Texans stormed the stage on The Voice on Tuesday night.
It was the second of the reality competition series' two-night premiere in which singers perform in "blind auditions" to try to get judges to turn their chairs. One after the other, singers from North Texas wowed the judges and earned a spot going forward in the competition.
Tennessee started strong with 30-year-old park ranger Keith Paluso of Memphis singing "Way Down We Go" by Kaleo.
But Texas took over. Out of the six performers, half of them were Texans.
First up: Teenage Dallasite Claire DeJean, who said "I really want to be successful in this field. ... Turning a chair would bring a lot of hope to the kids that I teach. It would be a dream come true."
DeJean was shown at Preston Center Dance, where she says she teaches K-4 acting classes and dance. Before she went on, her mother Michelle said, "You got this." And after she sang "Hurt Somebody" by Noah Kahan and Julia Michaels, she had it. But not before shenanigans from the judges.
After DeJean finished singing, she answered judge Kelly Clarkson's query by saying, "Claire DeJean and I'm from Dallas, Texas." Clarkson jumped up and started bouncing up and down and dancing. DeJean had to wait while the audience got a geography lesson from judge Blake Shelton and Clarkson.
BS: "You're not from Dallas."
KC: "I am from Fort Worth."
BS: "That's not Dallas."
KC: "That's the same thing."
BS: "Dallas and Fort Worth are not the same thing!"
KC: "They call it DFW, moron."
BS: "That's what they call the airport."
As the judges vied for the attention of Claire, Shelton got in one last jab: "I'm not from Texas, but I'm from damn close. And I understand there's a difference between Dallas and Fort Worth. Just because the airport is DFW, doesn't mean they're one city!"
Shelton kept on, even after DeJean was off the stage and safely on Team Kelly: "I know Kelly is from Texas, but Texas is huge. Why does she think she's next-door neighbors with everybody who auditions for this show that's from the state of Texas? She's not even from Dallas. She's from Burleson, Texas." Oooh. The shade.
The next Texan was the newly married Michael Lee, who is from Fort Worth. (His wife Michelle says he loves three things: her, music and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which he calls "hugging with a purpose.")
He sang Roy Hawkins'/B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone," with his wife, dad and mom in the wings, and the judges audibly impressed. Jennifer Hudson even threw her shoe, her signifier that she's excited. When Lee introduced himself, Clarkson lamented that she had not turned her chair but later said she was his "Texas sister." Levine, Hudson
Shelton turned their chairs for him and he chose Shelton.
Last, but not least was DeAndre Nico, 22, of Port Arthur, Texas. Still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and the destruction of their home last year, he and his parents were now backstage at The Voice. "Since the hurricane, all I've been doing is gigging and sleeping on couches," Nico said before taking the stage. "Today is everything."
And that's just what his performance was: He sang Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" to a "Wow" from Clarkson, a thrown paper from Hudson and a coveted four-chair turn.
"You're amazing, bro," said Levine to kick off a cascade of compliments from the judges. The compliments continued even after Nico said, "What you got to say, Blake?"
He picked "whoever turned first" and that was Team Adam.
Texans may now be scattered among the coaches, but for one night on The Voice, they stood as one. The show might as well be renamed "The Texas Voice Curated By Kelly Clarkson."
The Voice continues Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on NBC.
