Is the second time truly the charm for Ryan Mitchell — the 25-year-old Los Angeles singer who made The Voice history as the first-ever recipient of Carson’s Callback?

After an unforgettable journey that began with a zero-chair turn, Mitchell has now become the dark horse on Team Reba with a haunting performance of “Zombie” by The Cranberries that left everyone speechless during the Knockouts.

It’s hard to believe this is the same singer who once left the stage with no chairs turned. During the first night of The Voice Season 28 Blind Auditions, Mitchell impressed the Coaches with his heartfelt take on “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage The Elephant, but they wanted to hear more range.

Instead of walking away, he was handed the Carson Callback card by host Carson Daly — a golden second chance that allowed him to return 24 hours later with a fiery rock version of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.” This time, Reba McEntire hit her button and welcomed him to her team.

Since then, Ryan’s growth has been unstoppable. In the Battle Rounds, Reba chose him for his quick learning and strong spirit, saying, “He’s got confidence, he’s a quick study, he listens, he’s easy to coach — and that’s a coach’s dream.”

Now, after his Knockout performance of “Zombie,” Ryan has officially secured his spot in the upcoming Playoffs. The performance earned universal praise from the Coaches and guest mentors alike. Michael Bublé said, “Ryan has come back and exceeded everyone’s greatest expectations. You have the ability to interpret songs better than anybody else did.”

Snoop Dogg said Ryan’s rendition “felt like the early ’90s,” while Niall Horan added, “The growth you’ve shown over the last few weeks has been unbelievable.” Even Reba was deeply moved, saying, “Ryan, you wanted to sing a song that you could relate to, which I thought was very brave.”

Fans online echoed the same excitement, flooding the comments with love and disbelief after his breakout performance:

“He ate down! Jaw dropped — absolutely amazing. He deserves to win The Voice!”
“His intensity is unmatched, almost possessed. Great tone and breath support — well done!”
“They better not be sleeping on Ryan — he’s coming in full force”
“I got chills watching this. The song, the voice, the tone, the stage presence — awesome!”
“This just shows song choice is everything. All he needed was the right song and someone to believe in him.”
“I’ve loved Ryan since his first audition. Mark my words — he’s going to be huge.”

From rejection to redemption, Ryan Mitchell has turned his second chance into a story of grit and glory. And with the Playoffs just around the corner, The Voice fans can’t wait to see what the “black horse” of Team Reba does next.