Anthony Ramos made his debut on The Voice on Monday night, bringing his infectious energy to Reba McEntire’s team as her Playoffs advisor, but it turns out this wasn’t the first time the Hamilton original Broadway cast member tried to be on the show. I think his inspiring story about auditioning for The Voice and getting rejected — on top of the enthusiasm he showed for the contestants — makes him the perfect candidate to be a coach in future seasons, and it sounds like the Queen of Country has thoughts on the matter, too.
It was immediately obvious watching Anthony Ramos work with Team Reba how much fun he was having. Ramos seemed in awe of the process and the contestants’ talent, but he was not afraid to offer constructive criticism and make suggestions about the arrangements. The actor showed an excitement about the process that already had me thinking he’d make a great coach on The Voice, and that was before he revealed that he’d once auditioned. After Reba McEntire mentioned how hard the competition is and that she doesn’t know if she’d have made it on the show, the In the Heights actor replied:
Yeah, me neither. I mean, I auditioned for the show, this show. Waited in New York in the cold for, like, hours. Sang 'Green Light' by John Legend, who’s one of my favorite artists of all time. And the producer goes, ‘I want you to work on your breathing for a year and come back,’ and my dreams were just crushed.
Anthony Ramos may have never made it back to The Voice as a contestant, but the star of the upcoming disaster movie Twisters has pretty much done everything else since then, including Broadway, movies, voice acting and two studio albums.
The Voice has featured coaches like Kelly Clarkson, Camila Cabello and Niall Horan who came from different singing competitions, but how inspiring would it be to hear from someone who failed to make it on The Voice but became successful in the industry anyway? Reba McEntire seemed to know how much the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts star could bring as a coach, telling ET:
He has done it all. Broadway, television, tours, recording, it's an all-around package. He knows how to interpret a song. He knows what the audience wants. He knows what an entertainer needs to do on stage to make sure the audience has a wonderful time. And I just got a big kick out of sitting beside him and listening to him. Talk to all my team. It was a huge blessing for them.
You’d think Reba McEntire would have some pull around The Voice, so can we make this happen, please? Anthony Ramos could be a real shot in the arm for the show, adding to the Energizer Bunny-like quality that Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay brings. The guest mentor showed that same liveliness that the competition so desperately needs after losing longtime coaches Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, and Ramos' history with The Voice seems to be the perfect opportunity to inspire future hopefuls.
There’s been no word on who will continue coaching past the current 25th season, so while we wait for official word from NBC, you can keep watching the current cycle at 8 p.m. ET Mondays and Tuesdays, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.
