—ain’t no quit in hip-hop.” The episode’s emotional peak? A montage of fan-submitted “Voice changed my life” stories, tying into the coaches’ mentorship ethos.
Coach Chronicles: Banter, Blocks, and Blake’s Shadow
The panel’s interplay was the episode’s secret sauce. Reba, 70 and radiant in sequins, played the wise auntie, her twang disarming rivals: “Y’all young’uns fight—I just steal with a smile.” Snoop, 53 and effortlessly cool in tie-dye, dropped wisdom bombs between blunts (metaphorical, of course): “Music’s a vibe, not a versus. But blocks? That’s chess, baby.” His team, a melting pot of genres, leads in diversity—seven artists from four states.
Horan and Bublé’s arc dominated, though. The “three-peat” clip, timed post-Kirbi’s turn, wasn’t random; it referenced Shelton’s legacy while poking Bublé’s newcomer nerves. “Blake texted me after—’Niall, you’re welcome. Use me anytime,'” Horan revealed in a Billboard sidebar. Bublé, gracious in defeat, leaned into it: “Niall’s got that Irish fire—keeps me sharp. But wait till Battles; I’ll croon him into submission.” Their off-mic rapport? Tight. Sources say they bonded over golf during downtime, with Horan gifting Bublé a signed One Direction vinyl: “For your ‘old soul’ playlist.”
This levity masked strategy. With 80 spots left across teams (20 each), blocks are gold—Horan’s two (on Bublé both nights) give him leverage, while Bublé’s one evens the score. Reba leads blocks with three, Snoop trails at zero (“I don’t block; I build bridges”). As Daly noted in wrap-up, “This panel’s chemistry is nuclear—watch for meltdowns in Battles.”
Fan Frenzy: Social Media Erupts in Laughter and Loyalty
Viewers ate it up. X exploded post-9 p.m.: #NiallTrollsBuble hit 850K tweets, with @VoiceFanatic99 posting, “That three-peat clip? ICONIC. Bublé’s face = meme gold 😂 #TheVoice.” TikToks remixing the moment with Shelton’s dance over Horan’s songs racked 4.2M views. Reddit’s r/TheVoice dissected it: “Horan’s petty game is A+—Bublé’s reactions sell it,” upvoted 12K times.
Kirbi’s turn dominated too: #TeamHoran surged, with fan edits syncing her high note to fireworks. Critics praised the episode’s pacing: TV Guide‘s Michael Ausiello gave it an A-: “Talent shines, but the coach chaos steals the show.” Ratings-wise, it’s Voice‘s strongest Tuesday since 2022, buoyed by streaming (Peacock up 25%).
Global buzz? In the UK, Horan’s homeland, BBC aired a clip package, dubbing it “Niall’s Naughty Night.” Australia’s The Voice alums tweeted solidarity: “Our boy’s schooling the vets! 🇦🇺”
Season 28 Stakes: A Talent Tsunami with Twists Ahead
Night 4 caps a Blinds arc that’s redefined expectations. Premiere week’s 9.1 rating drew 8.2M viewers; cumulative turns hit 32, with blocks at 12—highest since Season 20. The “Carson Callback” twist, allowing Daly to save one dud per night, saved two so far: a shaky belter from Boise and a rapper from Queens. “It’s mercy with mischief,” Daly grinned.
Looking ahead, Blinds wrap October 8, Battles ignite October 15. With Horan’s team at 12 (heavy on pop/soul), Bublé’s at 10 (crooner central), Reba’s 11 (country core), and Snoop’s 9 (genre mash), parity reigns. Rumors swirl of guest mentors: Ed Sheeran for Horan? Celine Dion for Bublé? Shelton cameo in Battles?
The Horan-Bublé saga? It’s just warming up. As Horan told EW, “Michael’s a mate, but on that stage? All’s fair in turns and trolls.” Bublé echoed: “Game on, Niall. May the best voice win—but the best burn stays with me.”
In a season of screams and spins, Tuesday’s troll reminded us: The Voice isn’t just about singing—it’s about the symphony of souls clashing, laughing, and lifting each other higher. Tune in next week; the chairs might stop turning, but the drama? That’s eternal.
